The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

This episode we reflect on GB&I’s Walker Cup win, their first in 11 years, and the scale of the comeback from a difficult morning session to a dramatic finish on the 18th green.We talk through the setting at Lahinch, which we describe as an excellent venue for the event, with strong support from the club, the town and the crowds throughout the week. We also note the work of captain Dean Robertson and the wider team around the side.We cover how the morning foursomes went badly for GB&I, with the Americans controlling play in the wind and taking a clear lead into lunch. We say the mood was flat at that point, but that the team room changed things and GB&I came out with much more energy in the afternoon singles.A big part of the discussion is the series of key matches that turned the contest. We talk about Stuart Grehan’s comeback win over Preston Stout, Luke Poulter’s result against Ethan Fang, Jack Whaley’s dominant victory over William Jennings, and the pressure moments involving Tyler Weaver, Niall Shiels-Donegan, Elliot Baker, Conor Graham and Josh Hill.We finish with the decisive final sequence, where Josh Hill held his nerve to win the hole that secured the Walker Cup. We describe the celebrations, the emotion around the green, and the sense that this was a remarkable team win built on resilience and momentum. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Day one of the Walker Cup at Lahinch in the bag, and we're recapping the action. 2 points from Niall Shiels Donegan no doubt the highlight, as well as a stellar comeback from Stuart Grehan against WAGR #1 Preston Stout. A betterball score of 60 from the pair, and carding a -7 round, yet never leading until the final putt was a sign of the standard of that match.Match results from the day below, and roll on day 2!Morning Foursomes (GB&I 2½ – 1½ USA)1 | Stuart Grehan / Eliot Baker | Halved | Preston Stout / Ethan Fang2 | Connor Graham / Tyler Weaver | 1 up | Kihei Akina / Jay Leng3 | Sam Easterbrook / Luke Poulter | 1 up | Miles Russell / Tyler Watts4 | Niall Shiels Donegan / Josh Hill | 4 & 3 | Ryder Cowan / Josiah GilbertAfternoon Singles (GB&I 4 – 4 USA)1 | Stuart Grehan | 1 up | Preston Stout2 | Jack Whaley | 1 up | Ethan Fang3 | Connor Graham | 1 up | William Jennings4 | Tyler Weaver | 2 & 1 | Jay Leng Jr.5 | Ben Bolton | 2 & 1 | Stewart Hagestad6 | Luke Poulter | 2 & 1 | Miles Russell7 | Niall Shiels Donegan | 3 & 2 | Tyler Watts8 | Eliot Baker | 3 & 2 | Josiah GilbertAfter Day 1: GB&I 6½ – 5½ USA) Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

With Walker Cup week upon us, we sit down with the Lord of Lag Putting himself, Dr Darragh Garrahy, to talk about one of his favourite subjects.There’s a twist this time, though, as Darragh takes on the role of quizmaster, requiring very little effort to expose Sam & Tom’s rather thin understanding of the Walker Cup.Along the way, he shares a tonne of brilliant titbits from the history of the match and this year’s host venue, Lahinch, with stories featuring some of the great characters to have graced the contest. From John Burke, Leonard Crawley, Bernard Darwin and JB Carr, to Frank Stranahan, Stiggy Hodgson and Don Cherry, plus plenty more besides.A fun one, packed with stories, and a quiz you can play along with in the car! Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

This week's course diaries episode takes us back to East Lothian to visit the East Links at North berwick, otherwise known as The Glen. Widely believed to be the first course ever designed by 5-time Open Champion James Braid, whose work would see him revise, refine or design over 500 courses, as well as reputedly being the first ever Municipal Golf Course. We cover the course’s history, as well as the dillema facing The Glen, with the reported buyout talks involving Ancient Links Golf Company, whose mission is to protect the ancient Scottish links for the future, and who have recently taken control of Scotscraig as well as Forfar Golf Club. Ownership strcuture aside, we also talk about the course. An exceptional site for golf, above the shore with views of Bass Rock, Tantalon Castle, and the coastline. We had an absolute blast here, and strongly encourage anyone travelling through to stop off and visit this historic part of the golfing landscape in East Lothian! Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

With Jack Whaley becoming on the third Englishman to win the coveted Havemeyer Trophy on Sunday evening at Merion (behind Matt Fitzpatrick & Harold Hilton), Sam, Tom & Peter wax lyrical about his performance, the venue, the event and what feels like an increased level of attention the golf world is paying to elite amateur golf. As well as his exemption into both the US Open, Open Championship, and an invitation to the Masters (provided he behaves himself between now and April), Jack Whaley also picks up a Walker Cup selection. The news comes with the announcement of the team that will head to Co. Clare in the first week of September where Dean Robertson's GB&I side are looking to prevent USA from their sixth consecutive title. The full team can be found below, and an article from the half par kid ca be found here profiling the two teams. • Eliot Baker, England, Tiverton, 23• Ben Bolton, England, Enville, 19• Sam Easterbrook, England, Olton, 21• Connor Graham, Scotland, Blairgowrie, 