The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

Cookie Jar Golf

A British take on current affairs in the world of golf. Some of it interesting, most of it not.

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20 episodes
Updated Tuesday

Episodes20

Newest first

Tuesday · 1 hr 10 min
389 - The Golfing Year of 1926 w/ Richard Fisher
In this episode we are joined by Richard Fisher (3-peat on the pod) looking back at 1926 as a pivotal year in golf, tracing the season from winter through autumn. We focus on the amateur game, the professional events, and the way golf fit into the wider sporting and political landscape of the year. We begin with the early amateur season, including the shared President’s Putter at Rye and the Varsity match at Burnham & Berrow, where Cambridge win. We also discuss how much golf's leading amateurs play, the importance of caddies, and the many club and society matches that shape the year. We then move to the spring championships, including the arrival of Glenna Collett and other American women ahead of the Ladies’ Championship, which is delayed by the General Strike. The episode also covers the amateur and professional championships in detail. We discuss Bobby Jones’s remarkable Open qualifying round at Sunningdale, his victory at Royal Lytham & St Anne's, the Amateur Championship at Muirfield, George Von Elm’s win in the US Amateur, and major professional events involving Walter Hagen, Abe Mitchell, and Sandy Herd... and of course the proto-Ryder Cup. We finish with the late-season fixtures, including the English Amateur, the US PGA and US Ladies’ Championship, and the mixed foursomes at Worplesdon. We also reflect on the broader context of 1926: the rise of international golf, the role of the media, and how different the sport’s structure and calendar were from today. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 19 · 1 hr 19 min
388 - Open Championship Roundup
We look back on a dramatic finish at Royal Birkdale, where Ryan Fox closed with a strong Sunday round and won on the 72nd hole. We say he stayed composed under pressure, kept executing shots, and handled some very unlucky breaks on the closing holes without letting them affect him. We also discuss how the course played over the week. We say it was firm, dry and much harder in the afternoon, while the morning wave had the best scoring conditions. We note that the changes to the course produced strong championship golf, with several holes forcing players to choose different clubs and strategies. We reflect on the other main contenders, especially Sam Burns, Tommy Fleetwood and Scottie Scheffler. We say Burns started well but made a series of errors that took him out of the lead, Fleetwood had a very strong week but faded late, and Scheffler struck the ball well but lost many strokes on the greens. A large part of the discussion focuses on the Bryson DeChambeau ruling and the difference between that incident and Scottie Scheffler’s ruling on 17. We say the rules were applied in different ways, that the evidence and intent were debated, and that the decisions raised questions about consistency and about how golf polices itself. We finish with the wider context of Fox’s win, including his New Zealand sporting background, the significance of the result for New Zealand golf, and a few lighter notes on the week’s other winners and losers, including the event’s attendance, the amateur performances, and the people behind the tournament setup. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 16 · 37 min
387 - Open Championship Preview
This episode we discuss the setup for the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, with particular focus on the firm, fast conditions and how much water the course is losing each day through high wind and heat. We talk about how the greens are being monitored and adjusted with modern technology, and how the course presentation is being kept under control. We also look at how players may adapt their strategy, with many expected to leave driver out in favor of irons, mini drivers or three-woods. The discussion covers wedge bounce, firm fairways, bunkers, and how the course conditions create difficult equipment decisions for the field. We spend a lot of time on the holes that could shape the championship, especially 1, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18. We talk about the challenge of the opening stretch, the reachable but dangerous par 5s, the narrow closing hole, and how wind direction could change the approach on several key holes. We then turn to likely scoring and possible outcomes, with the group largely agreeing that the winning score is more likely to be in the high single digits rather than very low. We also discuss which players may suit the test, including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Reed, Matt Fitzpatrick, Harris English and others. Finally, we cover the “Tooting Beck” low-round prediction for British and Irish players, and close with a brief exchange about England’s football match against Argentina. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 15 · 39 min
386 - The Price is Wrong
