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The third and final instalment of the series exploring the life and times of Dr Alister MacKenzie. This episode focuses on the last few years of Alister’s design career, with so many notable creations in the USA including The Valley Club of Monteceito, Augusta National, Palmetto, Pasatiempo and more. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed the preparation and presentation.

A huge thank you to all of those who assisted – our bibliography for this episode is long and illustrious. Full details of all the source materials are found on Instagram, along with all the images we discuss during the episode. We’ve also uploaded this episode to YouTube for those who want to look instead of just listen. Thanks also to our voice expert Alan! We think he’s really brought the words of the Doctor to life.

Links mentioned in this episode are found below –

Metropolitan Golf Club’s video, released during the MacKenzie Centenary celebrations

https://youtu.be/_DhL2sGoRV0?si=NZ5cKLbwgEDAdMFT

Club 21

https://golf.com/travel/21-club-augusta-national-el-boqueron-mackenize/

Michael Wolf and Tron Carter visit South America – Jockey Club of Buenos Aires features

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wQD0khzPs0

The GolfClubAtlas.com thread on El Boqueron

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=38874.0

A link to purchase a copy of The MacKenzie Reader –

https://alistermackenzie.org/store/mackenziereader

Forbes Magazine article from 2003 on the Lachman property

https://www.forbes.com/2003/09/29/cx_bs_0929how.html

Bobby Jones “How To Break 90” on YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFVzhFlVbvE

Australian Golf Passport podcast is supported by:

⁠⁠Currents Golf⁠⁠ golf booking software

⁠⁠Angus and Grace Go Golfing⁠⁠ apparel

⁠⁠Seed Golf⁠⁠ balls and accessories

Images related to this episode can be found on our ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Additional music – Highland Hymn by Bonnie Grace / courtesyof www.epidemicsound.com

Part two of what has become a three-part series commemorating perhaps the most important moment for the game of golf in Australia. This edition of the podcast is another focussed on the life and times of Dr Alister MacKenzie. We explore his 1926 voyage on the RMS Otranto from the UK to Australia, his communication with Australian golf clubs, and the nitty grity of his design work on our courses. Published on the morning of October 19 2026 – 100 years to the day since MacKenzie docked in Fremantle and set foot on Australia to commence this historic visit. We conclude the episode with a focus on his work at NSWGC, and his departure for New Zealand. Our final instalment in this trilogy will explore the final years of Alister’s life and work. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed the research & presentation.

A huge thank you to all of those who assisted – our bibliography for this episode is long and illustrious. Full details of all the source materials are found on Instagram, along with all the images we discuss during the episode. We’ve also uploaded this episode to YouTube for those who want to look instead of just listen.

Thanks also to our voice expert Alan! We think he’s reallybrought the words of the Good Doctor to life.

Australian Golf Passport podcast is supported by:

⁠⁠Currents Golf⁠⁠ golf booking software

⁠⁠Angus and Grace Go Golfing⁠⁠ apparel

⁠⁠Seed Golf⁠⁠ balls

Images related to this episode can be found on our ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing WithMe-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Additional music – Highland Hymn by Bonnie Grace / courtesyof www.epidemicsound.com

A special one for our AGP audience this time around. Commemorating perhaps the most important moment for the game of golf in Australia. This edition of the podcast is the first of three dedicated to the life and times of Dr. Alister MacKenzie. Published to coincide with the centenary of his Australian visit in the last months of 1926, we take a deep dive into Alister’s life – starting with schooling years, the Boer War, progressing to his work with camouflage during World War I, and his transition from medicine to golf. His marriage, work at Alwoodley, Moortown and elsewhere, association with Colt and his map of The Old Course – it is all covered. We conclude the episode with a look at Melbourne, Australia and the world in 1926, setting the stage for the time in which MacKenzie’s Australian voyage is confirmed. We explore a few rabbit holes and take the odd detour along the way for good measure. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed the research and presentation.

A huge thank you to all of those who assisted – our bibliography for this episode is long and illustrious. Full details of all the source materials are found on Instagram, along with all the images we discuss during the episode. We’ve also uploaded this episode to YouTube for those who want to look instead of just listen.

Australian Golf Passport podcast is supported by:

⁠⁠Currents Golf⁠⁠ golf booking software

⁠⁠Angus and Grace Go Golfing⁠⁠ apparel

⁠⁠Seed Golf⁠⁠ balls

Images related to this episode can be found on our ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing WithMe-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A few little snippets to discuss before we focus on the headline act for this episode. Scott and Matt discuss the imminent opening of some new holes at Newcastle Golf Club, with the work by Scott Champion and Bob Harrison looking really good.

Lovedale Farm comes in for some discussion – specifically the ongoing issue of who is actually at the helm from a design perspective. Read the Planet Golf article addressing this.

And most importantly – we discuss Barwon Heads, in all its old school glory. Situated in a gorgeous seaside village, the course is close to the beach and enjoys wonderful terrain. An enjoyable mix of short and long holes, the course is so reminiscent of so much high calibre UK golf. The closest thing to an East Coast English or Scottish links in the southern hemisphere.

As promised in the episode – the link to enquire about stay and play packages in the glorious and recently refurbished Barwon Heads clubhouse.

Australian Golf Passport is supported by:

⁠Currents Golf⁠ golf booking software

⁠Angus and Grace Go Golfing⁠ apparel

⁠Seed Golf⁠ balls

Images related to this episode can be found on our ⁠Instagram⁠.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

This week's episode is a chat between Scott and our guest Mark Panopoulos. We cover his pursuit to play every golf course in Australia - inspired by an epiphany in Kakadu National Park, sand greens golf, his upbringing on the NSW South Coast and life as a professional golfer in Australia.

Australian Golf Passport is supported by:

Currents Golf golf booking software

Angus and Grace Go Golfing apparel

Seed Golf balls

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A few topics covered on this episode – ranging from Royal Park Golf Course, social media activity of golf clubs, and hickory golf. Firstly we touch on the community consultation process and impending change in the Royal Park precinct of Melbourne, which may have ramifications for the golf course. We touch on a couple of examples of social media activity from local golf clubs and discuss how badly it is so often done, and how social media activity by golf clubs could be done better. We round out the episode with a discussion of hickory golf. The clubs, the history, the makers, and the mode of play. Courses suited to hickory and more. This stems from Matt’s recent participation in the 2026 Victorian Hickory Shaft Championships, staged at Barwon Heads, and is the springboard into our next episode in which we focus exclusively on Barwon Heads Golf Club.

