Pitchmarks Podcast

“Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.” Boris Pasternak I didn’t know what to expect. It had been suggested to me by a friend, Helen, whose previous recommendation had proved a wonderful surprise, and it was a convenient pit-stop on my return from the Kent coast. But I didn’t know there was even a course in this district, let alone that it was the work of Harry Shapland Colt. My p...

The Instigator of this whole carnival - one Philip Truett - delivered in his opening address to the assembled troops “ The Rules of Engagement ”, including the mention of a “ lifetime ban ” for the heinous crime of helping another party look for their ball in this triangular fixture. Clearly, pace of play is important, but the notion of tackling Walton Heath’s marvellous Old Course - more or less...

So Shane is over for a few days, for another dose of the heathlands. We’ve played together a bit in Ireland - around Dublin where he lurks, and in Donegal - plus a bit over here. As well planned in his golf as he is for his Firm and Fast podcast, the itinerary is tight, and takes in some significant headlines. Thirty-six at Sunningdale is a ticket many cross vast oceans for, and The Berkshire and...

I wake up feeling shattered, spent. Overwhelmed. No spare capacity for inputs, though they keep on coming, let alone the energy to make decisions. I opt for no breakfast, for the binary yes/no is so much simpler than the cascading menu options that could follow a yes. So I hit the road with only coffee, in search of headspace. I need long, wild horizons; cool fresh air. A pause from the treadmill;...

Of Milan Kundera’s masterpiece “ The Book of Laughter and Forgetting ”, Ian McEwan wrote that “ one is torn between profound pleasure in the novel’s execution and wonder at the pain that inspired it” . He is right; the exquisite dialogue loses little in translation from the French, and Kundera’s ability to find humour in simple, human interaction makes it an annual read for me. I bought my paperba...

A 4.30am alarm for a drive of four and a half hours ought to feel like a burden; a cruel awakening. A difficult start to a long and busy weekend. But instead, the time passes quickly on the empty roads, as the sun follows me north west towards Wolverhampton then due west towards the Welsh coastline. The gloomy weather forecast seems to be a false alarm until the last few minutes, whereupon dark cl...

I’ve mentioned “The Art of Possibility” several times before, but though I don’t believe either Ben or Ros Zander play this game, much of the stuff they talk about in that marvellous book is of value to the golfer, and none more so than “ Rule Number 6” . “ Don’t take yourself so seriously ”, it states, and straight away I am amused by the absence of any mention of preceding Rules, for the playful...

“Comparison is the thief of joy” President Theodore Roosevelt Some new ranking comes out, a list of the places we are supposed to hanker after across Great Britain & Ireland, presented as if it were the official league table after a vast, scientific experiment. At first, I shrug, but then, in a moment of weakness, I zoom in on the chart and catch myself just as my blood begins to boil at some gros...

Amidst the fading memories of an eighties childhood, the sound of Alistair Cooke’s voice, delivering his weekly sermon from across the pond, left an indelible mark. Sundays in our kitchen would stand still to let his deliberate pace re-set us for the week ahead, and at least once a year – usually the week after the action – his sharp attention would turn to what he called “ the same ravishing land...

A reading from the blog post linked below, from 23rd February 2025: https://pitchmarks.substack.com/p/pitchmarks-85-the-thing-to-do?r=oquyo Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

A reading from the blog post linked below, from 16th February 2025: https://pitchmarks.substack.com/p/pitchmarks-83-you-need-to-know-this?r=oquyo Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

A reading from the blog post linked below, from 9th February 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/pitchmarks/p/pitchmarks-81-not-only-on-sundays?r=oquyo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web , Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

A reading from the blog posted linked below, from 2nd February 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/pitchmarks/p/pitchmarks-80-bumps-and-all?r=oquyo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

A reading from the blog posted linked below, from 26th January 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/pitchmarks/p/pitchmarks-79-baltray-beyond-termonfeckin?r=oquyo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

A reading from the blog posted linked below, from 19th January 2025: https://open.substack.com/pub/pitchmarks/p/pitchmarks-78-dollymount?r=oquyo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

A reading from the blog posted linked below, from 12th January 2025: https://pitchmarks.substack.com/p/pitchmarks-77-like-the-provisional The upside-down fire method explained: https://tim.blog/2009/02/02/how-to-build-an-upside-down-fire/ Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe

“ The chief prevention against getting old is to remain astonished ” Kevin Kelly This is a recording of pitchmarks #79, entitled "Baltray - Beyond Termonfeckin", read by the author. Click here for more details of how to find and support pitchmarks and my other writing. And don't forget to remain astonished whenever and wherever you can! Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subs...

A reading from the blog post linked below, from 24th June 2023: Get full access to Pitchmarks at pitchmarks.substack.com/subscribe