In this episode we play a price-guessing game based on merchandise and food from the Open Championship site. We set up the rules, use a match-play style scorecard, and compare the prices of items the listeners would not have seen. We start with some reference prices, then move through a yellow Open mug, a boxed Vice golf ball, and a small navy pen holder shaped like a tall bag. We also price a Malbon quarter zip and a Malbon bucket hat, which lead to some of the larger early swings in the score. We continue with a silver claret jug-style jug, a 99 ice cream with a flake, a Future Open Champion baby bib, and a straw sun hat with a claret jug ribbon. We also cover Open-logo socks in a presentation box and a large Vessel carry bag. Later, we guess the cost of a Hugo Boss cap for marshals, an Adidas tracksuit top with Open branding, and a special-edition Stewart remote-control trolley. We then move to a Peter Millar cashmere V-neck and a player’s yardage book for the course. In the closing stretch we price a Vessel rucksack, a yellow kids’ flag, an Open T-shirt, and a metal ball marker with hole yardages. The episode ends with a final score update and a quick wrap-up after the last item. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 14 · 37 min
385 - The Open Last Chance Qualifier Recap
From within the media centre at Royal Birkdale, Sam and Peter recap the Monday last-chance qualifier at the Open Championship, where 12 players competed for one place in the field. The format, the field, and a first look at the course conditions are all discussed, alongside a recap of the first ever Last Chance Qualifier - an event we think was a resounding success. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 13 · 1 hr 8 min
384 - The Hawtree Dynasty
In this episode we discuss the Scottish Open at Renaissance Club and the experience around the event, including the relaxed atmosphere for players, the links-style setting, and the way the course routing was changed. We also talk about nearby courses on the East Lothian coast, including Gullane, Winterfield, Craigielaw and Longniddry. We then begin the final part of our series on major golf course architects, focusing on the Hawtree family. We explain that the Hawtrees span three generations and have worked for over a century, with Frederick George Hawtree as the practical founder, Frederick William Hawtree as the more golf-focused writer and consultant, and Martin Hawtree as the modern restorer and consultant. We trace Fred Senior’s early career from greenkeeping at Sundridge Park to his first design work with James Braid at Sundridge Park and Croham Hurst. We also cover the founding of his practice in 1912, the interruption caused by World War I, and his later partnership with J.H. Taylor. A major theme is Hawtree’s work on municipal and public golf. We discuss the Artisan Golfing Society, the National Association of Public Courses, and their role in courses such as Richmond Park and several municipal courses around Birmingham, including Lickey Hills and others. We then cover Fred Senior’s purchase and rebuilding of Addington Court in the early 1930s, making it the first privately owned public golf course in Britain and the firm’s headquarters for decades. We also discuss the 1932 rebuilding of Royal Birkdale, including the new routing through the dunes and the course’s later refinements. Finally, we cover Fred Jr.’s education, wartime service and post-war consultancy work, then Martin Hawtree’s role from the 1970s onward. We mention his work at venues such as Lahinch, Ballybunion, Royal Aberdeen, Trump International and Royal Liverpool, and his comments about growing up around the family business and continuing the Hawtree tradition. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 9 · 54 min
383 - East Lothian Eclectic 18
In this episode, we speak from Renaissance in East Lothian, where we discuss the golf on the coast and how many different courses there are in the area. We talk about the quality of the turf, the variety of links courses, and how the region keeps surprising us even when we think we know it well. We also discuss golf shoes and metal spikes, including why spectators wear golf shoes at events and why professionals still use metal spikes, even though many clubs do not allow them. We compare different styles of shoes and talk about the practical and visual side of wearing them around a golf course. A major part of the conversation is our Eclectic 18 for East Lothian. We explain why holes from Musselburgh, Winterfield, Dunbar, Archerfield, Muirfield, Gullane, North Berwick, Luffness New and the Glen made the cut, and we talk through several of the choices, including standout par threes, par fours and par fives. We also note that some courses appear multiple times because of the strength of the holes. We finish by discussing which three East Lothian courses we would recommend to someone visiting the area, excluding North Berwick and Muirfield. We mention Dunbar, Winterfield, Musselburgh, Gullane 3, Luffness New and the Glen as strong options, and we end by saying how impressed we were with the trip and the golf across the region. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 4 · 1 hr 1 min
382 - Recovering from The Yips w/ Will Dugdale