As discussed in the episode –

The State Government & Melbourne City Council’s plans for the Royal Park precinct here -

https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/royal-park-master-plan-review/project-overview

Erik Anders Lang returns to Melbourne in October and will berevisiting Royal Park – the site of the first ever Random Golf Club event. For those interested in participating in the event scheduled for late October a link is here.

https://randomgolfclub.com/en-au/products/royal-park-melbourne-mad-scramble?utm_source=copyToPasteBoard&utm_medium=product-links&utm_content=web&fbclid=PAdGRleAUZUb5mdHNoBP4LvXBkb2YCZmRpZBZQ1TG-bcZtrWeM36ZSP_u5X3m38uV4ZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPMTI0MDI0NTc0Mjg3NDE0AAGnU1zCrAG-aLuG9cn_k7H0ELfFmvDnQjS9_FJ8H00FHg0zCxMp0sPq6fG40tA_aem_OY-MjUM1IE6i6ms6c4JRIQ

 The link to follow for the 2027 Australian Hickory Shaft championships (including multi-day sandbelt play) is below

https://australianhickory.golfsocietyaust.com

The Australian Golf Heritage Society - http://www.australiangolfheritage.org.au/index.html

Golf Society of Australia –

https://golfsocietyaust.com/

You can follow GSA on Facebook too…

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. It's shorts season already in Sydney - but still time for sweaters and trousers in Melbourne. Grab what you need and look stylish on the course. We thank Matt – our OG partner.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – doyour wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop PlayingWith Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A long-awaited chat with an under the radar figure in golfarchitecture in Australia. And a sensational, humble guy on top of that! Mic spends an hour with us, chatting about his start in the design and construction business, and the many projects he’s been a part of over the last two decades. From his beginnings when submitting competition entries to Tom Doak and Tony Cashmore, to working on master plans, course routings and more. We talk about Mic’s time on the ground at Tara Iti, National (Gunnamatta), Mallacoota, Flinders, 7 Mile Beach and others. He shares his love for understated countrygolf courses, particularly those down in the south east of Victoria. He sheds a little light on some hidden gems such as Loch Sport and Tambo Valley too! Construction, lessons learned from working with some wonderful colleagues and great projects and more. Thanks so much to Mic for chatting with us – a really fun and illuminating discussion.

Mic’s site for those who want to know more –

https://holesintheground.com/

The website for the golf course & club at Tambo Valley -

https://www.tambovalleygc.com/course.htm

And a link to Loch Sport too -

https://lochsportgolfclub.com.au/

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some warmer layers are on the shelves now, ensuring you will b stylish and warm during your round – and after! We thank Matt – our OG partner.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A review of the All-Australian Composite Courses we unveiled in Episode 100. We tackle audience feedback, some reflections on each of our courses two weeks on and some holes that were unlucky to miss out.

We mull over the process of compiling such a course and touch on a range of issues related to the eclectic layouts. Do people tend to favour photogenic holes? Are our courses full of our favourite holes ? Do they layouts work as balanced and playable (albeit in an imaginary sense) courses?

We then go on to look at a different kind of 18, selecting an Anti-All-Australian 18 featuring weak holes from the top 18 courses in the land (according to our inaugural AGP course rankings). We discuss why some of these holes are less memorable than their colleagues and highlight the fact that even stellar courses have low spots.

Bryson's fescue stomping rules snafu during The Open comes in for a little discussion, as does Ryan Fox's win and the upcoming Aussie Open at Kingston Heath, which Corey Connors is confirmed for...

We briefly mentioned an old book written by Peter Thomson titled "Classic Golf Holes of Australia" It features some great old images of some of our best holes. There's a copy or two on eBay currently - going cheap.

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their William St Paddington store if you’re in Sydney, or visit their insta page or website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Splurge on yourself and be the best dressed golfer at your club – grab an AAGGG cashmere sweater while they’re still available. You can thank us later.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

One hundred episodes! We've come a long way from that nervous first recording in August 2022.

We have been looking forward for a while to selecting our ultimate Aussie 18s, and it felt like the right fit for this milestone recording.

One hole per course and it had to slot in on our All-Australian layout that the same hole number it occupies on the course it was taken from. We also threw in our favourite clubhouse, halfway house, locker room, post-round feed and drink as well.

Matt's course changed regularly from when we embarked on the process of selecting holes, while Scott's course stayed the same until a panicked two hours before we hit record.

Thanks as always to our fantastic partners Angus & Grace Go Golfing and Seed Golf. We couldn't think of better teammates than Matt Burns and Dean Klatt.

Thank you for listening, it means the world to us.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt. Special thanks to Will Watt of Contours.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing WithMe-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Not a nervous single nudged to mid on as we near the century – the 99th episode of AGP podcast is a great chat with Charlie Mercer – one of New Zealand’s finest, and host of The Yardage Book Podcast. Charlie recently visited Australia and played some of our best courses. We talk about his views on golf in Australia and New Zealand. The similarities and differences, the good and not so good points, and so much more. Thanks so much to Charlie for speaking with us. Go and take a listen to his back catalogue including his interviews with Jim Rohrstaff, Ryan Fox, Will Kay, Tom Doak, and his latest episode with Leo Barber and Michael Goldstein discussing NZ’s bestpar 3 holes.

https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/architecture-spotlight-the-par-3s-of-nz/id1714222287?i=1000772601220

Some courses and other stuff we discussed

Clyde Johnson’s book - https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/7548667-the-golf-courses-of-new-zealand-s-north-island

Te Arai Links - https://tearai.com/

And an old review from Matt’s first Titirangi visit back in2009.

https://golfclubatlas.com/in-my-opinion/titirangi-golf-club/

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their William St Paddington store if you’re in Sydney, or alternatively visit their insta page or website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Splurge on yourself and be the best dressed golfer at your club – grab an AAGGG cashmere sweater while they’re still available. Youcan thank us later.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – doyour wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Back to the mailbag to answer listener questions. Almost two hours' worth, ranging from travel advice, hot takes, favourites and some wild hypotheticals.

Shoutout to Bryson, you're probably fine company on the golf course but we're just not that fussed to find out.

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some warmer layers are on the shelves now, ensuring you will be stylish and warm during your round – and after! We thank Matt – our OG partner.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Part 2 of our recap of our recent trip to King Island focuses on Ocean Dunes.

OD was our first round of the trip and made an enormous impression. We go chapter and verse on 1-18, answer some listener questions about the course and there's inevitable comparisons to Cape Wickham.

But first, a chat about last week's news that the Aussie Open for both men and women will be headed to a new course in Adelaide on a regular basis over the coming decade. There's a lot about this issue and announcement that brings to mind the Alonzo Mourning gif.

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some warmer layers are on the shelves now, ensuring you will be stylish and warm during your round – and after! We thank Matt – our OG partner.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

AGP finally touched down on King Island, with a group of mates in tow, all very excited to see the golf on offer.

This episode will be the first of a couple devoted to King Island, and one where we principally discuss the course at Cape Wickham. The turf, location, the 18th green, the wind, sets of 3s and 5s, favourite holes – all of it.

The inevitable comparisons are made with Ocean Dunes, as well as the collection of leading Tasmanian courses.  The layout at Wickham is such a spectacular course, and one that generates endless discussion and opinions. We hope you enjoy this episode, and the other King Island centred chats in the pipeline. A few links below, as discussed in this episode

Accommodation options on the island include AGP’s base:

https://kingisland.org.au/accommodation/blencathra-coastal-spa-getaway/

And the house where No Laying Up stayed:

https://basslodgekingisland.com.au/

Sights to see on the island for non-golfing time include –

The calcified forest

https://parks.tas.gov.au/things-to-do/60-great-short-walks/calcified-forest-(king-island)

A guided platypus walk

https://kingislandwalks.com.au/itinerary/platypus-penguin-tour/

The GCA thread dating back to Matt’s first visit to Cape Wickham in 2015.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php?topic=62850.0

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some warmer layers are on the shelves now, ensuring you will be stylish and warm during your round – and after! We thank Matt – our OG partner.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A fair bit happening in Aussie golf this week, so Matt and Scott caught up for a quick trip through recent announcements and happenings:

• Rory is returning to the Aussie Open with the green jacket still in his possession.
• The Aussie PGA is headed to The Lakes and Bryson could be the drawcard (?!).
• LIV might be collapsing, but the North Adelaide redevelopment is all systems go with construction beginning next week.
• Moore Park’s time as an 18-hole course may be drawing to a close, but could there be a silver lining?
• Lovedale Farm will now be designed by “the project’s developer and various consultants” after architect Darius Oliver departed the project.
• Newcastle GC's renovation is beginning to take shape and there's some promising sights.

