The Golfer's Journal Podcast (The Golfer's Journal)

COVID, cheating, distance debates, course closures and a lack of diversity—golf’s recent news cycle has been gloomy. But it’s not all bad out there. Host Tom Coyne called some folks from around the golf world who have some good news to share. He went beyond the headlines and found the Navajo Nation’s booming dirt course; a staggering drop in suicide rates thanks to the Veterans Golfer’s Association; a little guy’s big time 15-footer; a 50-day Pinehurst trip, and a heartwarming update on Ireland’s Carne Golf Links. Five reminders of why we love this game.

Jon Sherman has developed a career, and a +2 handicap index, out of teaching boring golf. As the strategic mind behind Practical Golf, Sherman has parlayed his common-sense lessons into a series of bestselling books and PGA Tour coaching gigs. We recently sat down with him for a BTS member-exclusive video series designed to elevate our members’ on-course decision making. But as Bobby Jones noted, golf and tournament golf are two very different things. In this new interview, host Casey Bannon chats with Sherman about his new book, The Foundations of Winning Golf, which focuses on the fundamentals of succeeding under pressure. The two spent time discussing strategies for leaning into tournament nerves, the value of putting your game on display and the alternative ways that Mackenzie Hughes defines success, among other insights. Tune in and start racking up Ws.

Watch Jon Sherman's six-part master class: https://glfrsj.nl/PBG

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠⁠⁠  @titleist ⁠⁠⁠ 

Contributing Editor D.J. Piehowski makes his return to the TGJ Podcast—reading his thorough TGJ No. 11 profile on the reverse routing at remote Silvies Valley Ranch. Fellow TGJ contributor Neil Schuster joins him to add commentary and context from their homestead into Eastern Oregon’s rugged frontier. 

Geoff Ogilvy is a major champion that also happens to be a Golfer's Journal contributor. The former U.S. Open champ wrote the Yardage Book section of TGJ No. 6 and he joins the podcast to discuss growing up in Australia's Sand Belt as well as the state of the professional and recreational game around the world.

Parker McLachlin, aka @shortgamechef, is a winner on the PGA Tour and is now helping some of the world’s best players revamp their short game using modern techniques. We sat down with Keith Mitchell and Collin Morikawa’s greenside guru to better understand how pros approach wedge play, why our understanding of it needs modernizing, why amateurs make it harder than it actually is and who the best to ever hold a wedge is.

Broken Tee Society members can get $70 off all of Parker's short game instructional content on shortgamechef.com. Become a member and find an exclusive code in your Member Locker today.

Last week, TGJ became one of the first media outlets to visit ⁠TGL's performance lab⁠ (which is different from the SoFi Center where competition will be held) in West Palm Beach, FL and preview the first of roughly 30 new digital golf holes designed specifically for league competition starting in January 2025. Managing Editor Travis Hill sat down with golf course architect Beau Welling, one of three designers behind the development of what Tiger and Rory are hoping will become an entirely new style of golf.  So how were the courses designed? ⁠How does one play a hole?⁠ Will they play out of real fairway grass? How does this spinning green work? And will Tiger and Rory's ambitious new venture actually catch on? All these questions and more are answered on TGJ Podcast 169. 

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by  @titleist  

Watch ⁠Local Rules: Nashville featuring Drew Holcomb here.⁠

Drew Holcomb is a critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and frontman for his band, Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors. More importantly, he is completely and hopelessly in love with playing golf. In-between his never-ending worldwide touring schedule, Holcomb found some time to speak with host Tom Coyne about how he created a golf life that any true sicko would be jealous of, and his appearance in TGJ’s newest film, Local Rules: Nashville.

The Golfer's Journal podcast is presented by Titleist

Colton Craig is a 27-year-old golf-course architect and founder of the Perry Maxwell Society. Over the past year he’s quit his apprentice gig, opened his own design firm, visited every Maxwell design in the U.S., and become a first-time father. He unpacks the trials and tribulations of his journey over nine holes at Maxwell's first design, Dornick Hills, with assistant Editor Casey Bannon. 

Northern Ireland was a different place when Scotsman Kevan Whitson took the Royal County Down head professional job in 1992. The country was still enmeshed in the Troubles, golf travel hadn’t yet boomed, and the club saw 1,500 visitor rounds a year. But Old Tom’s layout at this low-key members’ club strung along the Irish Sea has always been world-class, and RCD now rightfully claims its place as perhaps the greatest links in the world, as well as a fixture on every golfer’s bucket list. Host Tom Coyne sat down with Whitson to walk through the changes he’s overseen in his 30 years at the club, the balancing act between providing an elite visitor experience and serving the club’s membership, and his memories of hosting everyone from Jack and Arnie to Rory and Rickie. Plus, Whitson offers a few points of advice for anyone gearing up to take on the 2024 Irish Open host venue, and lays out how Royal County Down may just be golf’s answer to Emily Post, with every hole teaching players to mind their manners.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by⁠⁠  @titleist ⁠⁠ 

Meet Sid Matthew, your favorite golf historian’s favorite golf historian. In TGJ No. 15 we explored Matthew’s extensive golf collection in “Office Hours.” But on today’s podcast, we discover that his most prized possessions are his collection of Bobby Jones stories. Having worked in the Jones’ Atlanta law office, Matthew has become the game’s foremost Jones historian. He takes us behind the scenes (and over the crazy hurdles) of making his famous Jones documentary, regales us with tales of playing with his late, great friend Sean Connery and inside the origins of the golf collecting boom—including a club that sold for more than $200,000.

Will Leitch is not a golfer, which, in a strange way, is a major reason we wanted him to write for The Golfer's Journal. As a sportswriter who has appeared in every outlet from the New York Times to Deadspin (which he helped found), Will has a unique perspective from outside the world of golf. He discussed his complicated relationship with the game in an essay in TGJ No. 3 and elaborated on what's kept him away from golf in this episode of the podcast.