Will Dugdale discusses starting golf as a child, playing junior, county, Oxford and Cambridge golf, and turning pro in 1999. He also covers early career ups and downs, the putting yips, changes to his grip, and his work helping other golfers. Will has a genuinely fascinating story in the game of golf, and his relationship with the flat stick will no doubt resonate with many. For those who want to learn more, we'd encourage you to head to Will's website, best-putter.com. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
July 1 · 1 hr 40 min
381 - Final Qualifying Roundup
In this episode we cover final qualifying for the Open Championship across four venues, with reports from Dundonald, Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. We compare the atmosphere at each course, noting that the day drew strong crowds, with many volunteers managing scoring, marshalling, parking and course presentation. We discuss how the golf courses were set up and how the weather affected play. Burnham and Barrow was described as especially well presented, while West Lancashire played firm and fast with strong runoff areas and difficult greens. We also talk about how the draw and weather conditions made a major difference to scoring, especially later in the day. We go through several of the main qualifiers and near misses. James Nicholas qualified comfortably, Tom Sloman played well at home to get through, and Caleb Surratt, Alejandro de Castro Piera and Austin Truslow also advanced. At West Lancashire, Sam Bairstow, Kazuma Kobori, Jose Ballister, Tiger Christensen, Sam Easterbrook and Matt Jordan featured prominently, while at Royal Cinque Ports Bard Bjornovic Skogen and MJ Defoe led the way. We also cover notable players who missed out, including Owen Edwards, John Goff, Fraser Jones and Brandon Robinson Thompson. There is discussion of withdrawals, players stopping after lunch, and the mix of amateurs, club players and touring professionals in the field. We note that many players had caddies, family members, or partners on the bag, and some chose to carry their own clubs. We finish by explaining the new Monday last-chance qualifier at Royal Birkdale, which will give a small group of players another route into the Open. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
June 26 · 41 min
380 - Stuart Grehan
Sam chats with Stuart Grehan fresh of his Amateur Championship win at Royal Liverpool and West Lancs last week. The 131st Amateur was also the 19th time this event has been hosted at Royal Liverpool - more than any other venue. We talk about his wins in the knockout, the adjustments from 18 to 36 hole matches, as well some of the trickier matches that lay between him and his final against Matt Maloney which went all the way to the 36th hole. We also talk about his career, from pitch and putt as a kid, to turning professional, regaining his Amateur status and now looking forward to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, a Masters invitation and a spot in the US Open next year at Pebble Beach. In the aftermath of his win, we also talk about some of the criticism Stuart has come in for from the likes of Dan Rapaport, going from Professional to Amateur, as well as his experiences at Cypress Point last year in the Walker Cup, and looking ahead to Lahinch in September. Stuart says that the movement back to amateur golf was all about the lifestyle.... well what a lifestyle it is! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
June 24 · 59 min
379 - US Open Roundup
In this episode we reflect on the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and the course setup, including the firm greens, the undulations, and how the test shifted the emphasis toward short game and putting. We discuss the USGA’s explanation of why the greens were managed the way they were, and how the event played gradually from Thursday through Sunday. We also talk about Wyndham Clark’s win, his reception from the crowd, and how he held onto the lead despite not playing his best golf at the weekend. We compare his performance with Scottie Scheffler’s, and we discuss the idea of players chasing a major-title milestone under intense pressure from a strong field. A substantial part of the conversation is about fan behaviour and whether golf should accept more crowd noise and needle at big events. We discuss the contrast with other sports, the difference between a normal tournament and a Ryder Cup atmosphere, and whether Clark’s situation was more about his lead and persona than about golf becoming less traditional. We then move on to players and others who stood out at Shinnecock, including Keith Mitchell, Tom Kim, and the course superintendent Joe Jennings. We also mention some of the week’s disappointments and controversies, including bunker conditions, Joaquin Niemann’s penalty, and Harry Higgs arriving without trousers before his round. Finally, we cover regional qualifying and the Amateur Championship. We talk about the scale of qualifying venues around the country, Peter’s attempt at Ferndown, and several players who advanced. We also review the Amateur at Hoylake, where Stuart Grehan won after a 36-hole final, and we note the strong coverage of the event online. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
June 11 · 46 min
378 - William Flynn (part 2)
Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age. In part 2 we discuss the construction firm of Toomey & Flynn, his design work into middle life and going on to designing the renovation of Shinnecock Hills. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
