The Golfer's Journal Podcast

Wright Thompson is one of only a few scribes who have the luxury of writing about whatever he wants, whenever he wants. Which is why it came as a bit of a surprise when his most recent book, Pappyland, centered around a different kind of game: bourbon. Thompson joins TGJ Programming Manager Robbie Vogel and host Tom Coyne in our Broken Tee Society Discord server to give some insights into his writing and reporting process, as well as his fascination with Rory, expensing a yacht while writing about Tiger, boozy country club lunches, and building monuments that live on after death. 

You know Beau Welling as the Senior Design Consultant to Tiger Woods’ TGR Design, with recent work including Payne’s Valley, Bluejack National and the forthcoming PGA Headquarters project in Frisco, TX. Here's what you're about to learn: He’s one of eight people in the world tasked with governing the sport of curling.

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.

As we touch the century mark here at The Golfer’s Journal Podcast (where has the time gone?), we wanted to celebrate our 100th episode by giving something special to our listeners; something you can use over and over again.    After a quick recap of our best and (very) worst from the previous 100 episodes, voice artist Erik Braa guides you through a 30-minute golf specific meditation.  His soothing tone paired with ambient golf sounds will take you from your couch or office and transport you to the first tee.  And his quiet message will help you find that on-course focus we’re all searching for.  

Matt Chominski is a professor of philosophy and theology at Delaware’s Archmere Academy—where once upon a time a young Tom Coyne wandered the halls. And when Chominski isn’t unpacking the fundamental truths of life, he’s putting some of those lessons into practice on the course.  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. 

Sandra Boynton has sold more than 70 million children’s books, 500 million greeting cards, and has been nominated for a Grammy. So what does she have to do with golf?  According to her first publisher, Mike Keiser, Boynton’s work financed the building of Bandon Dunes.  Fresh off her profile in TGJ No. 18, Boynton joins host Tom Coyne to discuss working for Keiser’s greeting card company after graduating from Yale, turning down his original offer in exchange for royalties, Keiser’s meritocratic leadership style, the inspiration behind her designs, and quite possibly making the first hole-in-one in Bandon history. 

If we eat, sleep and breathe golf, then we are bound to dream about it. From struggling to pull the club back to eating ice cream with Gary Woodland, golf dreams can manifest themselves in infinite ways. But no matter how wacky they get, a fundamental truth remains: Golf dreams reveal the deepest level of our golfing subconscious.  On Episode 97, we enlist dream analyst expert Lauri Loewenberg to decode some golf dreams submitted by TGJ Members. And while we’ll never know exactly why we find ourselves washing windows with Jordan Spieth or hanging with Tom Coyne in our childhood homes, we now know we can learn a great deal about ourselves—as long as we keep on dreaming. 

After winning a national championship at Morehouse College, Olajuwon Ajanaku set his sights on a professional golf career. Despite some early success, he found himself struggling to meet the financial demands of chasing the dream. Instead of seeking sponsorship, he went a different way: He created a logo of himself, slapped it on a Gildan, and started pushing it around downtown Detroit. Two years later, after joining forces with his college teammate Earl Cooper, Eastside Golf is pushing the boundaries of what a golf brand can be, and recently became the first brand to collaborate with Jordan on a signature golf shoe. The entrepreneur duo join us in the Broken Tee Society Discord server to discuss building a brand, the importance of being yourself, the definition of culture, hip hop’s influence, and much more.

Once upon a time there was a golf course called The Lido. Bernard Darwin called it “the finest golf course in the world.” And then? It disappeared. And now, there are three. On Ep. 95, Brett Cyrgalis, Gil Hanse and Brian Schneider take us on a journey to unravel how we lost such an important piece of golf history, and why we should be thankful that a group of true believers are putting it back together. 

Will MacKenzie has lived in an Alaskan cave for 30 days, worked as a kayak instructor in Montana, sold grilled cheeses at Grateful Dead concerts and won twice on the PGA Tour. He’s now found his footing as a caddie for the likes of Chris Kirk, where he grapples with thoughts of making a comeback and the reality that fishing sounds a lot more enjoyable than hitting range balls. He joins Tom Coyne between rounds at the RSM Classic at Sea Island to unpack his wild ride of a life, and to pinpoint why it always seems to lead back to golf.