In the mid-1990s, Augusta National approached author David Owen about a book project to preserve the legacy of its founder Clifford Roberts. Owen agreed, under one condition: During his reporting he could play the course as much as he liked. The club allowed it, and Owen’s book, The Making of the Masters, has since become one of the definitive histories of the tournament. It chronicles the beginnings, inner-workings and evolutions of Augusta National and The Masters, bringing to light a number of previously unreported facts and stories. In this new five-part TGJ Podcast series, Owen shares several chapters from his seminal book along with stories of his time on the course, painting a rich portrait of the tournament that changed golf forever.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Comedian Paul Gutkowski describes what it's really like to be a golfer in New York City.

He joins our host for a thought-provoking conversation on what it means to be human, the absurdity of golf at its core, why the game is technically “useless,” what it’s trying to teach us, and which famous thinkers best represent current Tour players. 

This is part two of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 2: A deep dive into the design and strategy of Augusta National’s routing

Thanks to his renowned designs at Cypress Point and Pasatiempo, Dr. Alister MacKenzie is hired to build Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts a golf course in Augusta, Georgia. The spectacular success of the project means that every hump, bump and contour is scrutinized. But as the course changes to adapt with modern championship golf, not every tweak is immediately embraced.

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Since the Super Bowl era began in 1967, only 800 men have started an NFL game at quarterback. Kyle Allen is in that elite club. He joins host Casey Bannon on this week's episode of Mind Game to discuss the physical, mental, emotional and leadership skills required to play the most coveted and challenging position in professional sports.

This podcast is 100% reader supported thanks to the Broken Tee Society. Become a member here: https://www.golfersjournal.com/product-category/subscriptions/

This series is part of The Index Experiment: https://www.golfersjournal.com/index-experiment/

Casey Bannon: https://www.instagram.com/caseyfbannon/

Kyle Allen: https://www.instagram.com/kyle_allen/

The last year brought a legion of new golfers into the fold. Some will stay for good, and some are sure to fade away. But nine months into his newfound yet promising career, LaJethro Jenkins, of NBA internet and Jenkins & Jonez Podcast fame, is certain he’s in the game for life: “There’s nothing that moves me like this.” As fate would have it, TGJ Contributor Laz Versalles just happens to hit balls at the same public range where Jenkins now spends most of his days, and has quickly become his spiritual swing guide. So tag along with these fast friends as they raid the TGJ van at Westchester Golf Course in the heart of L.A., and talk footwork, overcoming fears, and golf in the afterlife.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

What was it like to be there when Keegan Bradley got the Ryder Cup news? What were players saying behind closed doors after the June 6th announcement? What was really going on in the Ryder Cup team rooms? Executive producer Chad Mumm returns to The Golfer’s Journal podcast to preview the drama and storylines from the upcoming season of the Netflix hit series, “Full Swing.” 

In this episode, Mumm joins host Tom Coyne to discuss the unexpected success of Full Swing season 1 and the reaction from players, fans, and critics. Season 2 was quickly greenlit and Mumm and his team were back on the fairways, but this time on a far bigger scale. With the Ryder Cup looming and Captain’s picks to be made, Full Swing goes international this season with a new narrative approach.  Want more insights and longer storylines that carry from one episode to the next? It sounds like season 2 is set to deliver. Want to see more of Brooks Koepka? You won’t, and Mumm explains why.

In this conversation about life inside the ropes, Mumm tells us not just what to watch for, but describes what it’s like for a golf junkie to live alongside the world’s best players, capturing their every move and emotion as one of the wildest years in pro golf history unfolds.

 It’s been a hell of a ride. In the early 1950s, he was watching declassified rocket explosions filmed by his father. During the 1960s, in the shadow of Riviera, he learned the game from Willie Hunter by flying 4-irons into the Pacific. In 1964 he helped produce some of the first music videos, and by 1966 he was part of the revolutionary Bones Brigade that introduced skateboarding to Europe. Over the decades his love for golf took him from Pacific Grove to Carne and just about everywhere in between. In 2020, he wrote about it all in TGJ No. 13 and joined host Tom Coyne to explain his movie-script life. This is Jim Fitzpatrick. 

Conor Moore believes he has no accent. But when the Irishman is impersonating the world’s most famous athletes, he’s got them all. Though this episode sounds like a cast of many, it’s just Moore and host Tom Coyne going deep on the art behind his sketches (hint: don’t call them impressions), the toughest athlete to impersonate, and the time he was (jokingly) cursed out by Tiger Woods. Cameo appearances from Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Greg Norman and Rory McIlroy highlight this lively conversation.

After 68 years, the Open Championship has finally returned to Royal Portrush and Northern Ireland. Host Tom Coyne sits down with Dr. Richard Haslam of Saint Joseph’s University to explore the politics of the area that contributed to the Open’s absence, then he’s joined by “The Boss” of Royal Portrush, Wilma Erskine, to discuss how her club returned to the rota. It’s one part history lesson, one part preview and 100 percent Irish.

A 30-plus year career at the highest level of surfing, 11 world titles, and an incalculable impact on his sport and beyond: A case can be made that nobody has ever been more dominant at their sport than Kelly Slater. Another could be made that he is one of the best pro athletes-turned-golfers on the planet. Slater joins Mind Game to discuss his path to greatness, communicating with the ocean, structure vs. creativity, performing under pressure, what’s driving him to still compete, his love for Moe Norman and the time he played 18 holes between heats.

Mind Game and The Golfer's Journal are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The golf world took sides earlier this month when the USGA and R&A announced their plans to reign in distance with a rollback of the golf ball for both professionals and amateurs starting in 2028. The data presented by the governing bodies includes statistics claiming that high club-head speed players will lose up to 10 yards with the new ball restrictions, while shorter hitters will only see a 3-5 yard difference. So why the rule change? Why now? What happened to bifurcation? What about course setups, sustainability and green speeds? How is all of this good for the game?

Tom Coyne brings all of these questions to USGA headquarters where he sits down with its CEO Mike Whan. In a candid conversation including questions submitted by TGJ members, Coyne and Whan attempt to find common ground on one of the game’s most heated subjects. 