19• Stuart Grehan, Ireland, County Louth, 33• Josh Hill, England, Fox Den, 22• Luke Poulter, England, Woburn, 22• Niall Sheils Donegan, Scotland, Meadow Club, 21• Tyler Weaver, England, Bury St Edmunds, 21• Jack Whaley, England, Rotherham, 22Reserves:1. Thomas Higgins, Ireland, Roscommon, 232. David Howard, Ireland, Fota Island, 27 Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Jamie reflects on winning the England Golf Men’s Amateur Championship (as well as being part of back to back success in the Home Internationals). He talks about the week after the English Amateur, where England won the men’s event, as well as his walk-off hole-in-one he made in matchplay against Wales, on the 17th hole to secure the match. We talk about his English Amateur win, the importance of conservative play in the strokeplay qualification rounds, as well as his course strategy and mental appraoch. We also discuss his background, from starting golf around age 13 after playing cricket, into county golf and now representing England, taking an altogether different pathway to many kids these days who head to the states to play collegiate golf. We also talk about how this impacts WAGR and how he manages his schedule around the points on offer.Finally, Jamie talks about balancing elite amateur golf with work and the path toward turning professional. Working bar jobs , taxi licenses and all other things to fund his golf. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we speak with Colin Strachan, club historian and author of "Fair Ways at Ashdown Forest", about the history of Royal Ashdown Forest Golf Club and its place in early golf in England. We discuss how golf was played in Brighton as early as 1817, and how that activity links to the later development of the club at Forest Row.We talk about the railway connections that helped shape the club, including the role of people connected to the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. Colin explains how the club drew in members from different backgrounds, and how the conservators of the heathland influenced the course’s natural layout and limited changes to the land.We also cover several of the club’s key figures, including Horace Hutchinson, Abe Mitchell, Freddie Tate, Alf Padgham and Jack Rowe. Colin describes Hutchinson’s influence on golf in Britain and America, his role in shaping the course, and his later decline. We also discuss Mitchell’s self-taught game, his family’s long connection to the club, and Tate’s reputation as a fine amateur and soldier.Another major topic is the role of women at Ashdown Forest. We discuss the early Ladies’ club, its connection to the broader history of women’s golf, and the importance of members such as Mrs Lucas and Joyce Weathered. Colin also explains how the ladies’ course developed into an important short course and how the women’s side of the club became central to its identity.We finish with more recent memories of the club, including the clubhouse interior, the honours boards and photographs, and the stories associated with A.A. Milne and the landscapes of Winnie the Pooh.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we are joined by Richard Fisher (3-peat on the pod) looking back at 1926 as a pivotal year in golf, tracing the season from winter through autumn. We focus on the amateur game, the professional events, and the way golf fit into the wider sporting and political landscape of the year.We begin with the early amateur season, including the shared President’s Putter at Rye and the Varsity match at Burnham & Berrow, where Cambridge win. We also discuss how much golf's leading amateurs play, the importance of caddies, and the many club and society matches that shape the year.We then move to the spring championships, including the arrival of Glenna Collett and other American women ahead of the Ladies’ Championship, which is delayed by the General Strike.The episode also covers the amateur and professional championships in detail. We discuss Bobby Jones’s remarkable Open qualifying round at Sunningdale, his victory at Royal Lytham & St Anne's, the Amateur Championship at Muirfield, George Von Elm’s win in the US Amateur, and major professional events involving Walter Hagen, Abe Mitchell, and Sandy Herd... and of course the proto-Ryder Cup. We finish with the late-season fixtures, including the English Amateur, the US PGA and US Ladies’ Championship, and the mixed foursomes at Worplesdon. We also reflect on the broader context of 1926: the rise of international golf, the role of the media, and how different the sport’s structure and calendar were from today. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

