Australian Golf Passport

One of Sydney’s finest courses and clubs has the spotlight for this edition of the pod, but there’s plenty of additional discussion in a spritely, slightly shorter session than usual. News of the week includes details on Golf in Marvel Stadium at the Docklands in September, which will be similar to the Callaway Golf take-over at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Those interested can secure...

A mixed bag for episode 23, with a whole range of topics covered including upcoming events in several states, a new golf outlet in Melbourne, and thoughts following recent rounds at a variety of courses from Scott & Matt. A three-day trip to the Sunshine State including rounds at Royal Queensland, The Glades and Brookwater forms much of the meat of this episode, with Scott sharing his thoughts...

A real treat for this episode of the podcast – a chat with famed Australian golf course architect Bob Harrison.  His design portfolio spans decades, and includes many of Australia’s most significant courses.  He has also worked on several notable projects overseas, in Asia, the US, and the UK.   We talk with Bob about his early years in golf, his time at university, ambidextrous golf and golfers,...

In this episode we drive two hours north of Sydney – to the memorable and enjoyable Newcastle golf club. A wide-ranging discussion addresses the character of the course, the seaside location, and the topography on which Newcastle sits. The design prowess of Eric Apperly is also noted, as well as the similarity between parts of the course at Stockton, and Apperly’s work at New South Wales GC. The p...

On the eve of The Masters and the Easter holidays, we publish our longest episode yet. Over 100 minutes of discussion devoted to answering two dozen or so listener questions.  We start by briefly addressing news of the week – the Aus PGA Tour event over the Moonah course at The National, then move to ponder Australia’s answer to Augusta National.   Listener questions touch on a range of topics inc...

Hot off a stellar hit and run mission to Victoria where Scott played 72 holes in a two day visit, we devote this episode to Lonsdale Links. Spoken of very positively in our previous episode with Todd and Joe from the USA, this reworked seaside layout has quickly established a reputation as a must-see course on the Bellarine peninsula, owing to its memorable, fun, quirky yet manageable layout. The...

We spend an hour chatting with Todd Ogborn and Joseph Kass, two golf professionals who visited Australia earlier in the year. Travelling to our shores from the north east of the USA, the guys made sure to hit every spot they could on their journey Down Under, and they didn’t miss a beat! Adelaide, Sydney, Melbourne, Bellarine Peninsula, King Island and Barnbougle – they played it. And they also ma...

On the back of Scott’s recent trip to Tasmania for a friend’s 40th birthday, we devote this episode to golf in and around Hobart, focusing on five main courses. Scott’s sojourn to the Apple Isle began with a mid-construction walk around the site of 7 Mile Beach, the chat about which forms the early portion of this podcast. He was fortunate to play Royal Hobart, Tasmania GG, Elderslie, and Ratho wh...

This seemed like as good a time as any to hit a wide range of little topics that have been on the agenda over the last few months. This latest episode also gave the chance to discuss a host of newer, smaller news items on the local golf scene too. After some chat about a hole in one for Matt, the focus shifts to the new short course at Kingston Heath. The nine hole par three layout is starting to...

The fiercely private and highly ranked course is a veritable white whale for local golfers and many who venture to Australia for a once in a lifetime golf trip. The course forms a tiny part of what is a sizeable station at Ellerston, sitting within a glorious parcel of Australian country in the Upper Hunter Valley. The property is several hours drive north of Sydney, with a National Park nearby an...

A somewhat unheralded course in Sydney gets the spotlight this episode. A darling of our hosts, Bonnie Doon is the result of years of toil by respected Australian golf architects. This episode delves into why Scott & Matt feel Bonnie Doon is so good, and why it warrants a visit from those who have time for more than 18 holes in Sydney. The multi-phase, multi-year redevelopment of the course is...

We kick off the new year with a bang, chatting to Mat Goggin, the man behind arguably the most hotly anticipated golf course opening of 2023. Designed and built by Clayton DeVries & Pont on a glorious coastal site in the Tasmanian capital of Hobart, 7 Mile Beach promises to be a must-see course for passionate golfers. It has been a while in the making, and will hopefully see play within the co...

