The Thing About Golf Podcast

Golf Australia

Estimates say there are as many as 60 million golfers in the world and we all know at least some of them who are completely addicted. The question is why? Join us as we try to discover the answer to that burning question, interviewing golfers both famous - and not - on a monthly quest to solve the riddle of this maddening game.

  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    THE THING ABOUT GOLF: #130 Rich Beem

    Rich Beem is one of the game’s best characters of the past 30 years and his 2002 PGA Championship win over a charging Tiger Woods remains among the most entertaining finishes to a tournament this century. 

    John Huggan sat down with Beam recently to learn about where he came from, what it’s like to win a major, Team USA’s best chance of winning the Ryder Cup away from home and plenty more. 

    Beem is engaging, thoughtful and eloquent and knows how to tell a good story, which all makes for an excellent listen. 

    6 November 2024, 9:00 pm
  • 1 hour 2 seconds
    THE THING ABOUT GOLF: #129 JAVIER BALLESTEROS

    John Huggan sits down with Seve Ballesteros’ son, Javier, to talk life, golf, the Ryder Cup, the state of the world game and plenty more.

    Few golfers have made an impact on the game comparable to Seve. The Spanish magician entertained and thrilled crowds worldwide with his extraordinary skill and matador-like personality. He remains to this day one of the most popular players in history. 

    John’s chat with Javier for episode 129 offers a fascinating and compelling insight into events and people, past and present, from a perspective we rarely get to see.

    22 October 2024, 10:00 pm
  • 59 minutes 12 seconds
    The Thing About Golf: #128 Jim Nantz

    There is perhaps no more familiar voice in the game than that of Jim Nantz, host of CBS’ golf coverage, including almost 40 years of The Masters. 

    In this candid chat with John Huggan, Nantz reveals his journey from humble beginnings in the game to his start in broadcasting and a career so successful, he now owns a home (with its own golf hole) at the iconic Pebble Beach. 

    Nantz is charming, funny and articulate and has a knack for telling a good story, of which he has plenty.

    9 October 2024, 1:00 am
  • 1 hour 11 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #127 Peter Baker

    At the age of four, Peter Baker wrote down that he wanted to be a professional golfer. At 14, he played representative golf with the seniors. At 21, he claimed his first European Tour title and five years later - the same year he represented Europe in The Ryder Cup - he added two more.

    A lifetime spent in the game has taught Baker much about both life and golf. In a fascinating episode 127, he sits down with John Huggan to reflect on a 37-year career playing the game for a living.

    25 September 2024, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #126 Richard Gillis

    For most, golf is a passion, but for many others, it’s also a business. The golf industry is both large and diverse, ranging from tour professionals and media companies to travel and retail equipment sales. 

    So how does the game stack up in the world of sports business and what are the similarities — and differences — to other sports? Sports business expert and journalist Richard Gillis has a duel interest in golf, both as a lifelong player and having covered the game professionally. 

    His takes on LIV, the media environment, the long-term viability of TV as a financial support and much more are intelligent and thought provoking — whether you are in the golf business or not.


    11 September 2024, 2:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #125 Trevor Immelman

    Rarely has a player sported the green jacket with such style than our latest guest and one of golf’s greatest assets, Trevor Immelman.

    However, there is more to the 2008 Masters champion than a pretty golf swing. 

    The 2022 International Presidents Cup captain sits down with John Huggan to talk about his beginnings in the game, his thoughts on the Presidents Cup, the LIV/PGA Tour negotiations, where TV commentators get it wrong and much more. 

    Immelman is one of the game’s best ambassadors and after listening to this chat, you’ll gain an insight into why.

    28 August 2024, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 4 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #124 Ryan French

    Our special guest this week discusses the new media landscape, building a media business when you had no intention of ever doing so and the challenges of monetising what started out as a hobby.

    There is no shortage of underdog stories in Hollywood, but in real life - in the day to day news media - those narratives are harder to find. 

    Media has changed, though, and with social media eliminating almost all barriers to entry, there are new players finding their voice - and an audience - in the space formerly occupied by legacy media. 

    This is as true in golf as any other section of the media and Ryan French is one of the players in this space, although it is more by accident than by design.

    14 August 2024, 7:00 am
  • 1 hour 17 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #123 Stephen Gallacher

    This week John Huggan catches up with a true golfing stalwart who has spent more than 20 years plying his trade on the European Tour.
    Stephen Gallacher has four wins and a Ryder Cup appearance to his name, placing him in some elite company. Having grown up around golf with his famous uncle Bernard as a mentor, Gallacher still lives and breathes the game.
    With the senior tour fast approaching and a thriving junior foundation bearing his name, Gallacher is as busy as he’s ever been and chats with John about everything from LIV Golf and the future at the top level, to why encouraging junior participation is so important.

    31 July 2024, 1:00 am
  • 1 hour 26 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #122 Henrik Stenson

    He was part of one of the most epic duels in Open history, when he and Phil Mickelson went head to head for the Claret Jug last time golf's most prestigious tournament was held at Troon in 2016 ... and he is also John Huggan's latest interview guest.
    There is so much more to Henrik Stenson than a brilliant golf game … he also has a sense of humour and a perspective on the world a bit broader than many of his professional brethren.
    Stenson sat down with our very own John Huggan recently to reflect on a career which has produced some remarkable highs, but also some equally intense lows.

    16 July 2024, 6:00 am
  • 1 hour 16 minutes
    The Thing About Golf: #121 Jane Crafter

    Few figures in Australian golf would boast a better pedigree, or could claim a longer contribution to the game, than 1997 Women’s Australian Open winner and TTAG special guest Jane Crafter. 

    An almost-25-year playing career has been followed by an almost equal number of years behind the microphone as an in court and booth reporter at events worldwide. 

    Born into a golfing family, Crafter’s journey in the game is unique and compelling, as you’ll discover in this wide-ranging discussion with Rod Mori. 

    3 July 2024, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 27 minutes
    The Thing About Golf #120: Howard Clark

    He might not be the best-known name in golf, but England’s Howard Clark was a stalwart of the European Tour in a time of major changes for the professional game in the 1980s and '90s. John Huggan caught up with the former Ryder Cupper at his home in England to talk life, golf and a life in golf.

    19 June 2024, 6:00 am
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