We look back on a dramatic finish at Royal Birkdale, where Ryan Fox closed with a strong Sunday round and won on the 72nd hole. We say he stayed composed under pressure, kept executing shots, and handled some very unlucky breaks on the closing holes without letting them affect him.We also discuss how the course played over the week. We say it was firm, dry and much harder in the afternoon, while the morning wave had the best scoring conditions. We note that the changes to the course produced strong championship golf, with several holes forcing players to choose different clubs and strategies.We reflect on the other main contenders, especially Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler. We say Burns started well but made a series of errors that took him out of the lead, Fleetwood had a very strong week but faded late, and Scheffler struck the ball well but lost many strokes on the greens.A large part of the discussion focuses on the Bryson DeChambeau ruling and the difference between that incident and Scottie Scheffler’s ruling on 17. We say the rules were applied in different ways, that the evidence and intent were debated, and that the decisions raised questions about consistency and about how golf polices itself.We finish with the wider context of Fox’s win, including his New Zealand sporting background, the significance of the result for New Zealand golf, and a few lighter notes on the week’s other winners and losers, including the event’s attendance, the amateur performances, and the people behind the tournament setup. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

This episode we discuss the setup for the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, with particular focus on the firm, fast conditions and how much water the course is losing each day through high wind and heat. We talk about how the greens are being monitored and adjusted with modern technology, and how the course presentation is being kept under control.We also look at how players may adapt their strategy, with many expected to leave driver out in favor of irons, mini drivers or three-woods. The discussion covers wedge bounce, firm fairways, bunkers, and how the course conditions create difficult equipment decisions for the field.We spend a lot of time on the holes that could shape the championship, especially 1, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18. We talk about the challenge of the opening stretch, the reachable but dangerous par 5s, the narrow closing hole, and how wind direction could change the approach on several key holes.We then turn to likely scoring and possible outcomes, with the group largely agreeing that the winning score is more likely to be in the high single digits rather than very low. We also discuss which players may suit the test, including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Reed, Matt Fitzpatrick, Harris English and others.Finally, we cover the “Tooting Beck” low-round prediction for British and Irish players, and close with a brief exchange about England’s football match against Argentina. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we play a price-guessing game based on merchandise and food from the Open Championship site. We set up the rules, use a match-play style scorecard, and compare the prices of items the listeners would not have seen.We start with some reference prices, then move through a yellow Open mug, a boxed Vice golf ball, and a small navy pen holder shaped like a tall bag. We also price a Malbon quarter zip and a Malbon bucket hat, which lead to some of the larger early swings in the score.We continue with a silver claret jug-style jug, a 99 ice cream with a flake, a Future Open Champion baby bib, and a straw sun hat with a claret jug ribbon. We also cover Open-logo socks in a presentation box and a large Vessel carry bag.Later, we guess the cost of a Hugo Boss cap for marshals, an Adidas tracksuit top with Open branding, and a special-edition Stewart remote-control trolley. We then move to a Peter Millar cashmere V-neck and a player’s yardage book for the course.In the closing stretch we price a Vessel rucksack, a yellow kids’ flag, an Open T-shirt, and a metal ball marker with hole yardages. The episode ends with a final score update and a quick wrap-up after the last item. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

From within the media centre at Royal Birkdale, Sam and Peter recap the Monday last-chance qualifier at the Open Championship, where 12 players competed for one place in the field. The format, the field, and a first look at the course conditions are all discussed, alongside a recap of the first ever Last Chance Qualifier - an event we think was a resounding success. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we discuss the Scottish Open at Renaissance Club and the experience around the event, including the relaxed atmosphere for players, the links-style setting, and the way the course routing was changed. We also talk about nearby courses on the East Lothian coast, including Gullane, Winterfield, Craigielaw and Longniddry.We then begin the final part of our series on major golf course architects, focusing on the Hawtree family. We explain that the Hawtrees span three generations and have worked for over a century, with Frederick George Hawtree as the practical founder, Frederick William Hawtree as the more golf-focused writer and consultant, and Martin Hawtree as the modern restorer and consultant.We trace Fred Senior’s early career from greenkeeping at Sundridge Park to his first design work with James Braid at Sundridge Park and Croham Hurst. We also cover the founding of his practice in 1912, the interruption caused by World War I, and his later partnership with J.H. Taylor.A major theme is Hawtree’s work on municipal and public golf. We discuss the Artisan Golfing Society, the National Association of Public Courses, and their role in courses such as Richmond Park and several municipal courses around Birmingham, including Lickey Hills and others.We then cover Fred Senior’s purchase and rebuilding of Addington Court in the early 1930s, making it the first privately owned public golf course in Britain and the firm’s headquarters for decades. We also discuss the 1932 rebuilding of Royal Birkdale, including the new routing through the dunes and the course’s later refinements.Finally, we cover Fred Jr.’s education, wartime service and post-war consultancy work, then Martin Hawtree’s role from the 1970s onward. We mention his work at venues such as Lahinch, Ballybunion, Royal Aberdeen, Trump International and Royal Liverpool, and his comments about growing up around the family business and continuing the Hawtree tradition. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode, we speak from Renaissance in East Lothian, where we discuss the golf on the coast and how many different courses there are in the area. We talk about the quality of the turf, the variety of links courses, and how the region keeps surprising us even when we think we know it well.We also discuss golf shoes and metal spikes, including why spectators wear golf shoes at events and why professionals still use metal spikes, even though many clubs do not allow them. We compare different styles of shoes and talk about the practical and visual side of wearing them around a golf course.A major part of the conversation is our Eclectic 18 for East Lothian. We explain why holes from Musselburgh, Winterfield, Dunbar, Archerfield, Muirfield, Gullane, North Berwick, Luffness New and the Glen made the cut, and we talk through several of the choices, including standout par threes, par fours and par fives. We also note that some courses appear multiple times because of the strength of the holes.We finish by discussing which three East Lothian courses we would recommend to someone visiting the area, excluding North Berwick and Muirfield. We mention Dunbar, Winterfield, Musselburgh, Gullane 3, Luffness New and the Glen as strong options, and we end by saying how impressed we were with the trip and the golf across the region. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Will Dugdale discusses starting golf as a child, playing junior, county, Oxford and Cambridge golf, and turning pro in 1999. He also covers early career ups and downs, the putting yips, changes to his grip, and his work helping other golfers.Will has a genuinely fascinating story in the game of golf, and his relationship with the flat stick will no doubt resonate with many. For those who want to learn more, we'd encourage you to head to Will's website, best-putter.com.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we cover final qualifying for the Open Championship across four venues, with reports from Dundonald, Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. We compare the atmosphere at each course, noting that the day drew strong crowds, with many volunteers managing scoring, marshalling, parking and course presentation.We discuss how the golf courses were set up and how the weather affected play. Burnham and Barrow was described as especially well presented, while West Lancashire played firm and fast with strong runoff areas and difficult greens. We also talk about how the draw and weather conditions made a major difference to scoring, especially later in the day.We go through several of the main qualifiers and near misses. James Nicholas qualified comfortably, Tom Sloman played well at home to get through, and Caleb Surratt, Alejandro de Castro Piera and Austin Truslow also advanced. At West Lancashire, Sam Bairstow, Kazuma Kobori, Jose Ballister, Tiger Christensen, Sam Easterbrook and Matt Jordan featured prominently, while at Royal Cinque Ports Bard Bjornovic Skogen and MJ Defoe led the way.We also cover notable players who missed out, including Owen Edwards, John Goff, Fraser Jones and Brandon Robinson Thompson. There is discussion of withdrawals, players stopping after lunch, and the mix of amateurs, club players and touring professionals in the field. We note that many players had caddies, family members, or partners on the bag, and some chose to carry their own clubs.We finish by explaining the new Monday last-chance qualifier at Royal Birkdale, which will give a small group of players another route into the Open. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam chats with Stuart Grehan fresh of his Amateur Championship win at Royal Liverpool and West Lancs last week. The 131st Amateur was also the 19th time this event has been hosted at Royal Liverpool - more than any other venue. We talk about his wins in the knockout, the adjustments from 18 to 36 hole matches, as well some of the trickier matches that lay between him and his final against Matt Maloney which went all the way to the 36th hole. We also talk about his career, from pitch and putt as a kid, to turning professional, regaining his Amateur status and now looking forward to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, a Masters invitation and a spot in the US Open next year at Pebble Beach. In the aftermath of his win, we also talk about some of the criticism Stuart has come in for from the likes of Dan Rapaport, going from Professional to Amateur, as well as his experiences at Cypress Point last year in the Walker Cup, and looking ahead to Lahinch in September. Stuart says that the movement back to amateur golf was all about the lifestyle.... well what a lifestyle it is! Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we reflect on the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and the course setup, including the firm greens, the undulations, and how the test shifted the emphasis toward short game and putting. We discuss the USGA’s explanation of why the greens were managed the way they were, and how the event played gradually from Thursday through Sunday.We also talk about Wyndham Clark’s win, his reception from the crowd, and how he held onto the lead despite not playing his best golf at the weekend. We compare his performance with Scottie Scheffler’s, and we discuss the idea of players chasing a major-title milestone under intense pressure from a strong field.A substantial part of the conversation is about fan behaviour and whether golf should accept more crowd noise and needle at big events. We discuss the contrast with other sports, the difference between a normal tournament and a Ryder Cup atmosphere, and whether Clark’s situation was more about his lead and persona than about golf becoming less traditional.We then move on to players and others who stood out at Shinnecock, including Keith Mitchell, Tom Kim, and the course superintendent Joe Jennings. We also mention some of the week’s disappointments and controversies, including bunker conditions, Joaquin Niemann’s penalty, and Harry Higgs arriving without trousers before his round.Finally, we cover regional qualifying and the Amateur Championship. We talk about the scale of qualifying venues around the country, Peter’s attempt at Ferndown, and several players who advanced. We also review the Amateur at Hoylake, where Stuart Grehan won after a 36-hole final, and we note the strong coverage of the event online. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age.In part 2 we discuss the construction firm of Toomey & Flynn, his design work into middle life and going on to designing the renovation of Shinnecock Hills. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age.In part 1 we discuss Flynn's childhood, his upbringing and his relationship with Frederick Pickering. We also discuss his work at Marion and his founding of the construction firm Toomey & Flynn. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

It’s hard to believe its 3 years since Jim joined the pod to talk about his last book - When Revelation Comes - which went on to become a Herbert Warren Wind award finalist, and this time we’re joined to talk about another exciting project. To get a hold of a copy of Jim’s latest book, make your way to Back9Press or head to Amazon where we’ve hyperlinked them for your own ease.A round of Scottish courses is a book charting 18 of Jim’s most beloved but often less celebrated courses. Some courses people will be familiar with but others less so. The likes of Aberfoyle are not on many bucket lists (until now), places like Iona and Harris require some serious commitment to get to, and some bigger names like Cruden Bay and Prestwick rightly hold a place in Jim’s heart. We also talk about the process of uncovering the history of these lesser-known courses, collecting old postcards images and the beautiful architecture of the buildings that often accompany these smaller well-preserved courses. Great to own. Great for a gift. Side note: out charity link for our upcoming 95 hole challenge around Arran can be found here. All donations hugely appreciated. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom & Sam discuss playing the original 12-hole routing at Prestwick, where the first Open Championship was held in 1860, and how the course has been restored for a limited period. We explain that the layout has been brought back with heavy marshalling, temporary and restored greens, and significant logistical work to keep play safe.We talk through the history of Prestwick and the role of Old Tom Morris in setting out the 12-hole course, how it gave birth to The Open Championship and try to give you a sense as to what the course is like. You can expect a film to follow on YouTube in the coming weeks. Road to Rosapenna leaderboard from our match here Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom, Sam & Half Par sit down to discuss Aaron Rai's amazing victory at the 108th PGA championship at Aronimink.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom both do some homework on Dornoch man Donald Ross, who would go on from an upbringing on the ancient Scottish links to become the most prolific golf course architect in the United States. Designing and working on over 400 courses, his journey is a fascinating one.With the US PGA taking place this week at Aronimink, it is our third instalment on biographies of some of the game’s most celebrated architects.Having studied under Old Tom Morris in St Andrews, a chance encounter with Harvard professor Robert Wilson would see him take the leap of faith and move to the US, working at Oakley Country Club. He would then turn another chance encounter with an attorney into a career-defining move, as he set up his winter office at Pinehurst, designing four of the courses over many decades and using it as a base from which he met and took on numerous commissions from travelling golfers across America.For more on Ross, Bradley Klein's magnus opus on Ross can be sourced here.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom sit down for Part IV of their deep dive into the Tiger Slam. 25 years on from the fourth leg of Tiger's historic run — and his sixth major victory overall — we revisit the 65th Masters at Augusta National, where he clinched the infamous Tiger Slam.For more on the Tiger Slam, we highly recommend Kevin Cook’s book, which captures the era in microscopic detail. You can grab a copy here. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam sits down at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with Mike Howard, Senior Design Associate at MacKenzie & Ebert, to discuss his long-standing relationship with the club.A lifelong member with an intimate knowledge of the North West coast, Mike has played a central role in the recent course changes, working alongside Tom MacKenzie to prepare Birkdale for The Open Championship this summer.A longstanding friend of the podcast, Mike brings both insight and perspective to the conversation. Widely respected for his work in golf course design, he is also a fine golfer and a highly regarded figure within the industry. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam, Tom and Peter sit down to discuss the 90th Masters at Augusta National, Rory's historic back-to-back victory, and the big winners and losers of the week in Georgia. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Returning guest Simon Haines sits down to be quiz master with Sam and Tom about the early days of Augusta National and the Masters.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In part two of this needlessly detailed look at the life and times of Dr Alister MacKenzie, Sam takes us through life after WWI and MacKenzie's partnership with Harry Colt and Charles Hugh Allison, as well as the work that leads him to travelling to furthest reaches of the globe. In 1926, MacKenzie travelled to Australia on what would become a career defining two months helping to shaope the Melbourne Sand belt and many other courses around the country, as well as New Zealand, and how MacKenzie would become involved in shaping golf on the West Coast of America. His work at Cypress point is rightly lauded above all others in the world, as well as Pasatiempo where he would spend his final few years. We also touch on his lifestyle, and his controversial divorce, and most importantly the legacy that he leaves behind. Further reading, the MacKenzie chronology is well worth some reading and can be found here, as well as his book - Golf Architecture - in 1920, The Spirit of St Andrews which was published after his death, and the many podcasts and articles that have been dedicated to his work.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam is in the chair this time to bring to life the good Dr - Alister MacKenzie - considered by many to be the most influential golf course architect in history. In part 1 we discuss MacKenzie's childhood, his education, going to Cambridge and serving in the Boer war. We also discuss the formation of Alwoodley and his golfing career leading into that, as well as Moortown and through to 1914 and the outbreak of WWI having finished designing Sitwell park.   Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Ahead of our Story of a Golf Club film over on YouTube, Sam & Tom sit down with Wallasey club archivist Simon Coombs to talk about the fascinating history of the club. Starting with the foundation of the club, to the design of Old Tom Morris and the golden age greats that followed him, Bobby Jones' round in Open Qualifying on his march to completing The Grand Slam, as well as Wallasey member Dr Frank Stableford's defining contribution to the club game with the invention of the Stableford scoring system on the second tee just a year later. Simon also shares his story in helping to develop a plan for history at his club and what it's like starting from scratch! It's a great episode.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam sits down with 1991 Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch. A player whose name is woven into both the history of the game and the soundtrack of its most memorable moments.Best known for his remarkable victory at Royal Birkdale, Ian’s story extends far beyond that week in 1991. After his playing career, he became one of golf’s most recognisable and respected broadcasters, spending more than 25 years behind the microphone calling some of the sport’s most dramatic moments for audiences around the world.In this conversation, Ian reflects on his journey through the professional game, from the pressure and triumph of winning The Open Championship to the challenges that followed, and how he ultimately found a second life in the commentary box. Known as one of golf’s most generous and well-liked characters, Ian was kind enough to give us his time while enjoying some well-earned rest and relaxation in New Zealand. The result is a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation about resilience, perspective, and a lifetime in the game.A link to Ian's wonderful biography written by Geoff Suanders can be found here and we highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself.   Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Peter sit down to discuss this year's Sunningdale Foursomes. Peter was our man on the ground following all the action. Congratulations to Jamie McGeoch and Ellie Lichtenhein on surviving seven rounds of match play to win the 92nd Sunningdale Foursomes.Ellie is the first Sunningdale member to win the event since 2009 - a fitting finish to one of the finest weeks in the British golfing calendar. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In part 2, Tom takes us through Pete's trip to Scotland that inspired his work with Alice as a course designer.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Pt 1 of our 2 part special on the life and legacy of Peter Dye: 1925 - 2020. In part one, Tom takes us through the first 38 years of the life of Pete Dye, beginning with his early years in Ohio and growing up on a course built by his father Paul. Pete would go on to quite school early, enlist in the Army and take a career defining trip to Scotland with wife Alice. This is part of an exciting series we are running this year where we explore the life and legacy of the architects that have shaped the 4 major venues in 2026 (+ the players)! Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom sit down to review their visit to Conwy Golf Club on the north coast of Wales. With a history stretching back to 1869, and Hoylake professional Jack Morris the man behind the initial design, Conwy is a breathtaking piece of land on which to play golf. We had a great time here, settling a club championship match in a four-club wind.In more recent years, Frank Pennink re-designed much of the course following the two World Wars in the first half of the 20th century. Most recently, Mackenzie & Ebert’s work with the club has seen gorse removed, green sites enlarged, and bunkers returned to more naturalised shapes.For those of you who follow the trials and tribulations of our matches on the road, the ‘Club Championship’ section of the website is filled with match reports as we go, along with a league table tracking our performance records. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom and Sam sit down to discuss the golf over the weekend, with Anthony Kim winning for the first time in fifteen years and Colin Morikawa prevailing at Pebble Beach for the first time in two and a half years.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Josh Simpson joins the podcast (a.k.a 'the Ginger Golfer') to talk about his world record breaking effort over the last 12 months playing 652 courses in a year, eclipsing the previous 581 World Record. We talk about Josh's introduction to the sport, and how he turned a tragic chapter in his life into a force for good, raising nearly £100,000 for two wonderful charities: Macmillan Cancer Support and Tapping House. We've put the link for further donations here so you can contribute to the money raised.We also discuss the trials and tribulations of life on the road, some of his favourite courses and also his - soon to be trademarked - shower rating system. The 10 point rating criteria can be found below:2.5pts: Shower Pressure2pts: Temperature (consistency & warmth)2pts: 'Look'1pt Towel Provided (yes or no)1pt: Privacy / Draft / Space0.5pts: Amenities (0.1pt for each amenity provided)0.5pts: Dials accessed without getting hands wet0.5pts: No need to keep pushing to activate(Only Sunningdale & The Caversham have swept up 10 points so far!)Follow Josh and his adventure along here.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam sits down for a catch-up with friend of the pod, West Byfleet membership secretary and exceptional writer Richard Pennell. Together, they cover a wide range of topics, including Richard’s latest book, Common Grounds, which chronicles his journeys to some of the rawest and purest forms of the game.Building on the success of his first book - Grass Routes - you can secure a copy through the wonderful folks over at Grant Books here.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom sits down with Golf Badgers’ James Bledge at BTME in Harrogate to discuss the event. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam and Tom sit down in the West Sussex clubhouse to chat to one half of Mackenzie & Ebert - Tom Mackenzie - about his love affair with landscapes, and a career in course architecture. We talk about West Sussex and making alterations to your home course, as well as work further afield.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom head to where it all began for the British motorway service station: Watford Gap. Not only the official north–south divide, but the birthplace of what has grown to become a staple of travel culture in Great Britain — none more so than in our world of planning stops at service stations on the road to and from the links.This is an episode we’ve wanted to do for some time. And while the connection with golf is extremely tenuous, it’s fascinating to explore the evolution of the motorway service network — from the early days of the M1, through how service stations have changed over time, and what the future might hold.Of course, we talk about some of our favourites, but now you can rank your own as well. The link below will take you to a ranking website specially created by Tom, where you can leave reviews and help us shine a light on the good, the bad, and the ugly.https://cookiejarservices.com/ Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam talks to Jean van de Velde about his career in the game, which began as a six-year-old in Mont-de-Marsan, in the Pyrenees in south-west France. Growing up in the era of persimmon drivers and balata balls, Jean turned professional in 1987 and went on to compete at the highest level of the game for several decades. He is perhaps best known for his performance at the 1999 Open Championship at Carnoustie, where he slept on a five-shot lead going into the final round.Jean has also been involved in the administration of the game and was instrumental in bringing The Ryder Cup to France in 2018.A huge thank you to Jean for his time on the podcast. His reputation as one of the game’s great characters — and as a wonderfully honest, funny, and brilliant storyteller — remains fully intact after this epic episode. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom sit down to discuss their recent trip to Kington in Herefordshire. The highest course in England, Kington offers spectacular views and great architecture from C. K. Hutchison. We talk tangential historic tidbits and the style and playability of the course. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

