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

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Tom, Sam & Half Par sit down to discuss Aaron Rai's amazing victory at the 108th PGA championship at Aronimink. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Returning guest Simon Haines sits down to be quiz master with Sam and Tom about the early days of Augusta National and the Masters. 

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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. 

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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.  

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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. 

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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.  

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