Read Titleist’s response to the rollback here: https://www.titleist.com/titleist-response-distance-insights

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Recently, TGJ Editor Tom Coyne was joined by longtime friend (and Sullivan County GC co-owner) Bill Murray for an epic Southeast road trip. The pair started in Charleston, SC, made their way to Old Barnwell in Aiken, then cruised down for two days at Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia. Of course, when one of the finest deadpan comic actors of all time is in the passenger seat, you tend to make a few pit stops. All the world’s a stage, and local gas stations and a Piggly Wiggly become settings for Bill’s brand of curious, good-natured fun. It’s a leisurely drive, with discussions ranging from the 1960s film phenomenon that saved the Coyne family’s cinema business to Bill’s recent Scotland-to-West Palm-to-San Diego golf bender and much more. 

The Golfer’s Journal is proudly reader-supported since 2017. Subscribe here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist 

You might have heard that gambling legend Billy Walters is releasing a book, and that Phil Mickelson is prominently involved. But have you heard the rest of the story? The one in which Walters is raised in the pool halls of rural Kentucky, rises to legitimate business power on the Las Vegas Strip and uses his time in prison to do some good for other inmates? Walters joins host Tom Coyne to chat about Phil, the $100 million in losses, that $400,000 Ryder Cup wager and the two-year sentence Walters claims Mickelson could have prevented had he testified. But you’ll also hear the rest of a remarkable golf life.

Is golf in a bubble or a sustained boom? Are lighted par-3 courses a fad or the future of new course builds? Who is playing simulator and indoor golf? And what impact can golf resorts have on the communities and economies around them? Jared Doerfler covers the business of golf in his weekly Perfect Putt Substack newsletter and joins Tom Coyne to unpack some of the more surprising emerging trends in the game today.

Explore TGJ No. 27: https://glfrsj.nl/27

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist. 

There are many perks that come with being a Broken Tee Society member, perhaps the least of which are invites to a world-class roster of events and gatherings at some of the world’s most interesting golf courses. This year’s calendar of events is the biggest yet, featuring 32 dates and 49 courses across 17 states and five different countries. On January 9, TGJ’s Casey Bannon and Tom Coyne announced the entire schedule in front of a live audience of 550-plus BTS members in our private Discord server. We are publishing the recording of that live show here so you can join us on tour in 2024.

View the full events calendar here: https://glfrsj.nl/events

If you are not yet a member any would like play in these events, become a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Inspired by the frightening story of Scotland’s Montrose Golf Links in TGJ No. 9, host Tom Coyne sets out to see how others in golf are confronting the very real effects of the climate crisis. He interviews Montrose story author and climate scientist Dr. Robin George Andrews, Cornell University turfgrass specialist Dr. Frank Rossi and Dani Creighton, the environmental manager at Glencoe Golf Club in Alberta, Canada, to ask what exactly is happening to golf courses worldwide. The answers are troubling—the game we love is no doubt changing—but he also discovers some surprising ways some are fighting back.

Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Rector writes from a place of vulnerability, forming a bond with his fans by letting them behind the curtain. And while he and host Tom Coyne have just recently met, they sound very much like old friends on this episode. During their conversation, Rector discusses the best places to peg it on tour, golf in the Nashville music scene, life as an independent artist and adds his expert opinion on one of golf’s hot-button issues: music on the golf course.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist 

Remember Edoardo Molinari? 2005 US Am winner, Ryder Cupper, and brother of Francesco? Well, he qualified into this week’s U.S. Open at Pinehurst and recently added a few new titles to his resume: Chief Data Strategist for Arccos and 2025 Ryder Cup Vice Captain for Team Europe. Having reinvented himself as a golf data wizard, Molinari joins host Tom Coyne to unpack his proprietary modeling service that Viktor Hovland, Matthew Fitzpatrick and the rest of the European Ryder Cup squad used to thrash the US team last September, plus his thoughts on Pinehurst, his "politically incorrect" opinions on golf in Italy and his shockingly fast round at Bethpage recently. 

While “Dodo” offers player-specific insights to his stable of golfers (which now stretches to some three dozen across the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and beyond), this conversation is chock-full of nuggets for the everyday golfer. If you subscribe to axioms like “keep it below the hole” and “find the right side of the fairway,” get ready to challenge your thinking. 

This is part five of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 5: As its founders begin to decline, the mythology around The Masters only grows stronger

The Masters is paused and Augusta National is forced to become self-sufficient in the wake of World War II. In the 1970s, the club must endure the passing of Bobby Jones and the shocking suicide of Clifford Roberts. But the club and tournament move on, going to untold lengths to preserve their legacies that still reverberate today.

⁠A transcript of this episode can be found here.⁠

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠

As a kid, Tom Valentine called Merion Golf Club “the family farm.” His grandfather tended the greens there for 52 years, and his father followed suit for another 27. Tom took a different approach, opting to leave the "farm" to develop newer and more efficient ways to care for courses. That's taken him across the golf world, but his heart still belongs to Merion. Dig in learn more about our playing surfaces, an encounter with Albert Einstein, and a secret modification to Merion's famed 11th green. 

On Christmas Day in 2018, American endurance athlete Colin O’Brady woke up in a tent, by himself, in the middle of Antarctica. He hadn’t seen another human being in 50 days. He hitched up his sled, fell into a flow state bordering on hallucination, and walked 77 miles without stopping to become the first person to cross Antarctica on foot and unassisted. Since achieving this feat, O’Brady has set 11 world records, completed the Explorers Grand Slam, written several books and unlocked the secrets to pushing past limits. The author of The 12-Hour Walk sits down with Mind Game host Casey Bannon to debrief on a life spent overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, starting with the freak 2007 burn accident in Thailand that threatened to take away his ability to walk at the age of 22. A tale-filled discussion highlights the immense value of self-belief, how incremental gains undergird massive achievements and the quiet secret behind some of the endurance community’s biggest winners.

Get 10 free AG1travel packs when you subscribe: https://drinkag1.com/event/bts24

Gift the #1 Ball in Golf: https://www.titleist.com/

Subscribe to The Golfer’s Journal: https://www.golfersjournal.com/

All Mind Game episodes: https://www.golfersjournal.com/category/mind-game-podcast/

Focus on one big goal at a time. Say no more than you say yes. Be more productive by being less busy. Sahil Bloom is a writer, entrepreneur and creator who inspires millions daily with bite-sized nuggets of wisdom and life hacks. He joins Mind Game to give his playbook on time management, the benefits of imposter syndrome, making one good decision at a time, choosing a side quest and prioritizing the things that matter. If you’re struggling to find ways to attack your Index Experiment goals, this conversation is for you.