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap and tee have both sold out but there’s tons more cool stuff in store – and Cashmere is soon to arrive. We thank Matt – our OG partner!

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We invited Clayts on to help us profile St Andrews Beach, so naturally the episode opens with a discussion about 1970s house prices, closes with a brilliant Clayts monologue about molded grip trainer clubs and namechecks at least 20 Aussie courses along the journey!

Early in the life of this pod, we recorded an episode with Clayts where we discussed a bundle of Mornington Peninsula courses. We thought it was best to go back and revisit some of those layouts, devoting individual episodes to several courses. And who better to discuss St Andrews Beach than Clayts? Co-credited with its creation, he was there when the course was being designed and built, and nobody has completed more laps of the course than Mike.

In a wide-ranging chat we talk about the early days of the St Andrews Beach project, when it looked like being a 27-hole project with involvement from Ian Baker-Finch, a 36-hole private club with a buy-in of $50k for a 99-year membership, eventually becoming a publicly accessible 18-hole course, which at one point almost 20 years ago was closed for play and faced with a very uncertain future.

Our episode addresses Tom Doak’s work and his views on one of his best and favourite creations.

A great thread on St Andrews Beach on golfclubatlas - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,48455.0.html

Another great review by Garrett of Fried Egg Golf –

https://www.thefriedegg.com/courses/st-andrews-beach-golf-course

And Doak discusses St Andrews Beach back in early 2020 with Andy Johnson

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6pmUSLrmApr0pLCTkopL2J?si=r_-Y-KWIR0Wv97reAqq2kw

Thanks to Clayts for his time and his continued support of our pod. It’s wonderful to get his views on his beloved St Andrews Beach and a whole host of other topics we discussed through this episode – one which we’re sure you will enjoy.

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap and tee have both sold out but there’s tons more cool stuff in store – and Cashmere is soon to arrive. We thank Matt – our OG partner!

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. The article we discussed during the episode is below for those who want to read more on the high quality Seed SD-02 model…

https://www.todays-golfer.com/news-and-events/equipment-news/seed-sd-02-v-vice-pro-plus-golf-balls/

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

One of Matt’s aims for 2026 was realised last week when he finally locked eyes on Cathedral Golf Club. We start the episode with a wide-ranging preliminary chat touching on a range of topics. The cost of public golf in the Hunter Valley, Church pew bunkers at Curlewis, the recent series of Womens Australian events (including the Australian Open and WPGA) and Hannah’s triumphs, Sam McClure’s articles and Rory’s wish to visit New South Wales GC. 

We then move onto the course at club at Cathedral and cover all manner of points. Routing, clubhouse, location, turf conditions, and more. Similarities with Ellerston, best holes, the integral role of the dry creek beds through the routing – even the drive to and from. Cathedral is a course that a lucky but small minority of Australian golfers will see, yet all those who are fortunate enough to visit will no doubt enjoy. Did we get it wrong on Cathedral in the 2025 Australian Golf Passport Top 50 Rankings? Perhaps…

Some images of the course on the website of Greg Norman Golf Course Design - https://gngcd.com/courses/cathedral-lodge/

The Cathedral home page – with a link to visit the Cathedral Invitational - https://cathedralgolfclub.com.au/

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap and tee have both sold out but we have a special AGP merch item in the works, and there’s tons more cool stuff in store – and Cashmere is soon to arrive. We thank Matt – our OG partner!

Thanks also to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing WithMe-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

The Women’s Australian Open is being held at Kooyonga this week, and is co-sanctioned by the LET. The field is strong and hopefully we see a return of the buzz created by year on year staging of the Women’s Australian Open as a stand alone event in late summer in Adelaide. We take a look at the field and briefly discuss the weeks of lead-in women’s golf in Australia.  We then speak with Zoee Dolling, past Club Captain at Kooyonga about the event, the course, and her golf journey. Zoee is a relatively recent convert to the game but has dived in to golf head first! She shares her enthusiasm for women’s golf, her Club and this event. We also get into a little broader discussion on golf across the state of South Australia, including the imminent opening of The Cliffs on Kangaroo Island, and the next few years of the LIV Adelaide event. Thanks so much to Zoee for chatting with us!

As mentioned in the episode – interstate and overseas visitors who wish to play Kooyonga can enquire via this link - https://www.kooyongagolf.com.au/cms/golf/playing-at-kooyonga/visitor-golf-enquiry/

Last minute ticket purchases to the Women’s Australian OpenGolf at Kooyonga can be made here - https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=GOLFAUS26

And for those who want to see more of The Cliffs course atKangaroo Island - click here - https://thecliffs.com.au/cms/

And a special treat – a 40min highlight package from the 1972 Australian Open contested over Kooyonga, won by Peter Thomson. https://youtu.be/5F2BQxhPe-Y?si=SWgTn3obsrGDZBgd

Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap and tee have both sold out but there’s tons more cool stuff in store. We thank Matt – our OG partner!

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue toprovide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A long overdue catch-up with friend of the pod Lukas Michel, who has spent the past three years building his career in golf design while also keeping his hand in competitive amateur golf.

From helping to build 7 Mile Beach to working on a couple of course's in people's backyards, and testing his construction skills at Royal Perth, Lukas has had plenty to keep him busy.

And in between all that, he's still holding his own in Aussie amateur golf.

We put this podcast together with thanks to Matt Burns and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap has almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest refresh of the classic AAGGG shorts – perfect for summer golf!

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available, as well as the new model of the SD-02.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We both walked the new Royal Sydney course last year and were high on the incredible Gil Hanse renovation, but did Scott's thoughts change after two rounds there during January?

We put this podcast together with thanks to Matt Burns and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap has almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest refresh of the classic AAGGG shorts – perfect for summer golf!

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available, as well as the new model of the SD-02.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We are joined by stats guru Assoc Prof Dr Davis McCarthy for this episode as we do a post-mortem on the inaugural Australian Golf Passport rankings.

We debrief on the process of releasing our own rankings list and tackle almost two hours of listener questions on the rankings, the panel and the process of crunching the numbers.

Davis chats about the statistical process behind the final positions, about how fine the margins are between some courses, and what could be done for the next rankings to produce an even more robust result.

The discussion moves around a little as we get to various questions, and occasionally discuss specific courses, and golf centric topics like grass, routing, and more.  Thanks so much to Davis for all his expertise and help - we couldn;t have done it without him!

