My case in favor of golf lessons.
Golf can be hard. It can also be a lot of fun.
My Launch Monitor is a Thief of Joy
Everywhere that I look in golf, there appears universal, unified messaging on only a single point: I need to hit the ball further. It’s a golf-centric spin on a tale as old as time, increasingly woven into the fabric of the consciousness of any middle-aged man quickly moving closer to his athletic mortality, with his…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 19: Matthew McCrady of Man O’ War Golf Part 2
This episode is the second half of my conversation with Matthew McCrady, the Director of Operations at Man O’ War Golf in Lexington, Kentucky. We pick up where we left off, discussing the present and future states of merchandising and golf equipment for golfers and meander towards how Matthew sees the dynamic between grass roots junior golf on public courses and exposure to more aspirational courses as children grow into the game.
What if LIV Golf went after women’s golf instead?
What if LIV Golf Investments, the corporate vehicle of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, bought or tried to buy the Ladies European Tour (“LET”) to conquer and disrupt the LPGA Tour instead of stalking the best players in men’s golf in an effort to reshape professional golf?
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 18: Matthew McCrady of Man O’ War Golf, Part 1.
This episode is the first half of my conversation with Matthew McCrady, the Director of Operations at my home practice and fitting facility, Man O’ War Golf in Lexington, Kentucky. We talk all around and thru the state of the golf business, as I try to touch on what makes this stand alone practice facility so special.
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 17 – Hal Phillips on global golf design, American soccer revolution, and global political economy.
Buckle up, folks, because we’re going around the world today with Mandarin Media’s Hal Phillips. We talk global golf course design, American soccer revolution, and Chinese political economy. Seriously.
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 16 – Jason Straka ASGCA on Kenwood CC, renovations, and sustainable golf course design
Jason Straka & I talk about Kenwood Country Club, the course renovation, and the LPGA tournament, as well as his passion for sustainability in golf course design and maintenance, and the insular nature of a lot of golf-centric conversations.
Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 5 – Moving on Up.
The truth of Matt’s final point, that playing up to just a slightly shorter overall yardage still presents interesting challenges yet in a less stressful manner, is the hallmark of a well-designed golf course. Moving up from one set of tees to a shorter set doesn’t magically make a good golf course boring or easy; it makes the challenges less stressful and more enjoyable.
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 15 – Michael Croley on Golf and Writing
On today’s episode, we class up the joint a bit by welcoming author, writer, golfer, and native Kentuckian gone rogue, Michael Croley. Michael grew up in Corbin, Kentucky, but now lives in the Columbus, OH area, shaping the minds of tomorrow as an Assistant Professor of English and Journalism at Denison University, developing his own creative writing portfolio, and working the golf journalism beat for more than a handful of publications.
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 14 – Matthew Wharton, Carolina Greenkeeper
Today’s episode is one where you and I get to listen to my friend entertain us with some stories, and make us think with a few others. Matthew Wharton is one of my most cherished friends in golf; smart, funny, curious, serious, and kind. We talk golf courses, golf industry, golf shots, and golf’s future,…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3, Episode 13 – A Requiem for 2021 and a Prayer for 2022
Winter has arrived in earnest, as the chaos of the holiday season subsides, so this week the podcast takes a look at some of the bests and worsts of golf in 2021. We also cast an eye forward to 2022, previewing a few things that we’re already getting excited about. The off-season, or winter in…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 12 – Americans in Pinehurst Roundtable – Southern Pines, Revisited
In this installment of The Americans in Pinehurst Series, Matt, Fred and I discuss the new Southern Pines Golf Club experience. In the hands of a new ownership group, which also owns nearby Pine Needles and Mid Pines golf course resorts, Southern Pines has undergone a significant renovation and restoration effort from noted architect Kyle…
Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 4 – Golf club headcovers are a myth.
This is the fourth in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. Headcovers are a myth. A grift. A pure canard. The byproduct…
Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 3 – Southern Pines has been unleashed.