Casey Bannon: https://twitter.com/CaseyFBannon

Sahil Bloom: https://twitter.com/SahilBloom

This podcast is 100% member-supported thanks to the Broken Tee Society. If you liked this episode, please consider becoming a member of The Golfer's Journal here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

You know she teed it up with the men. But there’s still much to learn about Annika Sorenstam’s trailblazing PGA Tour appearance at the 2003 Colonial. Featuring candid interviews with Sorenstam and Aaron Oberholser, along with journalists and marshalls who witnessed it first-hand, host Tom Coyne and TGJ Assistant Editor Casey Bannon re-live the controversial resistance from male and female pros, the electricity on the first tee, the legacy of Sorenstam’s accomplishment, and her shocking four-word declaration that started it all.

The body is not a machine, nor a temple. It is an infinitely complex and unique system, and according to Dr. Ralph Esposito, Chief Science & Nutrition Officer at AG1, it’s one we know less about than we think. Dr. Ralph is a naturopathic physician and gut health expert, and he joins host Casey Bannon to discuss the science behind whole-body wellness. Rather than broad-spectrum advice, Dr. Ralph offers approachable insights into how your body works. This information-rich chat touches on the significance of sleep, the dangers in some diet trends, the proper way to fuel your brain and body and much more. Plus, you’ll learn the science-backed reason that your favorite Tour pros are munching on the same food at the same point in every round.

Get 10 free AG1travel packs when you subscribe: https://drinkag1.com/event/bts24

Gift the #1 Ball in Golf: https://www.titleist.com/

Subscribe to The Golfer’s Journal: https://www.golfersjournal.com/

All Mind Game episodes: https://www.golfersjournal.com/category/mind-game-podcast/

Ken Kearney went from a decorated Irish amateur player to a career in finance to golf-course architect. For his next big challenge, he wants to shrink the game. 

Sandbaggers, ball-droppers and lie-fluffers, oh my! Getting cheated in golf can stay with you—just ask host Tom Coyne, who still can’t forget an interclub incident from 1986. So we decided to name names: We speak with experts who break down golf’s various scammers (behold, the “cheating non-liar”) and investigate what exactly leads someone to cheat at the ultimate game of honor.  Along the way, we hear some of the wackiest cheating stories ever recorded, as submitted by listeners. Fingers crossed none are about you.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even Michael Wolf who, just last week, took to Twitter to declare the 24 reasons he hates The Ryder Cup. After recovering from his initial shock (and perhaps some heartbreak), host Tom Coyne reached out to Wolf in hopes of unpacking his gripes against golf's most beloved biennial competition. The two go deep on the commercialization of The Ryder Cup, the PGA of America's motives, the viewing experience and its rightful place in golf history.

You may not agree with him, but you have to admire the courage.

Who holds the rightful claim to America’s first golf club? How did three different players lose in match play after an ace? Which major champion was nearly arrested for slow play? Host Tom Coyne has questions, and Connor Lewis of the Society of Golf Historians has the answers. This rollicking conversation gets into some of golf’s true-life oddities, including a flatulence fine, a mid-round pizza delivery at the U.S. Open and the real-life Roy McAvoy.

Greetings from the new online home of the Broken Tee Society! To kick things off, host Tom Coyne is joined by TGJ staff for a live town hall discussing the details of our newly launched private community. Open to every Member of the Broken Tee Society, people have already begun finding new playing partners, enjoying exclusive content, and even sharing advice on how to be a golf parent. The crew goes deep on our lofty plans for the new community and the critical role our Members will play going forward, along with a lively Q&A with the audience.

Over the next 30 minutes, we will attempt to refocus your energy, and recenter your mind, with a meditation designed specifically for golfers, but not just for golfers.  

If you are new to meditation, well welcome – this is a beginner friendly exercise.  And if you are experienced in the art of mindfulness, we hope you’ll find some new ideas and sounds to work into your own routine.  

Either way, we think you’ll find that the benefits of meditation will carry on beyond this brief session, and hopefully, out onto the golf course with you.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: ⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠ The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

The unlikeliest adventure in TGJ No. 27 saw Nashville-based singer-songwriter Ben Rector and The Atlantic writer Charlie Warzel travel to Branson, Missouri, for three days of golf, rodeo theater, and tire-sized pancakes. Now they’re back to break it all down. Join Ben and Charlie as they relive their exploration of “Ned Flanders’ Vegas,” shining equal light on the brilliance of Coore+Crenshaw’s Ozarks National and a breakfast variety show that Rector says was “better than it had any right to be.” Fun is still king on the Ozark Plateau, and as you’ll hear, it’s the earnest pursuit of this uncomplicated goal that unlocks Branson’s magic.

Charlie Warzel: https://twitter.com/cwarzel

Ben Rector: https://www.benrectormusic.com/

While Don Rea's previous career involved enforcing the rules, he's now tossing them out the window as owner/operator at Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Mesa, AZ. From night golf to music on the range to candles in the pro shop, Rea sets out to entertain every golfer that steps foot on his par-61 property—including an infamous one-club golfer.

Is it working? The PGA of America certainly thinks so. Host Tom Coyne sits down with the newly-appointed Secretary of the PGA to discuss his rise from cart guy to owner (at the same course!), his previous life as an umpire, how makeup shopping for his wife rewired his business approach and more. For those begging golf’s governing bodies to begin thinking outside the box, Rea is your man.

In our debut episode, writer Caleb Hannan explains what it's like to play the mysterious Sheep Ranch near Bandon Dunes, golf's equivalent to a choose-your-own-adventure novel.

After serving as a writer and contributor on shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, The Office and The Daily Show, Larry Wilmore is now the executive producer of Black-ish on ABC. Beyond that, he's a golf fanatic. He joined the podcast to discuss how he fell in love with the game and the role that it plays in Hollywood today. You can read more about his golf obsession in TGJ No. 6.