Davis’ bio is here for those interested - https://www.svi.edu.au/researchers/dr-davis-mccarthy/

The books we mentioned during the episode:

Grounds for Golf by Geoff Shackelford

Golf Architecture for Normal People by Geoff Shackelford

Spirit of St Andrews by Alister MacKenzie

Two GCA threads mentioned in the podcast:

St Andrews Beach review by Kyle Henderson

How to assess a golf course architecturally

We put this podcast together with thanks to Matt Burns and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap has almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest refresh of the classic AAGGG shorts – perfect for summer golf!

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available, as well as the new model of the SD-02.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We get the New Year going with a bang, reviewing the 2025 goals, handing out the now annual Australian Golf Passport awards, and setting some goals for 2026. With a nod to the guys at NoLayingUp, the annual goals episode has become a regular for us, and we hope it motivates you all to set your sights on some achievements and personal development for the coming 12 months.

As mentioned in this episode – recent bushfires in central Victoria put Cathedral Lodge in peril – read more about that here – https://www.astma.com.au/news-item/21868/cathedral-lodge-and-golf-club-impacted-by-victorian-bushfires

And Will Watt’s latest publication Contours is available –grab a copy here! https://www.booktopia.com.au/contours-william-watt/book/9781761451669.html?msockid=3e7a9e593d7b672209c68ec43c91665e

We put this podcast together with thanks to Matt Burns and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The latest Australian Golf Passport cap has almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest refresh of the classic AAGGG shorts.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available, as well as the new model of the SD-02.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We finally arrive at the crescendo of our inaugural Australian Top 50 Golf Course rankings. After pulling up stumps during the late night recording of the previous episode, we resume the count at number 11 and work steadily to number 1.  Scott’s recording on the road on summer holidays, hot spotting the laptop from his phone, and the audio is somehow better than Matt’s (who hosted). The Top 10 is sure to contain a few points for spirited discussion, particularly among members of the Clubs who have a course in the upper echelon. We talk in depth about each of the top 11 courses - what we like, why it ranked so highly, and what potentially holds it back from achieving a higher ranking, with respect to peer courses.

Visit our website (www.australiangolfpassport.com) for more on the rankings, and a catalogue of all the courses from 1 to 25 in numerical order, followed by the 26-35 bracket, and the 36-50 bracket.

Thank you again to all our Top 50 Australian course ranking panellists who devoted their time, effort and expertise into making the rankings what they are. We look forward to getting listener thoughts on what they feel is right and wrong. Huge thanks again to Assoc Prof Davis McCarthy who guided us through the whole statistical process. We couldn’t have done it without him. We plan on chatting with Davis at some stage in ’26 during an episode looking at rankings and listener questions.

As mentioned within the episode – No Laying Up visited King Island during their second Tourist Sauce expedition to Australia – their round over Cape Wickham and more can be seen here - https://youtu.be/UDRV_LUpxRs?si=76xHUVrCqYodapKN 

We put Australian Golf Passport podcast out with supportfrom Matt Burns and his team at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. You’ll love the latest summer range of AAGGG gear.

Thanks also to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf, who continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Their range features a ball for everyone! Visit www.seedgolf.com.au for more.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental is courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We (slowly) approach the pointy end of the inaugural Australian Golf Passport Top 50 Australian Golf Course Rankings, with the intention of working from #25 all the way to #1. HOWEVA, things stretched on as they sometimes do, and we got to #12 before deciding to call an end to the day’s play. We work through a bracket of excellent Australian golf courses, looking at their strengths, weaknesses, evolutions and their character, sometimes recalling incidents from our own play over these holes, or the play of others. Next episode we will work all the way to #1, we promise! At least this long episode gives you a soundtrack during the big Christmas week stretches behind the steering wheel, or the lawnmower, or under the beach umbrella.

Thank you again to all our Top 50 Australian course ranking panellists who devoted their time, effort and expertise into making the rankings what they are. We look forward to getting listener thoughts on what they feel is right and wrong. Huge thanks again to Assoc Prof Davis McCarthy who guided us through the whole statistical process. We couldn’t have done it without him. We plan on chatting with Davis at some stage in ’26 during an episode looking at rankings and listener questions.

During this episode we mentioned Will Watt’s latest publication – Contours – here’s the link to purchase!

https://www.amazon.com.au/Contours-Courses-Behind-Remarkable-Adventures/dp/1761451669

We put Australian Golf Passport podcast out with thanks to Matt Burns and his team at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their store in William St Paddington, insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. You’ll love the latest summer range of AAGGG gear.

Thanks also to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Their range features a ball for everyone!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental/ courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

An episode we’ve looked forward to recording for all of 2025. We unveil the back half of our inaugural Australian Golf Passport Top 50 Australian Golf Course Rankings. After having assembled a panel, and collating ballots we’ve had a genius crunch the numbers (s/o Dr Davis McCarthy!) in order to bring you what we feel is a statistically valid and reliable, objective snapshot of the nation’s best courses.

We discuss the process, and run through the two groups of courses (presented alphabetically) in the 36-50 bracket and the 26-35 bracket. We talk about why things are structured the way they are and look forward to devoting the next discussion to the 25 courses which will be listed in numerical order at the pointy end of the list. This episode features a good chat about what goes through our minds when we critically assess a course and visit with the objective of placing a layout somewhere in the nation’s top 50.

Thank you to all our panellists who devoted their time, effort and expertise into making the rankings what they are. We look forward to sharing them with you in their entirety soon enough, and getting your thoughts on what you agree and disagree with. Huge thanks again to Davis who guided us through the whole process of collating the rankings. Couldn’t have done it without him!

We put Australian Golf Passport podcast out with thanks toMatt Burns and his team at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport tee and hat have almost sold out - grab one while you can. And check out the latest summer range of AAGGG gear – you’ll love it.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A wide-ranging discussion with one of the best guys and keenest minds in golf travel and architecture this episode – one of Edinburgh’s favourite sons, Simon Holt.

Simon’s seen all there is to see in world golf. We discuss architecture, rankings, modern green fees, Australian golf and a ton more. This is one of those episodes that feels like you're sitting on the clubhouse verandah with your mates having post-round beers.

Shoutout to Matty for keeping track of all the things we said we would put in the show notes!

The link to the latest iteration of the Golf.com’s World Top 100 – https://golf.com/travel/courses/top-100-courses-world-2025-26/

The No Laying Up podcast episode where Simon breaks down his whole World Top 100 experience – https://nolayingup.com/podcasts/no-laying-up-podcast/nlu-podcast-episode-264-playing-the-top-100-courses-in-the-world-w-simon-holt

Some info on the ballot for The Old Course in reverse – https://www.fifetoday.co.uk/news/people/bookings-set-to-open-to-allow-golfers-to-play-the-old-course-in-reverse-5427387

The link to follow once the Powerball drops and you decide to take seven mates to Ellerston – https://golf.com/travel/ellerston-top-100-opening-gates/

We put Australian Golf Passport podcast out with thanks to Matt Burns and his team at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport tee and hat have almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest summer range of AAGGG gear – you’ll love it.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A quick catch-up for Scott and Matt after a week that saw the men's Australian Open reborn at Royal Melbourne.

Rory, the course, the set-up, a superb supporting cast of players & a remarkable 72nd hole all came together to breathe life back into the tournament and show it the way forward.

Shoutout to Angus & Grace Go Golfing and Seed Golf for their continued support and thank you to BMW Australia for getting us both out to the tournament this week so we could experience it in the flesh.