This is the third in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. Southern Pines Golf Club, revamped under new ownership after becoming the…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 11 – Brad Woodger of Royal Chappy
This episode is about fun. Finding fun, having fun, being fun. It’s about being serious but not taking ourselves too seriously. It’s about golf that’s fun, without any of the other stuff that gets in the way. I speak with Brad Woodger, operator of The Royal & Ancient Chappaquiddick Links, located on Chappaquiddick Island. “Royal…
Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 2 – Enjoy The Cradle while you can
This is the second in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. When we first visited The Cradle at the Pinehurst resort in…
Nine holes of Pinehurst area thoughts: Hole 1 – The Happiest Place in Golf
This is the first in a series, a back nine of thoughts cultivated from a recent fall golf trip to the Pinehurst and Southern Pines areas of North Carolina. What started as bullet points grew into substantial realizations. I hope you enjoy reading them. The happiest place in golf is the south porch at Pinehurst…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 10 – Brian Laurent of the Superintendent Network and Twisted Paw Putting Club
Today’s episode puts a spotlight on the turf side of the golf course industry. My guest is Brian Laurent. His journey in golf has taken him from collegiate golfer to running multiple Ohio sections of the Golf Course Superintendent’s Association of America, before launching his newest venture, the Superintendent Network. He is also the caretaker…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 9 – Americans in Wisconsin Roundtable – Lawsonia Links
In this third and final installment of The Americans in Wisconsin Roundtable, we discuss the experience of playing the Links Course at Lawsonia. Nestled above Green Lake, the Links at Lawsonia simultaneously reminds me of several great Midwestern courses I’ve played and looks unlike anywhere I’ve seen before. From the hands and minds of the…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 8 – Chris Boysel PGA Part Two
This is the second part of my conversation with my friend, Head Golf Professional at Kearney Hill Golf Links, Chris Boysel, PGA. We talk about keeping golf fun, the practical effect of distance in golf, and why the rest of us are so important. Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3, Episode 7 – Chris Boysel, PGA (Part One)
Today’s episode presents the first half of my conversation with Chris Boysel, who is the Head PGA Professional at Kearney Hill Golf Links here in Lexington. He is one of those golf pros blessed with natural enthusiasm for golf and the gift of gab. He and I could literally sit down and talk golf all…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3 Episode 6 – The Lost Episode with Kris McEwen
My special guest for this episode is Chicago’s Kris McEwen. He’s a man of many parts, with his Venn Diagram covering several sides of golf through his growing multi-media empire. We talk golf courses, media, travel, Chicagoland, and more. Links to Kris’s various works are listed below. Enjoy! Driving Range Heroes where you can find…
Blind Shots Podcast Season 3, Episode 5 – Brian Ross and the story of Park Mammoth Golf Course
This episode presents the story that I’ve been wanting to tell you for more than a year and a half. It’s a little bit of the story of the once and future Park Mammoth Golf Course in Park City, Kentucky. And to help me tell it’s story, we’re speaking again with friend of the podcast,…
Blind Shots Podcast, Season 3, Episode 4 – the Americans in Wisconsin Roundtable: Mammoth Dunes and The Sandbox
In this second installment of The Americans in Wisconsin Roundtable with friends of the show, Matt and Fred, we pickup where we left off in Episode 2, moving from the discussion of the Sand Valley Course to this week’s insights on The Sandbox Short Course, the Mammoth Dunes Course, and the luxury the resort experience…
Blind Shots Podcast, Season 3, Episode 3 – Jim Hartsell and The Secret Home of Golf
Jim and I discuss out-of-the way golf adventures, old-school caddies, unsung heroes of construction, and of course, his excellent new book, The Secret Home of Golf: The Authorized History of King-Collins Golf and the Creation of Sweetens Cove. Plus if you stick around to the end of the interview, Jim profiles his 10 favorite Blind…