A favourite among those who know it well, this gem of course on the south west coast of Victoria is given due recognition in our final episode for 2022. From the car trip down to Port Fairy and the attractions along the way, to the charm of the town and other courses worth checking out nearby – we cover all the details needed to plan a visit. The course itself, one of the most authentic link exper...

Loads of questions from listeners around the globe on all manner of Aussie golf topics are covered in this episode. Discussion includes golf in NSW and WA, Kangaroo Island, TV coverage of the recently staged Australian Open, the design and build of the course at Cape Wickham, Adelaide’s “must-see” course(s), unheralded golf regions, destinations for weekend golf trips, the sand belt, Northbridge a...

On the eve of the 2022 Australian Open, co-hosted by Victoria, we focus on this storied course and Club with two of their finest members. Lillie has played golf at Victoria for almost two decades, and shares her experiences on the course and Club as well as her perspective on the game. Matt is an Order of Merit winner and multiple tournament winner on both the PGA Tour of Australasia and the OneAs...

One of the nation’s golfing treasures is the focus for this episode. Kingston Heath is sharing host duties of the 2022 Australian Open with Victoria GC, which we will feature in Episode 10. After briefly covering news of the day, we dive right into Kingston Heath’s tournament history, and the sequence of holes we will see on TV next month. The Club’s history and architectural merits of the course...

This edition starts off with another brief look at headlines of the day, including news of a sister course alongside 7 Mile Beach in Tasmania, the 2023 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship at Royal Melbourne, and the 2028 Presidents Cup which looks set to be held at Kingston Heath. Discussion quickly moves on to another Melbourne sandbelt star – Metropolitan Golf Club. We touch on the Club’s history...

Australian golfing royalty makes a guest appearance this episode, with Mike Clayton sharing his views and experiences of golf on the Mornington Peninsula. A longer podcast than normal, and a wide-ranging discussion that includes Mike’s early recollections of the golfing landscape in this part of the world, and his answers to listener questions on the topic of Mornington peninsula golf. Discussion...

Episode Six – Mornington Peninsula Part 1 This edition starts off with another brief news of the week segment which ranges from Australian history, to a whisper of new developments at Barnbougle, and a brief chat on specifics of the Kingswood golf course land sale. This is the first of two episodes devoted to the Mornington Peninsula, and we focus largely on one of the treasures of Australian golf...

A labour of love for Scott, as we cover loads of detail about one of the most iconic and dramatic courses in Australia – that of the New South Wales Golf Club. We discuss the site on which the holes sit and the origins of the course, from MacKenzie’s initial design to Apperly’s revisionist work on the layout, and subsequent redesign efforts undertaken by others in the last few decades.  Scott...

Pushing through cold symptoms during recording, Scott’s flu game is strong. He & Matt devote this episode to the crown jewels of the Apple Isle – Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm and their new sibling, the 14 hole Bougle Run. The origins of the two World Top 100 courses, the architectural highlights of each layout and some comparisons are all covered, as well as points on accommodation and on-site...

The boys kick things off with a brief review of some news and tidbits on the local golf scene, as well as answers to some listener questions following the previous episode. Discussion then moves on to the best course in the southern hemisphere. Lots and lots of stuff you wanted to know about RM West, and some things you didn’t know you needed to know! How to organize a game whether you’re a local,...

A timeline of Australian golf seems a good matter to address prior to diving into details on specific courses in later episodes.  Travel logistics and consideration of course maintenance projects are covered.  For those visitors wanting to play competitions over good courses, check the Golf Australia calendar of events for amateur tournaments and entry details.  Discussion detours t...

In this premiere episode hosts Scott Warren & Matt Mollica introduce themselves, discuss the genesis of the podcast, and outline the format for the series. Scott & Matt touch their own golf trips from years gone by and the lessons they’ve learned, as well as the pitfalls of simply using a rankings list to plan an itinerary for a golf trip. Near the end of the episode, we get Scott’s analog...