Geoff Cunningham is – among many, many other golf things – the creative vision behind Linksoul. His art and photography is featured prominently in TGJ No. 2. He joined the podcast to discuss his golf artwork, his visit to Louisville Golf, the revitalization of Goat Hill Park and much more.

You can find his work at GeoffCunninghamGolf.com and on Instagram: @parnography

Host Tom Coyne serves as our commanding general on this docu-pod exploration of golf through World War II in the 1940s—the last time golf was forced to mark and step away. 

What are you left with after 19 years as a communications executive for the PGA Tour’s biggest events? A jukebox of epic tales ranging from the parking-lot chase with Tiger at Doral, a front row seat for the Keegan Bradley-Miguel Angel Jiminez greenside clash, and a late night meal at an Atlanta Waffle House where he shared a special drink with a stranger the night Arnold Palmer passed. TGJ Editor Travis Hill sits down with Chris Reimer to press play on his career with the Tour, and how it led to his piece in TGJ No. 14: A trip to King Island, golf’s next great bucket list destination.

Thomas Friedman has been the foreign affairs Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times since 1995. He’s also in the Western Golf Association Caddie Hall of Fame. He’s been to Saudi Arabia, and he’s been inside the ropes, caddying for Chi Chi Rodriguez in the 1970 U.S. Open. In short: He knows the Gulf, and he knows golf.

Friedman joins the podcast and explains how the reality on the ground in Saudi Arabia is much more complex than what’s being reported in golf circles and why the LIV golf experiment thus far “has been a colossal failure as an effort to improve their image."

He also discusses life as a golf diehard, including stories from his time as a member of both Seminole and Beirut Golf & Country Club, how golf has led to some juicy scoops in his Pulitzer Prize-winning career, and why politics should be kept off the course.

In our TGJ No. 4 Q&A, we discussed a number of things with young Australian standout Curtis Luck – where he grew up, winning the U.S. Amateur, playing the Masters and more. In this episode of the podcast, we had Curtis break down his five favorite Australian golf courses and why they each make the list.

We've all heard it: "Drive for show, putt for dough." But after speaking with Mark Broadie, the godfather of the game-changing Strokes Gained model, we're rethinking that position. Professor Broadie joins Tom Coyne live in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to unpack golf's ongoing data revolution, and why you're trying to shave strokes in all the wrong places.  

Mark Broadie is the Carson Family Professor of Business at Columbia Business School. In the mid-2000s, he developed the Strokes Gained model by manually tracking and analyzing thousands of golf shots from amateurs at his club in Pelham, New York. After gaining access to the PGA Tour's shot-tracking data, Broadie refined his model, then released his seminal book Every Shot Counts in 2014. He now works on the USGA handicap research team, operates the GolfMetrics stat-tracking app, and advises a number of professional and amateur players.

With appearances in nine Masters and two U.S. Opens, victories in the U.S. and British Amateur and five Walker Cup appearances, Vinny Giles is the most accomplished male amateur player alive. And—as you’ll hear—one straight shooter.

On today’s podcast, host Tom Coyne travels to Virginia to sit down with Giles at Kinloch Golf Club, the course he co-designed and still regularly plays—and still goes low. They discuss the origins of Kinloch (5:00), his remarkable amateur career (10:14), a wild ride at his first Masters (21:45), his decision to not turn pro (28:30) and a few scorching-hot takes in a lightning round on the way out (37:49). Come for the classic southern drawl, stay for Giles calling a household-name track on the West Coast “the most overrated course in the world.”

Tom Coyne has played every links course in Ireland and Scotland, written four books and a screenplay. He brings a lifetime of golf experience and opinion to The Golfer's Journal and, for the first time, the TGJ podcast.

Yes, in TGJ No. 14, Coyne chronicled the hellish battles he and four others had with substance abuse and how golf in a sober league became an unexpectedly vital part of their journeys to recovery. But in this pod, it's clear that busting each other’s chops is also a big part of it. In a surprisingly funny and hopeful conversation, Coyne and two members of the league discuss golf’s longtime kinship with alcohol, their own roads to sobriety and why a sense of humor helps too. Because hey, it’s a lot easier to play 36 a day when you’re not hungover.

Willy Wilcox had the ball-striking to compete on the PGA Tour, but behind every 300-yard drive was a painful secret—a crippling addiction that caused his career and life to spiral. For years, he turned to painkillers while on the course to combat severe performance anxiety, playing tournament rounds under the weight of Percocet and heroin. In a raw conversation with host Tom Coyne, Wilcox opens up about how the highs of cashing checks on Tour were overshadowed by the dark lows that led him to rehab in 2022. Since embarking on that journey to sobriety, Wilcox has found himself back on Tour, not as a player, but as a caddie. For a pro who didn’t carry a yardage book in his playing days, it may seem crazy that he’s now making a name for himself on Sungjae Im’s bag, but for Wilcox, it’s his second chance—not just in golf, but in life.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

Michael Wolf wrote the book on Seth Raynor—literally. Wolf, also known by his X handle @BamaBearcat, joins host Tom Coyne fresh off the publication of his new book The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor, which profiles one of the titans of early American golf architecture. They dig deep into how Raynor transitioned from a golf-agnostic engineer to a household name, the golfing public’s misguided views on template holes, Raynor’s proposals for second courses at Fishers Island and Mid Ocean Club (among others), and much more. If the mere mention of a Biarritz green complex fires your golfing brain, this episode is for you.

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You’ve likely never heard of Warren Stephens—or his magnificent and critically acclaimed Arkansas golf retreat—and that’s by design. Recently, host Tom Coyne accepted a rare invite from Stephens to The Alotian Club, perhaps the quietest club ever to crack America’s top 100. The golf is eye-popping, with 18 rollercoaster holes slashed through the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, but the family behind it is where the real stories lie. You’ll meet Stephens, club founder and chairman of one of the nation’s largest privately held investment banks. You’ll hear tales from his father Jackson, a former chairman of Augusta National who presided over perhaps the most successful IPO in American history. And you’ll learn how the family is giving back to the game with the Stephens Cup, a collegiate tournament hitting a few small, out-of-the-way locations like Shoreacres, PGA Frisco and, yes, the Alotian Club.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist. 