June 9 · 41 min
377 - William Flynn (part 1)
Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age. In part 1 we discuss Flynn's childhood, his upbringing and his relationship with Frederick Pickering. We also discuss his work at Marion and his founding of the construction firm Toomey & Flynn. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
June 2 · 54 min
376 - Jim Hartsell: A Round of Scottish Courses
It’s hard to believe its 3 years since Jim joined the pod to talk about his last book - When Revelation Comes - which went on to become a Herbert Warren Wind award finalist, and this time we’re joined to talk about another exciting project. To get a hold of a copy of Jim’s latest book, make your way to Back9Press or head to Amazon where we’ve hyperlinked them for your own ease. A round of Scottish courses is a book charting 18 of Jim’s most beloved but often less celebrated courses. Some courses people will be familiar with but others less so. The likes of Aberfoyle are not on many bucket lists (until now), places like Iona and Harris require some serious commitment to get to, and some bigger names like Cruden Bay and Prestwick rightly hold a place in Jim’s heart. We also talk about the process of uncovering the history of these lesser-known courses, collecting old postcards images and the beautiful architecture of the buildings that often accompany these smaller well-preserved courses. Great to own. Great for a gift. Side note: out charity link for our upcoming 95 hole challenge around Arran can be found here. All donations hugely appreciated. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
May 27 · 1 hr
375 - Course Diaries: Original Prestwick 12-hole Routing
Tom & Sam discuss playing the original 12-hole routing at Prestwick, where the first Open Championship was held in 1860, and how the course has been restored for a limited period. We explain that the layout has been brought back with heavy marshalling, temporary and restored greens, and significant logistical work to keep play safe. We talk through the history of Prestwick and the role of Old Tom Morris in setting out the 12-hole course, how it gave birth to The Open Championship and try to give you a sense as to what the course is like. You can expect a film to follow on YouTube in the coming weeks. Road to Rosapenna leaderboard from our match here Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
May 19 · 58 min
374 - PGA Championship Recap
Tom, Sam & Half Par sit down to discuss Aaron Rai's amazing victory at the 108th PGA championship at Aronimink. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
May 13 · 1 hr 11 min
373 - Donald Ross
Sam & Tom both do some homework on Dornoch man Donald Ross, who would go on from an upbringing on the ancient Scottish links to become the most prolific golf course architect in the United States. Designing and working on over 400 courses, his journey is a fascinating one. With the US PGA taking place this week at Aronimink, it is our third instalment on biographies of some of the game’s most celebrated architects. Having studied under Old Tom Morris in St Andrews, a chance encounter with Harvard professor Robert Wilson would see him take the leap of faith and move to the US, working at Oakley Country Club. He would then turn another chance encounter with an attorney into a career-defining move, as he set up his winter office at Pinehurst, designing four of the courses over many decades and using it as a base from which he met and took on numerous commissions from travelling golfers across America. For more on Ross, Bradley Klein's magnus opus on Ross can be sourced here. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
May 1 · 1 hr 21 min
372 - The Tiger Slam Pt 4: The Masters
Sam & Tom sit down for Part IV of their deep dive into the Tiger Slam. 25 years on from the fourth leg of Tiger's historic run — and his sixth major victory overall — we revisit the 65th Masters at Augusta National, where he clinched the infamous Tiger Slam. For more on the Tiger Slam, we highly recommend Kevin Cook’s book, which captures the era in microscopic detail. You can grab a copy here. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
April 21 · 1 hr 6 min
371 - Course Diaries: Royal Birkdale w/ Mike Howard
Sam sits down at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with Mike Howard, Senior Design Associate at MacKenzie & Ebert, to discuss his long-standing relationship with the club. A lifelong member with an intimate knowledge of the North West coast, Mike has played a central role in the recent course changes, working alongside Tom MacKenzie to prepare Birkdale for The Open Championship this summer. A longstanding friend of the podcast, Mike brings both insight and perspective to the conversation. Widely respected for his work in golf course design, he is also a fine golfer and a highly regarded figure within the industry. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website
April 13 · 1 hr 10 min
370 - Masters Recap
Sam, Tom and Peter sit down to discuss the 90th Masters at Augusta National, Rory's historic back-to-back victory, and the big winners and losers of the week in Georgia. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website