A long time in the making – we’ve been busting to record this episode after visiting a week ago. Australian Golf Passport hit 7 Mile Beach last week – and the course did not disappoint. A glorious layout full of high calibre holes, fantastic green complexes and so much fun, engaging, thrilling golf. We break it all down and digest the experience. We look forwardto hearing all your stories after visiting the course. It is a brilliant creation, full of thoughtful design, skilled construction, and all wrapped up in a great routing on an incredible site. Surely destined for the World Top 100.

The link to follow for those wanting to book tee times - https://www.7milegolf.com.au/

We put this podcast out with thanks to Matt Burns and histeam at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport tee and hat have almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest summer range of AAGGG gear – you’ll love it.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A mixed bag of interesting topics this week:

• Footage of the fully-grassed course at The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island emerged recently and warranted discussion.
• New World Top 100 rankings from Golf Magazine are imminent and the Aussie candidates come in for attention.
• Some argy bargy surrounding Cheltenham Golf Club's new lease is in the news, so we briefly discuss that.
• The Aussie Summer of Golf is upon us and we take a look at some of the events on the calendar.
• Finally, Scott caught up for a chat with Dean from Seed. Listeners loved our initial chat with Dean at the start of the year and this is another fun one.

For the Queenslanders – this link is the one to follow for tickets to the Aus PGA at RQ. Should make for a fantastic spectacle - https://golf.com.au/aus-pga

The 2026 Victorian Open is to be staged at 13th Beach down on the Bellarine Peninsula. Held from Jan 15 – 18 it is a fantastic event and a buzz to attend. Entry is free and all details for spectators planning to head along are available through this link - https://golf.com.au/vic-open

The Cathedral Invitational for 2025 is another red letter event on the domestic summer golf calendar. Those who want to get along and watch Adam Scott among a score of other notables (including Ian Baker-Finch!) can learn more here - https://cathedralinvitational.com.au/

As discussed in the episode – a GCA thread dating back nearly 25 years – devoted to changes made to the Road Hole Bunker on The Old Course at St Andrew's. Seems many posts within the thread have been deleted or tidied up but the thread is still well worth the read.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,1922.0.html

As is this one devoted to the recent Hanse work at Seminole (also discussed in the episode).

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,73492.0.html

The YouTube video mentioned in the episode is here for those interested – https://youtu.be/aHPY786QP00?si=DKs6b_IGlhdFqwr4

We put this podcast together with thanks to Matt Burns and the staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport tee has almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest refresh of the classic AAGGG shorts.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too – caps, gloves and other goodies available.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Motivated by Scott’s personal journey with his swing and fitness through 2025, we sit down for a great chat with Tom de Jersey. Tom is a Sydney based TPI certified physiotherapist. He talks with us about strength, range, training for golf, physical limitations to the golf swing, and how best to negotiate them. Apart from his clinical work, Tom co-hosts the Greens & Gains podcast with Lee Hunt. They focus on golf game improvement and personal improvement as well! Go give them a listen.

As discussed in the pod Jon Rahm’s right foot and the influence on his swing.

https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/31810755/jon-rahm-short-backswing-due-adjustments-being-born-club-foot

And the latest Today’s Golfer robot testing of golf balls – Seed models performing well!

https://www.todays-golfer.com/equipment/best/golf-balls-robot-tested/

We put this podcast out with thanks to Matt Burns and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap and tee have almost sold out - grab one while you can.  And check out the latest refresh of the classic AAGGG shorts.

Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their website for Seed merch too –  caps, gloves and other goodies available.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Listener questions episodes have always been among our most popular, and we're back with 30 questions from our audience: ranging from the green fees at new destination courses to protecting classic architecture, cheap ways to improve country courses, Mt Lawley's WA Open close-up all the way to some guilty pleasures, favourite holes and the greatest shots we've ever hit.

There's been some mayo being spread by the PR spruikers for both the Country Club of Tasmania and The Cliffs on Kangaroo Island. The two articles we discuss are linked below:

Country Club Tasmania Unveils $20 million Facility Transformation | Golf Industry Central

The Cliffs: The edge of perfection - Australian Golf Digest Shoutout to "Staff Writers" for doing the heavy lifting at AGD!

And the golfclubatlas thread on classic golf architecture preservation -

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,54125.msg1246286.html#msg1246286

Thanks so much to everyone for the entertaining and thought provoking questions! :)

As always – special thanks to Matt and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a white tee with the AGP logo too.

Thanks to Dean and his crew at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we will see some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A real treat to speak with one of the world’s greatest golf course architects – Tom Doak. After starting in the golf architecture world with Pete & Alice Dye, Tom founded Renaissance Golf Design decades ago and has travelled the world building some of the finest courses in the game. We speak with Tom about his experiences in Australia including Barnbougle, St Andrew’s Beach, consulting at Royal Melbourne, the people he’s met and more. He shares his architectural knowledge, views and insights with us, in a chat that could have extended for hours more if time were to permit. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording! Thanks so much to Tom for his time. 😊

For those less familiar with Tom’s works – click the link here for a look at his portfolio –

https://www.renaissancegolf.com/

And while we didn’t really speak much about Tom’s writings, he’s published a ton through his career. For those interested links to purchase some of Tom’s books below, including Anatomy of a Golf Course, his biographical work on Alister MacKenzie and several volumes of The Confidential Guide.

https://www.doakgolf.com/bookstore/

As always – special thanks to Matt and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And don't sleep on the AAGGG rain jacket - as modelled by Scott on his recent trip to Tara Iti.

Thanks to Dean and his crew at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we will see some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

After an eventful week of golf twitter exchanges about tea tree and the sandbelt we have a timely interview to lead off this episode. Kate Torgersen from Environmental Golf Solutions joins us to talk about her career in golf. Starting with her time in turf management, then the switch to flora. We talk about her experiences, the people and courses she’s worked with, as well as the under-appreciated & important role she plays within the broader golf industry. She shares her knowledge of indigenous plants, and her views on lots of different points of interest to our audience. Learn more about Kate and Environmental Golf Solutions here - https://www.envirogolf.com.au/the-team

We then move to a discussion between Scott and Matt that focuses on vegetation, with a particular focus on the Sandbelt. We hope this chat builds an understanding among the listenership of the basis for so much important work that is getting done on-course. And that some widely accepted and long-held misconceptions are addressed.

As mentioned in the episode – a great article by Will Watt of Contours on the use of fire to manage indigenous vegetation - The Royal Back Burn - https://contours.golf/journal/the-royal-burn-back/

The reference texts cited within this episode were -

Flora of Melbourne - https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/8155/

Indigenous Plants of the Sandbelt - https://openlibrary.org/books/OL28493513M/Indigenous_Plants_of_the_Sandbelt

C.S. Sutton report within The Naturalist, 1912 - https://archive.org/details/biostor-120900

Claude Crockford’s The Complete Golf Course - Turf and Design - https://www.finegolfbooks.com/pages/books/13684/claude-crockford/the-complete-golf-course-turf-and-design

As always – special thanks to Matt and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And don't sleep on the AAGGG rain jacket - as modelled by Scott at Tara Iti last month.

Thanks to Dean and his crew at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we will see some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Two of the heavyweights of world golf are the stars for this episode – Royal Melbourne West and Tara Iti. Scott recently returned from a quick hit and run trip to Tara Iti and played both courses at Te Arai as well. The rounds at Tara Iti had him thinking it might even surpass the famed West course at RM as the Southern Hemisphere’s best.