This time its Sam's turn to sit in the hot seat and take pot-shots from our regular host Tom, on all things related to his year in golf. From travel, to performance on the links, foursomes match-ups and the honest review of a burger-dog. Here's his new course eclectic 18 from 2025 below, a comfy par 62, 4,000 yarder!1: Olympic (Cliff's Course) - Par 3 | 1802: Streamsong Black - Par 4 | 3003: Cabot Citrus Farms - Karoo - Par 3 | 2504: Durness - Par 4 | 3105: Beau Desert - Par 4 | 4006: Panmure - Par 4 | 3907: Golden Gate Park Par 3 - Par 3 | 1408: Sandiway - Par 4 | 3609: The Park (Par 3) - Par 3 | 4010: Hayling Island - Par 4 | 27011: Maple Leaf - Par 3 | 15012:  East Potomac Putting Course - Par 2 | 1013: Cabot Highlands (Old Petty) - Par 4 | 32014: Hunstanton - Par 3 | 22015: Winter Park - Par 4 | 29016: Hesketh - Par 3 | 18017: TPC Sawgrass - Par 3 | 13018: Kington - Par 4 | 270 Par 62 / Yardage 4210 Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam interrogates Tom about his 2025, his golf, his travels and his outlook on the game. Most importantly takes us on his journey through the year in a form of an eclectic 18, from Merion to Maple Leaf, nd from St Endodoc to Streamsong! Even Cumberwell Park to Cabot, and back again! Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Following on from our Thanksgiving extravaganza about Pasatiempo and the work of MacKenzie and Hollins, Sam sits down with Jim Urbina and Brett Hochstein. A link to our film can be found here. Jim has been working on the restoration of Pasatiempo for 25 years now, and knows the course about as well as Marion and the good Doctor would have. His love and care over the last quarter of a century has helped bring the course back to its former glory, and following their most recent work in the past two winters, the green sites are absolutely sparkling.Brett is a restorative shaper and someone we’ve become good friends with over the last few years. Brett talks about the process of bringing those shapes and contours within the green sites back to life thanks to the wonderful library of Beck photos which exist, and which have helped inform every grain of earth that was moved in the process. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we sit down in the second clubhouse at Pasatiempo, overlooking the 1st and 9th holes, with Emily Chorba – archivist at Pasatiempo Golf Club – to talk about the life and legacy of Marion Hollins, who founded Pasatiempo in the roaring twenties following her successes at Pebble Beach and Cypress Point.Hollins' career in the game is quite sensational, yet at times overlooked. An entrepreneurial mind, she grew up on the wealthy east coast before heading west to help shape the golfing landscape we enjoy today on the Monterey Peninsula, as well as finding success in the Kettlemen Oil Company which enabled her to channel those achievements into the first ever planned sporting complex in North America, with Dr Alister MacKenzie her able accomplice.Her demise is a sad story. Not long after opening, the Great Depression hit and Marion Hollins suffered a tragic car accident from which she was never the same afterwards. Thankfully, her legacy lives on and her contribution to the club and the area is brilliantly brought to life throughout Pasatiempo, notably in her statue on the first tee, standing as an equal partner with MacKenzie, where Emily can be seen on her immediate right. Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

With the Ashes kicking off this Friday, Sam heads to an undisclosed location near Ormskirk to sit down with a very good friend of the jar — and first-timer on the show — James Woods, to talk about golf’s close relationship with the game of cricket. We explore the connections between the two sports, how they have overlapped over time, and the characters who excelled in both.A huge thank you to James for his exceptional research for this episode. The podcast is packed with incredible insights, featuring names familiar to many as well as plenty never celebrated on this podcast before.James’ passion for golf trivia can be enjoyed on his social media profile here and, more famously, through his regular picture quiz which he curates for Golf Quarterly, among other contributions.As James rightly points out, Golf Quarterly is a superb investment or gift for any golfer, and we'd highly encourage you to sign up for £35 a year for more of these types of tales. Link here.  Send us a message if you liked the showSupport the showIf you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify!You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website