There are thousands of professional golfers in the world and most never make it to the PGA Tour. After seven years of grinding toward that goal, Adam Long finally broke through this year and will begin his rookie season on the PGA Tour next week. He joined the podcast to discuss the highs and lows of his path to the Tour.

He wasn’t the biggest, flashiest or longest, but one look at Paul McGinley’s resume—four European Tour wins, three Ryder Cup titles as a player and one more as captain—clearly shows a legendary career in the game. But golf never came easily to the scrappy Irishman. McGinley spills his secrets for success to host Tom Coyne, reflecting on his love for Gaelic football, attending high school with Padraig Harrington, why he prefers watching Rory over Tiger, what it takes to gain the respect of a Ryder Cup locker room and how he purposefully hooked the most important putt of his life.

Ken Wang has a degree in economics from MIT, is the brother of fashion designer Vera Wang, and, most important to us, is the founder/owner of the Pete Dye-designed Pound Ridge Golf Club in New York. He joins Tom Coyne to discuss his fervent belief in public courses, how Dye got what he wanted in the design, the democratization of the game, and how Vera plays “Bill Clinton golf.”

If you’re hungry for never-before-heard Ryder Cup stories, you’ve come to the right place. With stops at legendary clubs like Seminole, Merion and Hazeltine National, golf professional Chandler Withington has already lived a full golf life. And in a career full of them, perhaps his biggest highlight was being at the center of the action at the 2016 Ryder Cup. Withington joins host Tom Coyne and uses his Ryder Cup experience at Hazeltine—including the advice he gave then-captain Davis Love III on setting up the course, why Tiger Woods implored the 2016 U.S. team to celebrate and how he got Michael Jordan kicked out of the team room—to formulate his strategy for a U.S. victory this week.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

The New York Times calls Billy Collins America’s most popular living poet. The Golfer’s Journal calls him a fine golfer as well, and a lover of all things Irish. When it comes to his poetry, Collins says, “I have one reader in mind, someone who is in the room with me, and who I’m talking to, and I want to make sure I don’t talk too fast, or too glibly.” In this conversation with Tom Coyne following a week-long stay at Donegal’s Rosapenna, Collins doesn’t talk too fast or glibly as he describes the magic of Ireland’s northwest, and for the first time shares a freshly-penned tribute to links golf.

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To wrap up 2018, Publisher Brendon Thomas and Managing Editor Travis Hill join the podcast to discuss how their favorite stories came together this year. We also discuss the highlights of the year’s TGJ events and give a preview of what’s on the horizon in 2019 and how readers can get involved.

Grip, stance, posture...yawn. Has junior instruction grown stale? Richard Franklin thinks so.

After 15 years of studying game design, Franklin brings a more playful approach to junior golf involving birds, eskimos and more unusual suspects. In his conversation with host Tom Coyne, the two unpack his unique teaching style while discussing game theories, adding more fun, and the importance of richer rewards. And for anyone who ever whispered “This putt is to win the Masters,” on the practice green—Franklin says you’ve been on the right track all along. 

Because hell, golf is just a game after all, right?

College football fans know the legendary writing, podcasting and Twitter rants of Spencer Hall. But what does he know about golf? Just enough to be dangerous. Hall joins TGJ Editor Travis Hill to discuss his story in TGJ No. 14 about Ray Ray Whitley, a virtual golfer Hall created to survive an early-quarantine sports black hole. They go on to workshop some golf takes like how Phil Mickelson is a walking hedge fund, why one in-person Masters was enough for Hall, and his belief that the Waste Management is the true U.S. Open. Much like Ray Ray, Hall gives the traditional golf establishment a much-needed cage rattling.

It’s not often you hear a 44-year-old major champion say that this will be their best year ever, but Adam Scott has always done things his own way. In a candid and insightful conversation with host Tom Coyne, the man with the perfect golf swing reveals that he gave up chasing perfection a long time ago. He also tells some classic stories, like how he used to be “intimidated” by Butch Harmon, the LPGA player he tries to emulate when his swing gets out of sync, and what Steve Williams told him just before he holed the winning putt at the 2013 Masters.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

Few golf writers know the Ryder Cup like Shane Ryan. Since his book, The Cup They Couldn’t Lose: America, The Ryder Cup, and the Long Road to Whistling Straits, he’s only increased his exhaustive reporting of the biennial event’s origins and history. On this week’s TGJ Podcast, he and host Tom Coyne discuss the best and worst captains, the formation of the pod system, bad blood and preview next week’s showdown in Rome.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist and made possible by member support.

Roger Bennett is well known in the soccer community as the co-host of the wildly popular podcast-turned-television-show Men in Blazers. But he’s also a huge golf fan. Today he joins host Tom Coyne to discuss hosting television coverage of the Open at Royal Portrush, why Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Craig Stadler are his favorite players, and how the golf chapter was cut from his New York Times best-selling book, (Re)born in the USA: An Englishman’s Love Letter to his Chosen Home, and more. Courage!

(Podcast dress code: Blazers optional.)

No place is safe from the ravages of the COVID-19 virus, even host Tom Coyne’s beloved Carne Golf Links on the remote Western coast of Ireland. The shutdown there has left scores unemployed and the course’s future in doubt. Carne chairman Gerry Maguire takes us there as he reads from the personal diary he kept during a week from hell.

We all remember where we were during Jordan Spieth’s infamous drop on No. 13 at Royal Birkdale during his now-legendary win at the 2017 Open Championship. So does today’s podcast guest David Bonsall: He was the rules official who orchestrated the 17-minute-long ordeal. In addition to his time as a former R&A rules official, Bonsall also happens to be the Captain (club president) at Royal St. George’s, host of this week’s Open. Bonsall sits down with host Tom Coyne to discuss Royal St. George’s place in history, strategy on the grueling par-4 fourth and the inside scoop on what in the world happened next to that Titleist truck in 2017.