We discuss the genesis of the course at Mangawhai – including the seminal GolfClubAtlas thread in which Tom Doak put out a call for people to nominate sites on which his client could develop one of the best courses in the world – turns out it was even earlier than we though it was. 2005, and long time GCA contributor Ash Towe was the one who steered the ship towards the East coast of New Zealand, north of Auckland.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,19775.msg351600.html#msg351600

The site, the routing, and so much more of Tara Iti is discussed. Strong holes on both layouts, contrasted with the weaker links in the chains. The assortment of holes on both courses is a focus – short and long threes, driveable fours, more testing long two shot holes as well as reachable fives. Big greens and small, aggressive greens and artistic hazards. We chat about it all. The amazing landscape on which Tara Iti is built, and more.

As mentioned, this excellent hole by hole look at Tara Iti courtesy of Golf Digest is a great entrée into a chat about the course. https://youtu.be/U6_5cGQhnDA?si=t3I69xGH5tXKiwty

We also make mention throughout the episode of the NoLayingUp piece that Soly recorded at Tara Iti back at the end of the debut season of Tourist Sauce – the link for that is here - https://youtu.be/VV40tk_5fis?si=I7YoALIqEEIv1Jwb

There’s no longer the option for unaccompanied visitors to play Tara Iti unfortunately. But both courses next door at Te Arai are well worth the travel.

For those who have an appetite for more Tara Iti content – Charlie Mercer has dedicated several episodes of his excellent NZ based golf podcast, The Yardage Book podcast, to Tara Iti and Te Arai. His episodes with Jim Rohrstaff, Tron Carter and Michael Wolff are well worth going back to for a listen.

Link to Tron’s episode here - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tron-carter-unpacks-his-recent-trip-to-tara-iti-and/id1714222287?i=1000708867879

Those who wish to visit Royal Melbourne to play West can enquire through this link. https://www.royalmelbourne.com.au/visitors/

We round out this episode with a hole by hole match play of TI v RMW comparing like for like holes, and where would we be without a four word course review to conclude? This was a fun one to record, given the quality of both courses under consideration – we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording!

As always – special thanks to Matt and his crew at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crispwhite tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And don't sleep on the AAGGG rain jacket - as modelled by Scott at Tara Iti earlier in the month.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we might be getting some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

The week before last afforded the chance for Scott, Matt and Dean from Seed to share a game on a sunny and breezy Saturday afternoon at Royal Queensland. Before and after the game several RQ members proudly hosted a tour of the land east of the Gateway Bridge, describing the imminent development of new holes, and plans for refinement of the existing course. Paul and JM discuss all this and more with us after the round, with a red in hand, in the bowels of the RQ clubhouse. The passion and vision at RQ is obvious, and members are justifiably proud of their wonderful course and Club. We’re sure you’ll enjoy this chat about the golf course, the role as 2032 Olympic golf host, and so much more. Thanks to Dean and everyone at Royal Queensland for a wonderful day.

Those of you who wish to visit the course can enquire via the link below.

https://www.rqgolf.com.au/web/pages/golf-bookings-2

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap will be in stock soon – it’s smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crisp white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And the AAGGG range of warmer winter clothing is superb. Especially the jackets, fleece vests and caps. Do yourself a favour and grab some AAGGG today.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we might be getting some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

After visiting Peninsula Kingswood together late last year Scott & Matt finally get around to devoting an entire episode to this gem of a course. There’s the inevitable comparisons drawn between South and it’s sibling course, but so much more too. Discussion of the many strengths of the course, as well as it’s perceived weaknesses. The cool collection of threes, the great short fours, the grandstand finish and more. Creeks, great veg, and superb condition that’s apparent during every visit. Scott plans out a composite routing on the PK property, which could have made a grand home for the Presidents Cup. And you’ll want to stay till the end for Scott’s FWCR of PK South.

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap will be in stock soon – it’s smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crisp white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And the AAGGG range of warmer winter clothing is superb. Especially the jackets, fleece vests and caps. Do yourself a favour and grab some AAGGG today.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A really special episode this time around, with the voices of five different golfers all fleshing out the experience of preview play over the eleven holes currently open at the new Mike DeVries and Mike Clayton Seven Mile Beach course in Hobart.

Will Kay, Will Watt, Sam MacDonald, Jared Kendler and Chris Kane all share their experiences of visiting and playing the course. It will definitely whet the appetites of all those who are yet to lay eyes on what is sure to become recognised as one of the best courses in the land.

You can book your own visit now on the Seven Mile Beach website - preview play is now open for all until the end of October.

As mentioned in Scott and Matt's chat at the start of the episode, some links below for golf at some special courses.

The Peninsula Home Hospice Annual Charity Golf Day scheduled for Monday October 6 at Frankston Golf Club - https://peninsulahospice.com.au/news-events/

Publicly available tee times at RACV Healesville – https://healesville.miclub.com.au/cms/public-bookings/

A link to find out more about the Stay & Play package at Crown Towers, accessing the exclusive Capital Golf Club - https://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/hotels/crown-towers/offers/stay-play

And the book Sweet Spot – a superb publication celebrating the best of New Zealand golf – visit https://sweetspotgolfbook.com/ for more

Thanks again to all those who participated in this episode. It was a fun one to put together and we hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we did working on it!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crisp white tee with the logo too, which is also very sharp. And the AAGGG range of warmer winter clothing is superb. Especially the fleece vests and caps. Do yourself a favour and grab some today.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Matt flying solo for this one, with special guest Ewan Porter discussing a range of topics, as Scott was racking up the birdie alongside Nick Mills on his beloved NSW GC at the time of recording. Our anchor will be back for the next episode – which we’re really excited about. More to come on that soon…

We start this episode off recapping Ewan’s experiences on playing every metropolitan golf course in Sydney, along with some details of his times with the Gala Boys, and vintage equipment. He shares his thoughts on golf courses, as well as his views on the pro game, the evolving landscape of pro golf, and we touch on his own pro career. Scott’s emergency text from on-course during recording has Ewan considering a few head-to-head match ups of Sydney layouts. The Next Gen Am Tour is a focus of discussion – a topic near and dear to Ewan’s heart. We also spend some time looking back on Ewan’s pro career, and his stellar final round to clinch a wire-to-wire win in the Nationwide Tour / Aus PGA Tour co-sanctioned 2008 Moonah Classic. It was great fun to chat with Ewan. We hope you enjoy it!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. They have a new range of No Laying Up merch in stock & there’s a new AGP cap and a tee coming soon too. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their range of winter tops, including their merino pullovers as well as fleece vests & caps are super stylish and so warm.

Seed Golf continues to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, especially the SD-05 which has recently been awarded Gold in the Golf Digest Hot List.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A casual chat for this episode – Scott and Matt discuss recent golf, a plan to build excitement in the lead-up to the Australian Open, and more. The goals outlined at the start of the year also come in for a mid-season review. Tons of good stuff covered. We hope you enjoy the chat, and as always with the goals – we hope this topic encourages all of you to set a target and go for it.

As discussed in the episode – a few links below to the books we’ve read, and the hosts of the sensational October golf day at The Millionaire’s Club.

