The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

In this episode, we speak from Renaissance in East Lothian, where we discuss the golf on the coast and how many different courses there are in the area. We talk about the quality of the turf, the variety of links courses, and how the region keeps surprising us even when we think we know it well. We also discuss golf shoes and metal spikes, including why spectators wear golf shoes at events and why...

Will Dugdale discusses starting golf as a child, playing junior, county, Oxford and Cambridge golf, and turning pro in 1999. He also covers early career ups and downs, the putting yips, changes to his grip, and his work helping other golfers. Will has a genuinely fascinating story in the game of golf, and his relationship with the flat stick will no doubt resonate with many. For those who want to...

In this episode we cover final qualifying for the Open Championship across four venues, with reports from Dundonald, Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. We compare the atmosphere at each course, noting that the day drew strong crowds, with many volunteers managing scoring, marshalling, parking and course presentation. We discuss how the golf courses were set up and how t...

Sam chats with Stuart Grehan fresh of his Amateur Championship win at Royal Liverpool and West Lancs last week. The 131st Amateur was also the 19th time this event has been hosted at Royal Liverpool - more than any other venue.  We talk about his wins in the knockout, the adjustments from 18 to 36 hole matches, as well some of the trickier matches that lay between him and his final against Matt Ma...

In this episode we reflect on the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and the course setup, including the firm greens, the undulations, and how the test shifted the emphasis toward short game and putting. We discuss the USGA’s explanation of why the greens were managed the way they were, and how the event played gradually from Thursday through Sunday. We also talk about Wyndham Clark’s win, his reception...

Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age. In part 2 we discuss the construction firm of Toomey & Flynn, his design work into middle life and going on to designing the renovation of Shinnecock Hills. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a revi...

Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age. In part 1 we discuss Flynn's childhood, his upbringing and his relationship with Frederick Pickering. We also discuss his work at Marion and his founding of the construction firm Toomey & Flynn. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've e...

It’s hard to believe its 3 years since Jim joined the pod to talk about his last book - When Revelation Comes - which went on to become a Herbert Warren Wind award finalist, and this time we’re joined to talk about another exciting project.  To get a hold of a copy of Jim’s latest book, make your way to Back9Press or head to Amazon where we’ve hyperlinked them for your own ease. A round of Scottis...

Tom & Sam discuss playing the original 12-hole routing at Prestwick, where the first Open Championship was held in 1860, and how the course has been restored for a limited period. We explain that the layout has been brought back with heavy marshalling, temporary and restored greens, and significant logistical work to keep play safe. We talk through the history of Prestwick and the role of Old...

Tom, Sam & Half Par sit down to discuss Aaron Rai's amazing victory at the 108th PGA championship at Aronimink.  Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom both do some homework on Dornoch man Donald Ross, who would go on from an upbringing on the ancient Scottish links to become the most prolific golf course architect in the United States. Designing and working on over 400 courses, his journey is a fascinating one. With the US PGA taking place this week at Aronimink, it is our third instalment on biographies of some of the game’s most...

Sam & Tom sit down for Part IV of their deep dive into the Tiger Slam. 25 years on from the fourth leg of Tiger's historic run — and his sixth major victory overall — we revisit the 65th Masters at Augusta National, where he clinched the infamous Tiger Slam. For more on the Tiger Slam, we highly recommend Kevin Cook’s book, which captures the era in microscopic detail. You can grab a copy...

Sam sits down at Royal Birkdale Golf Club with Mike Howard, Senior Design Associate at MacKenzie & Ebert, to discuss his long-standing relationship with the club. A lifelong member with an intimate knowledge of the North West coast, Mike has played a central role in the recent course changes, working alongside Tom MacKenzie to prepare Birkdale for The Open Championship this summer. A longstand...

Sam, Tom and Peter sit down to discuss the 90th Masters at Augusta National, Rory's historic back-to-back victory, and the big winners and losers of the week in Georgia. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Webs...

Returning guest Simon Haines sits down to be quiz master with Sam and Tom about the early days of Augusta National and the Masters.  Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In part two of this needlessly detailed look at the life and times of Dr Alister MacKenzie, Sam takes us through life after WWI and MacKenzie's partnership with Harry Colt and Charles Hugh Allison, as well as the work that leads him to travelling to furthest reaches of the globe.  In 1926, MacKenzie travelled to Australia on what would become a career defining two months helping to shaope the...

Sam is in the chair this time to bring to life the good Dr - Alister MacKenzie - considered by many to be the most influential golf course architect in history.  In part 1 we discuss MacKenzie's childhood, his education, going to Cambridge and serving in the Boer war. We also discuss the formation of Alwoodley and his golfing career leading into that, as well as Moortown and through to 1914 a...

Ahead of our Story of a Golf Club film over on YouTube , Sam & Tom sit down with Wallasey club archivist Simon Coombs to talk about the fascinating history of the club. Starting with the foundation of the club, to the design of Old Tom Morris and the golden age greats that followed him, Bobby Jones' round in Open Qualifying on his march to completing The Grand Slam, as well as Wallasey me...

Sam sits down with 1991 Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch. A player whose name is woven into both the history of the game and the soundtrack of its most memorable moments. Best known for his remarkable victory at Royal Birkdale, Ian’s story extends far beyond that week in 1991. After his playing career, he became one of golf’s most recognisable and respected broadcasters, spending more than 25 years b...

Sam & Peter sit down to discuss this year's Sunningdale Foursomes. Peter was our man on the ground following all the action. Congratulations to Jamie McGeoch and Ellie Lichtenhein on surviving seven rounds of match play to win the 92nd Sunningdale Foursomes. Ellie is the first Sunningdale member to win the event since 2009 - a fitting finish to one of the finest weeks in the British golfi...

In part 2, Tom takes us through Pete's trip to Scotland that inspired his work with Alice as a course designer.  Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Pt 1 of our 2 part special on the life and legacy of Peter Dye: 1925 - 2020.  In part one, Tom takes us through the first 38 years of the life of Pete Dye, beginning with his early years in Ohio and growing up on a course built by his father Paul. Pete would go on to quite school early, enlist in the Army and take a career defining trip to Scotland with wife Alice.  This is part of an exciting ser...

Sam & Tom sit down to review their visit to Conwy Golf Club on the north coast of Wales. With a history stretching back to 1869, and Hoylake professional Jack Morris the man behind the initial design, Conwy is a breathtaking piece of land on which to play golf. We had a great time here, settling a club championship match in a four-club wind. In more recent years, Frank Pennink re-designed much...

Tom and Sam sit down to discuss the golf over the weekend, with Anthony Kim winning for the first time in fifteen years and Colin Morikawa prevailing at Pebble Beach for the first time in two and a half years.  Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram /...

Josh Simpson joins the podcast (a.k.a 'the Ginger Golfer') to talk about his world record breaking effort over the last 12 months playing 652 courses in a year, eclipsing the previous 581 World Record.  We talk about Josh's introduction to the sport, and how he turned a tragic chapter in his life into a force for good, raising nearly £100,000 for two wonderful charities: Macmillan C...