Episode 91: Lifetime Amateur

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.”