The Evin Priest & Steve Williams collab as read by Scott- https://www.booktopia.com.au/together-we-roared-steve-williams/book/9780063440999.html

The Tom Doak recommendation featured on Matt’s reading list- https://www.booktopia.com.au/antifragile-nassim-nicholas-taleb/book/9780141038223.html

28 - The memoir of footy and masculinity and more by Brandon Jack -https://www.booktopia.com.au/28-brandon-jack/book/9781760876777.html

The new release on Ian Baker Finch - https://www.booktopia.com.au/ian-baker-finch-geoff-saunders/book/9781761451645.html

For info on the annual Peninsula Home Hospice fund raising golf day held at Frankston GC on the Monday after AFL Grand Final weekend -

https://peninsulahospice.com.au/contact-us/

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. They have a new range of No Laying Up merch in stock & there’s a new AGP cap and a tee coming soon too. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their range of winter tops, including their merino pullovers as well as fleece vests & caps are super stylish and so warm.

Seed Golf continues to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, especially the SD-05 which has recently been awarded Gold in the Golf Digest Hot List.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Another longish episode where we wrap up the huge batch of listener questions forwarded to us recently. Membership issues, rankings, golf in Sydney, architecture, course comparisons, and so much more. A really interesting and varied grab bag of subjects to ponder. Thanks again to all those who submitted via the Insta story call-out.

To start the episode, we spend a moment talking over the opening of 7 Mile Beach and preliminary rounds there, Rory’s place in the field for the Australian Open this year and next, and drought conditions on King Island, among other little snippets.

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. We have some new AGP caps and a tee coming from AAGGG in the not too distant future – so keep your eyes peeled for that. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their range of winter tops, including their merino pullovers and fleece vests are super stylish and so warm.

Seed Golf continues to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, especially the SD-05 which has recently been award Gold in the Golf Digest Hot List.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

This latest edition of Australian Golf Passport podcast is an ever-popular Listener Questions episode. Thanks to all those who submitted via the Insta story call-out. Almost 5 dozen questions will form hours of discussion for this episode and the next! We got to 28 of them in this two-hour session.

Lots of great stuff to mull over ranging from turf, rankings, architecture, travel on a budget, new courses and those under renovation, Mornington Peninsula questions, stuff on King Island and Tasmania, as well as a few esoteric queries which are always great to get the juices flowing.

The text we mentioned in the episode – Golf’s Royal Clubs by Scott Macpherson is available from Fine Golf Books - link below.

https://www.finegolfbooks.com/pages/books/12686/scott-macpherson/golfs-royal-clubs-honoured-by-the-british-royal-family-1833-2013

As discussed in relation to tree removal and the upcoming US Open venue Oakmont - this article from Steve Keipert and Derek Duncan (as featured in Australian Golf Digest) is a great primer.

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/the-last-stand/

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some new stuff in store and online as the weather cools here in Australia. We have some new AGP caps and a tee coming from AAGGG in the not too distant future – so keep your eyes peeled for that. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, as they’ll have some branded merch available in Australia now – not just golf balls!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We’re back to devote an entire episode to Yarra Yarra – one of those Sandbelt courses that doesn’t quite get the love it deserves on occasions. We start the episode with a fast review of Scott’s recent Canberra visit, including his quick lap around Royal Canbera.

For those keen to visit Royal Canberra, click the link below -

https://www.royalcanberra.com.au/cms/golf/playing-at-royal-canberra/

During Scott’s October 2024 trip to Melbourne we took a look around Yarra Yarra, and have been keen to discuss the course and club ever since. We look at the history of the club from its earliest days, the move to the Sandbelt, tournament history at Yarra Yarra and the evolution of the course, from Alex Russell’s design, to the recent Renaissance Golf Design overhaul of the layout. The brilliant uphill par 3 11th,and re-sequencing of holes, and more.

For those keen to visit and play Yarra Yarra, click the link below -

https://www.yarrayarra.com.au/cms/golf/visitors-information/

Thanks to all the listeners who sent in questions and topics of interest to cover during this episode. Yes the greens get scary quick, and we hear you – most don’t love the tenth! 😊As discussed in the episode – the three reference texts we cited during the chat – links below.

Discovering Alex Russell

https://ryanpub.com.au/russell.htm

From Eyrie to Eagles

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/193830149112?_skw=from+eyrie+to+eagles+yarra+yarra&itmmeta=01JSTMQEW80SNQ5EMCY35KZX2G&hash=item2d212d5bf8:g:Ll0AAOSwNDNf7naa&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAABAFkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dPwePbqA9%2Bgc8CikzSDdEevo6aO3AbNlYjba3K8EOz%2FzZvnwbFD%2Fp8ZbcBzjoMwq2oWPc8l%2BwLyRcGbT%2FVujMremr3aqIl1H%2FqVN0fHqVPSyieLY3mZLZggv9a8%2F58E1YyylydfBHKt8LLpNgicVam4JeNyC9ZqrCo8rhuBUGWjLK6HkigB4YlLmIyy%2B2IVHgXovN9OUX1X9VuuJEhmES9%2FQfiPookXSH4MgrL3CoOUo0XjxvHszsc36dZBzF5kAwHVQer07aU99O%2F8Lpq00RYgNrMk4CXHCBYRgfSoYDhdOF%2Fy2mO0Gmpz6mzAbC7EbM%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR67u3dTOZQ

The Story of The Yarra Yarra Golf Club

https://www.abebooks.com/Story-Yarra-Golf-Club-George-Thomson/30665018043/bd

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some new stuff in store and online as the weather cools here in Australia. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Tom Mackenzie from Mackenzie & Ebert is our guest for this episode, talking all things NSWGC redesign, plus the arm-wrestle between designing in the dirt and having a plan to work to, the tension between form and function, tricks for making tight sections of property feel spacious and why he thinks Melbourne is the best golf city in the world.

But before then, because this is who we are now, there's a mea culpa about the love lives of two of Gil Hanse's employees...

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus AndGrace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Imagesaccompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me- Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Fast turn around from last episode to this – with RoyalSydney about to publicly unveil their newly renovated Gil Hanse golf course. After a recent multi-hour walk around the property with super Adam Marchant, Scott shares his views on the design, and the highlights of the reworked layout. Needless to say – expectations were exceeded!

Prior to that, we briefly discuss golf shoes and a PhD studyundertaken by a listener of the pod. The link below takes you to a 10 minute survey for a LaTrobe University Podiatry faculty research project on golf footwear. We hope you’re able to spare the time to participate. It will really help.

https://redcap.latrobe.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=W4WHC4YRM9ERYAP7

A few listener questions are an entrée to the main fare -chat on Rose Bay. We briefly talk about the imminent North Adelaide course overhaul by The Shark, and OCM works including Long Island and Riversdale. Links below for some of that!

Adelaide course work courtesy of Australian Golf Digest –

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/this-is-what-ive-dreamed-of-for-decades-norman-pumped-about-new-liv-golf-adelaide-project/

Long Island walk courtesy of The National GC website -

https://nationalgolf.com.au/journal/long-island-course-walk-august-2024/

And to finish a great hole by hole look at Royal Sydney, asnarrated by Gil Hanse!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/1069854367

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus AndGrace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off forlisteners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Imagesaccompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me- Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

This episode affords the chance to review loads of little topics on the Australian golf landscape - courses re-opening after works, Karl Vilips breakthrough win, Matt's quick jaunt to Tara Iti, activities of panelists on the AGP Top 50 panel, and more of Scott's ball testing.