Shipnuck joins the TGJ Podcast to unpack all the factors at play with LIV Golf, including money, ego, legacy, morals and the PGA Tour's own culpability in creating competition. He also takes us into the phone call with Phil Mickelson that became national news and ultimately forced Phil into hiding.

Marcus Aurelius, the great Roman emperor, once wrote: “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.” It’s doubtful Aurelius ever landed a perfect pitch on the downslope of the collar only to watch it rocket 40 feet past the pin, but his philosophy for life does apply to golf. Few today are more qualified to speak on Stoicism than Massimo Pigliucci. He is a professor of philosophy at the City College of New York and the best-selling author of several books, including How to Be a Stoic. He joins us on Mind Game to give a crash course in how stoicism could help you play the best golf of your life.

Mind Game and The Golfer's Journal are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

This is part one of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 1: Clifford Roberts’ rise to power at Augusta National

Until he met Bobby Jones, Clifford Roberts was a former traveling suit salesman and modest investor who was still grappling with the tragic loss of his mother. Part 1 tells the remarkable story of his unlikely rise to become the first chairman at Augusta National and one of the most feared and influential executives in sports history. 

A transcript of this episode can be found here.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

If you prefer that your golf instructors stick to sports, steer clear of Sean Foley. The longtime mentor to Tiger Woods and Justin Rose is an inveterate seeker, drawn as much to the neuroscience behind how we learn as the ideal position at the top of the backswing. Foley sits down with host Tom Coyne for a wide-ranging discussion on performance and purpose, fear and success, perspective and, yes, even love. If all that leaves you asking, "Why?"—to Foley, that's the whole point.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist and made possible by member support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is made possible by Member support. If you'd like to support the show, please consider becoming a TGJ Member: https://glfrsj.nl/Memberships

Bernard Darwin didn't invent golf writing. But as TGJ contributor and philosophy professor Matt Chominski tells us, he was the first to prove it could be a career. Chominski and host Tom Coyne are your guides through Darwin's singular golf life, with timeless tales about Pine Valley, Bobby Jones, the inaugural Walker Cup, and his famed grandfather Charles (yes, that one).

You know Rick Reilly from the back page of Sports Illustrated, where he delivered 800 words of humor, heartbreak or heroism every week for 15 years. And though you’ve seen him at St. Andrews and read him at Augusta—his ‘96 opus on Norman’s collapse is an all-timer—you’ll be surprised to discover just how deep his golf obsession goes. Reilly, who joined the Broken Tee Society earlier this year, jumped into our members-only Discord server to talk with Tom Coyne about his lifelong love of the game, which he has distilled into his new book So Help Me Golf. The stories within—from a fraught relationship with his dad, to the myriad cheating methods employed by sitting US presidents, to tales of POWs and drug-mule caddies—cement him as one of the finest golf scribes of our time.

You’ve watched JJ Redick knock down three-pointers since his freshman year at Duke two decades ago. These days, when the 15-year NBA vet isn’t talking hoops on your TV, he’s likely grinding over his short game.

The legendary sniper joins host Tom Coyne to discuss how he’s redirecting his competitive fire into golf. He also nerds out on club logos, ponders the art inherent in golf course architecture, compares swing thoughts to shooting thoughts and fires off a truly NSFW Greg Norman take.

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After playing Gamble Sands together, Tom Coyne joins course architect David McLay Kidd and the rest of their fivesome for a dinner conversation. Over local wine and halibut with sides of banter, the group dishes on what makes Kidd’s wonderfully wild design in upstate Washington so refreshing, the beauty behind fescue and the serious business of making golf fun. 

Artist. Photographer. Tequila drinker. Soul surfer. Hickory player. Club maker. Linksoul Creative Director Geoff Cunningham refuses to let anyone put him, or the game he loves, in a box. On Ep. 49 of the TGJ Podcast, the man who created TGJ’s Broken Tee logo joins host Tom Coyne for a raw, emotional conversation that explores Cunningham’s career highs and personal lows, but somehow always finds its way back to his center. 

The latest TGJ Podcast finds Tom Coyne sitting down with actor and comedian Joel Murray at American Legion Post 42, following their round together at Chicago’s Canal Shores. The youngest of nine Murrays reminisces on his introduction to the game at Canal, its infamous snackbar, lessons his own caddie shack and of course, stories about Bill.

Managing editor Travis Hill talks through his transformative trip to Sweetens Cove, a nine-hole gem in Tennessee that's changing how people think about the game.

TGJ contributors Shane Bacon (Fox Sports) and Chris Solomon (No Laying Up) join the podcast to discuss the unbelievable hospitality details that come with playing one of South Korea's most private golf courses. Shane also recounted his experience in TGJ No. 3, a piece brought to life in part by Chris’ dramatic aerial photos of Whistling Rock Country Club.

This is part one of a five-part TGJ Podcast series which chronicles the origin, evolution and inner-workings of The Masters. The series is voiced by David Owen and based on his best-selling book, The Making of the Masters.

Part 1: Clifford Roberts’ rise to power at Augusta National

Until he met Bobby Jones, Clifford Roberts was a former traveling suit salesman and modest investor who was still grappling with the tragic loss of his mother. Part 1 tells the remarkable story of his unlikely rise to become the first chairman at Augusta National and one of the most feared and influential executives in sports history. 

A transcript of this episode can be found here: https://glfrsj.nl/MOTM1

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

The Golfer's Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

From the pages of No.7: A deep dive into the origins No Laying Up with co-founder Chris Solomon

Today, we’re not chasing great. We’re chasing all-time, pantheon, tell-your-grandkids-about-it great. But how do you decide who belongs in that rare air? In this episode, author and golf writer Michael Arkush joins Tom Coyne to unpack The Golf 100, his bold new book ranking the game’s greatest players. From icons like Jack and Tiger to overlooked names like John Ball and Joyce Wethered, Arkush details the scoring system he created and the questions he wrestled with—like how to compare Old Tom Morris to Tiger, or Mickey Wright to Annika. Arkush also shares some of the book’s most surprising stories: a brash teenage U.S. Open champ vanishes into obscurity, a woman leaves the game at her peak (then comes back to duel Bobby Jones) and the time Walter Hagen became a coldblooded killer in the 1919 U.S. Open.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

This week on TGJ Digital we released “Now What?” — a new feature where contributing writer Will Bardwell asks a variety of golf industry members the big question: After golf’s biggest summer in decades, what will, and should, once-struggling golf courses do with their unexpected revenue? Assistant Editor Casey Bannon connects with Bardwell to go beyond the reporting of the piece, and further the conversation on what's next for golf.

