The Golfer's Journal Podcast

Greg Ohlendorf knows the secret. He is one of two people to have ever played Golf Magazine’s World Top 100 Courses, Golfweek‘s Top 100 Modern and Top 100 Classic Courses, plus a course in all 50 states. The biggest lesson he’s learned? Checking courses off a list doesn’t get the blood flowing. True golf adventure does. Ohlendorf, who wrote “The Road to Diùranais” in TGJ No. 17 about his wild ride to an under-the-radar Scottish nine-holer, joins host Tom Coyne to discuss the joys of finding new tracks, how on Earth he accomplished those lists and the flaws behind lists in general in this live recording from the main stage of the Broken Tee Society.

Greetings from the new online home of the Broken Tee Society! To kick things off, host Tom Coyne is joined by TGJ staff for a live town hall discussing the details of our newly launched private community. Open to every Member of the Broken Tee Society, people have already begun finding new playing partners, enjoying exclusive content, and even sharing advice on how to be a golf parent. The crew goes deep on our lofty plans for the new community and the critical role our Members will play going forward, along with a lively Q&A with the audience.

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.”

Why are the Hollins tees at Pasatiempo—named for one of the longest hitters in women's history—so far forward? Why is putting the tee in the ground as a beginner so scary? How did Tom Coyne come up with the "Burger Dog Index?" Today's podcast guest comes ready with answers. Amidst a successful career at the New York Times, Katie Hafner has recently turned her lens toward golf after falling for the game. She joins the pod to discuss her piece in TGJ No. 17 on Pasatiempo and its founder Marion Hollins, the true impact pioneers like Hollins continue to have on the game, writing an early obituary for Golf in the Kingdom's Michael Murphy and much more.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even Michael Wolf who, just last week, took to Twitter to declare the 24 reasons he hates The Ryder Cup. After recovering from his initial shock (and perhaps some heartbreak), host Tom Coyne reached out to Wolf in hopes of unpacking his gripes against golf's most beloved biennial competition. The two go deep on the commercialization of The Ryder Cup, the PGA of America's motives, the viewing experience and its rightful place in golf history. You may not agree with him, but you have to admire the courage.

If you’re hungry for never-before-heard Ryder Cup stories, you’ve come to the right place. With stops at legendary clubs like Seminole, Merion and Hazeltine National, golf professional Chandler Withington has already lived a full golf life. And in a career full of them, perhaps his biggest highlight was being at the center of the action at the 2016 Ryder Cup. Withington joins host Tom Coyne and uses his Ryder Cup experience at Hazeltine—including the advice he gave then-captain Davis Love III on setting up the course, why Tiger Woods implored the 2016 U.S. team to celebrate and how he got Michael Jordan kicked out of the team room—to formulate his strategy for a U.S. victory this week.

Only 15 people in history have made more money on the golf course than Davis Love III. But now, at 57 years old with a newly-replaced hip, the World Golf Hall of Famer is trying his hand at some things away from it.  This year's Ryder Cup vice-captain joins the show to talk about his new 12-hole design at Belmont, how to clean a cast-iron skillet, why broadcasting didn't suit his eye, and, of course, Team USA's locker room situation at Whistling Straits. 

Roger Bennett is well known in the soccer community as the co-host of the wildly popular podcast-turned-television-show Men in Blazers. But he’s also a huge golf fan. Today he joins host Tom Coyne to discuss hosting television coverage of the Open at Royal Portrush, why Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Craig Stadler are his favorite players, and how the golf chapter was cut from his New York Times best-selling book, (Re)born in the USA: An Englishman’s Love Letter to his Chosen Home, and more. Courage! (Podcast dress code: Blazers optional.)

Good morning, Tokyo! On this week's TGJ Podcast, we catch up with friend of the show Chris Reimer, who has spent the last several weeks in Japan running the media center for the Olympic Golf competitions. Following the conclusion of the men's tournament, Reimer joins TGJ Editor Travis Hill to report back on life in the village, the debates over pros vs. amateurs and the stroke-play format, trash talk from inside the ropes, how to buy a real samurai sword and how stars like Rory McIlroy are not immune to the power of the Olympic spirit.

We all remember where we were during Jordan Spieth’s infamous drop on No. 13 at Royal Birkdale during his now-legendary win at the 2017 Open Championship. So does today’s podcast guest David Bonsall: He was the rules official who orchestrated the 17-minute-long ordeal. In addition to his time as a former R&A rules official, Bonsall also happens to be the Captain (club president) at Royal St. George’s, host of this week’s Open. Bonsall sits down with host Tom Coyne to discuss Royal St. George’s place in history, strategy on the grueling par-4 fourth and the inside scoop on what in the world happened next to that Titleist truck in 2017.