Metro, The Lakes, NSW, Mt Lawley, Royal Sydney and more are all discussed. It's been a busy little time.

As discussed - preview play at 7 Mile Beach is on the horizon. Details as published in Australian Golf Digest magazine are below -

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/hobarts-7-mile-beach-announces-course-opening-date-for-preview-play/

The Chappell Foundation is conducting a fund-raising day at Capital Golf Club, with money directed to youth homelessness. $500 donation to play Capital and participate in a great day. Tickets below -

https://thechappellfoundation.com/melbournegolfday25

Those who wish to visit Te Arai - visit the link below to get more details -

https://tearai.com/

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to  ⁠⁠seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff – especially the collaboration with The Fliers Club. AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

New South Wales GC is baaaaaack!

Matt checks in with Scott after opening weekend at the newly-renovated NSWGC for a quick initial reaction to the changes. Spoiler: he enjoyed himself.

Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to  ⁠⁠seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff – especially the collaboration with The Fliers Club. AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The shorts are all world. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

An episode topic that has been consistently requested since we first started recording Australian Golf Passport – a deep dive into Golf Along The Might River Murray.  We’re joined by Brian Walshe – great friend of the pod, and a passionate golfer who has planned & enjoyed dozens of Murray River golf trips over the decades.

Courses, accommodation, meals, drinks, and everything you need to know about playing the game along the northern Victorian border. We get into it all as Brian provides an hour of expert insight.

As referenced in the episode – a few resources including Brendan James’ comprehensive guide to golf along the Murray River, as published in Golf Australia magazine back in 2022.

https://www.golfaustralia.com.au/feature/your-ultimate-murray-river-golf-guide-583810

And some more resources for planning a visit to the region –

https://golfonthemurray.com.au/ and https://www.visitthemurray.com.au/things-to-do/golf

Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to  ⁠https://seedgolf.com.au/ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff – especially the collaboration with The Fliers Club. AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The shorts are all world. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We could have taken the easy way out and made this two episodes to chip away at our goal of 26 for the year, but instead here's two and a half hours of listening spanning four topics.

We open with a chat about sanity prevailing at Sandringham with the men's and women's Aussie Opens to be contested separately again from 2025 after a failed three-year experiment co-sanctioning the two. Where to for both tournaments after so much damage was done to their standing?

The main event is an hour-long deep dive on Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne, which has experienced an absolute renaissance thanks to a full course rebuild by Brian Slawnik. Scott and Matt were both crestfallen by what had become of Commo before the facelift and could not be more boyant about the club's future now with the course brought back to its best. If you want even more Commo content, head back to Ep 55, and immediate reaction which we recorded just an hour or so after throwing our clubs in the boot after our round.

And on top of that we have a chat with Eric from The Fliers Club, one of the many new-millennium golf societies that has brought passionate golfers together, and in this case on a bucket list trip to the great courses of Australia.

And finally, we've enjoyed talking golf balls so much with Dean Klatt from Seed since he came on board as a sponsor of the pod that we asked him to come on air for a chat about how and why he founded Seed, how you even go about designing your own golf balls, the work that's already underway at Seed to prepare for the coming rollback, and more.

Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to ⁠https://seedgolf.com.au/ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff - AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. And if you're in Melbourne, head to Middle Park Bowling Club on Sat 22 February from 1-6pm for the pop-up shop and The Fliers Club x AAGGG collab event.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.c⁠om

We've been working on something exciting, and we're pumped to share it with you.

First cab off the rank for 2025 allows us the chance to formulate some new goals for the coming 12 months and reflect on the previous year.

This is an enjoyable and rewarding process - shamelessly based on the famous NoLayingUp annual Goals Pod. Not without its challenges, the job of identifying some targets and working towards them through the year is definitely something we suggest you all undertake. We'd love you to share your goals and hopes for 2025. 

As you'll hear, reflecting on goals set for 2024 has led Scott to some major life changes.

This year looms a landmark twelve months for Australian golf, with a series of course renovations approaching completion and the imminent opening of 7 Mile Beach. We have plans to meet it head on and this episode contains an exciting announcement involving new activities for Australian Golf Passport.

Our new supporter Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Click on the link - https://seedgolf.com.au/discount/AGP  - to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. We look forward to sharing more about them in the year ahead.  Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff - AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Our final episode for 2024 takes a look back at the year that was - with awards for a range of fantastic courses, great performances and favorite moments of the year.

Superintendents, pro shops, renovated courses and playing partners all come in for a little love and affection. We'd love to hear who you think deserves some praise for a great year too!

2025 looks like being an awesome twelve months for Australian golf, with a series of course renovations completing, and the imminent opening of 7 Mile Beach. We chat briefly about what lies ahead, and can't wait to get into it...

Towards the end of this episode, Scott provides a great wrap of some of the year's highlights for Australian Golf Passport - calling out some of the episodes you could go back and listen to, especially if they slipped by through a busy work year.

Our new supporter Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Click on the link - https://seedgolf.com.au/discount/AGP  - to get your hands of some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. We look forward to sharing more about them in 2025.  In short – their golf balls are excellent and the fast, easy, direct to consumer purchasing method has now kicked off in Australia. Do yourself a favour and grab some!

As always – special thanks to Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Check their website for some Summer specials. The recently released AAGGG long sleeve polos are light and breathable and sun smart – and they look great! As do the shorts, and Golf Daddy caps. Visit their Instagram page, or bricks and mortar store (William Street Paddington) to get some of the best golf apparel around.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A massive Christmas holiday edition for you to take in over a long festive season car trip, or during a relaxing lie down in the sun over the Christmas break.

This episode starts with a little rundown on the recently completed Sandbelt Invitational to kick things off before sinking our teeth into the discussion with Ross Flannigan. 

Ross will be well known to many through his photography and his long-running podcast – My Love of Golf. He joins us from Scotland to talk about his beloved Peninsula Kingswood, his time in golf retail, recent move to Edinburugh and loads more. 

Ross was the franchisee at the Drummond Golf Melbourne city store for years, and shares his experiences from the world of Big Box retail golf, and more. His perspectives on the courses at PK from before and after the landmark renovation are really interesting too.  Ross is a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guy with a ton of experience in golf. We know you’ll enjoy listening to him!

He mentioned Steve Smith’s podcast (The Golfing Greenkeeper) with PK super Glenn Stuart – link is below: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/ep-101-keeper-of-the-greens-glenn-stuart/id1511508487?i=1000680428136

Our new supporter Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Click on the link - https://seedgolf.com.au/discount/AGP  - to get your mits of some premium golf balls as a crazy low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. We look forward to sharing more about them in 2025.  In short – their golf balls are excellent and the fast, easy, direct to consumer purchasing method has now kicked off in Australia. Do yourself a favour and grab some!

As always – special thanks to Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Check their website for some pre Christmas specials. The recently released AAGGG long sleeve polos are light and breathable and sun smart – and they look great! Visit their Instagram page, or bricks and mortar store (William Street Paddington) to get your hands on some of the best golf apparel around.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠www.epidemicsound.com