This week marks the Bandon Solstice event, where a group of people get together to try to play all four courses at Bandon Dunes on the longest day of the year. As impressive as that is, Jamie Kennedy laughs at the feat. To raise money for a Scotland charity back in 2012, Jamie walked 10 rounds in one day – a total of nearly 60 miles – and he shares the story in this episode of the TGJ Podcast.

The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

TGJ Podcast is presented by Titleist 

Garrett Hilbert is one of the six founding members of Dude Perfect—a group of college friends that have parlayed dorm-room trick shots into a content empire that includes 60 million YouTube subscribers. 

In this conversation with host Tom Coyne, Hilbert delves into the origins of Dude Perfect, how they’ve managed to build a massive audience around a demographic of 5-15 year olds, and how they've used it to introduce the next generation to golf. They also discuss how new content ideas come about, like Rory McIlroy’s world-record for most 300 yard drives and the longest putt ever made with a hot dog.  

And then there’s Augusta National video heard around the golf world in which Dude Perfect and Bryson DeChambeau kicked soccer balls and threw footballs down Amen Corner. Hilbert peels back the curtain to reveal how that video got approved, the criticism they received from the golf world and why they felt it was important for kids to see it. 

There’s no sport that Dude Perfect hasn’t touched, but it’s clear from this episode that golf plays a special role in Hilbert’s life. Here are the receipts to prove it.

Unless you’ve already dug into Charlie Warzel’s profile in TGJ #21, you’ve probably never heard of Ben Garner. You’ve likely never heard about the kid who used to beat Tiger Woods (sometimes) and who buddied around SoCal with the future superstar, two kids who understood what it was like to live beneath the shadow of demanding golf dads. 

Ben Garner joins the Golfer’s Journal podcast to discuss what happened between being unbeatable and being beaten, to where he couldn’t even look at a golf course or tell his old friend how he was really doing. If it all sounds like a typical wayward prodigy tale, you’ll want to listen to hear where Charlie Warzel finds him, and how it all came back to Ben in abundant and unforeseeable ways.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is made possibly by member support .If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here.

As host of Golf Channel’s Morning Drive from 2011 until its final episode in December 2020, Gary Williams cemented his place as one of golf’s most recognizable voices. He joins host Tom Coyne to take stock of a golf life spanning from Ridgewood to Wyoming to Seminole and beyond. Williams talks candidly about his sobriety, and shares hilarious stories about interning for Senator Joe Biden and an unforgettable flight aboard Air Bear with Jack and Arnold.

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

It’s not easy to pin down Bill Murray, but one way to do so, as podcast host Tom Coyne learned, is to ride shotgun with him across Georgia. In this candid conversation from the midst of a golf road trip to Ohoopee Match Club, the two discuss what they love about golf, where they love to play it, and with whom. It’s Bill Murray as you haven’t heard him before–not the movie star but your pilot across the low country, both of you late for a tee time.

From cleaning clubs to writing blogs to announcing the biggest events in golf, Shane Bacon has lived a golf life well beyond his years. He joins us via the Broken Tee Society to discuss how he went from grinding on the mini-tours to taking center-stage in the Golf Channel’s lineup as co-host of "Golf Today." Plus, he walks us through an evolving landscape in golf coverage, as off-the-course drama rivals on-the-course action for attention.

He left a promising junior golf career to chase the rockstar dream, and it came true. Cam Avery has played bass for Tame Impala for the last decade while also producing solo records and playing alongside big-time acts like Arctic Monkeys. Now Avery is back playing competitive golf and documenting his journey along the way. He joins Mind Game to discuss the grind of the music business, not being able to read sheet music, the Venn diagram of life and golf, and whether or not he'd still WD from that Australian amateur event to go see Oasis. 

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The Golfer's Journal is made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠⁠

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George Solich, the youngest of five brothers from a lower-middle class family in Colorado Springs, grew up a caddie. A few decades later he has become a business titan, having developed and sold three successful companies in the energy sector. And to hear him tell it, everything leads back to golf. Today, Solich is the President and Chairman of Castle Pines Golf Club outside Denver, and on the eve of the PGA Tour’s return to this epic Jack Nicklaus design for the BMW Championship, host Tom Coyne sits down with Solich to learn how and why he brought pro golf back to Castle Pines after a lengthy absence. They also discuss the pivotal role that golf and caddying has played in Solich’s life—from his first loops at 13, to becoming an Evans Scholar, to giving back through his Solich Caddie and Leadership Program and the Western Golf Association. Solich’s story is a case study in the life-shaping power of the game, and one any golf fan will appreciate

Not all polos are created equal, and neither are the brands behind them. On the latest TGJ Podcast, Tom Coyne visits Holderness & Bourne HQ in New York to sit down with co-founders Alex Holderness and John Bourne—two Yale grads who traded Wall Street for the Garment District with no prior fashion experience and a relentless drive to make the perfect polo. Alex and John share their advice for turning an idea into a physical product, navigating the golf industry, working with your friends and creating a product that cuts through the noise. Yes: the names stitched on pro shop labels around the world are actual people, and they have a story to tell.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer's Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist

If you’re open to it, the game can provide some life-changing surprises. So it is with Mike Madden and host Tom Coyne. Madden, son of legendary NFL coach and broadcaster John Madden, and Coyne never knew each other before they teed off. Now, Madden is passing him secret turducken recipes and they’re talking about a trip to play in Ireland. This conversation retraces the steps of their round at Philly Cricket, Madden’s preservation of Muhammed Ali’s legacy, and his small role in the video game bearing his father’s famous face. But really, it’s a story about how our game can turn strangers into fast friends. And one absolutely incredible bus.