The Thing About Golf Podcast

Too much Trackman, not enough working the ball, Tiger to maybe get to 18 majors before the end of the year... Scott Hend has opinions and he's not afraid to share them! In a wide ranging chat, the popular Australian talks everything from golf in Asia versus America to continuing to travel the world to tee up at the age of 46. He's refreshing, he's honest, he's entertaining and...

Bryden Macpherson will be a name familiar to a few of you though it would be fair to say that even in golf circles he's far from a high profile figure. There's no doubting his talent. He's a very good player – clearly (you don't win the British Amateur and three times as a professional through luck) but he's more than that. He is also an intriguing thinker cut from a very...

In his playing days, Tony Johnstone was as much renowned for his on course temper as he was his brilliant short game. Today, he's one of the most recognised voices in the commentary box. In this conversation with host Rod Morri, the gregarious Johnstone talks with some embarrassment about those antics, his second career in television and the multiple sclerosis diagnosis in 2003 that saw him c...

The seeds of Mike Clayton’s love affair with golf began as a six-year-old tagging along beside his father during a round at Victoria’s Point Lonsdale course. Clayton remains passionate about the game, which has been his life for the past five decades. Almost everybody listening to this podcast will be aware of Clayton in some capacity be it as a player, commentator, long-time columnist for Golf Au...

Even casual golf fans will be familiar with the name Christina Kim, the former Solheim Cup player and three-time LPGA Tour winner. She's one of the game's most popular players and you'll understand why by the end of this interview. But equally interesting is her less well-known but equally well-liked boyfriend and occasional caddie, Duncan French. The Kiwi-born French is a respected...

Tom Doak is one of golf's intriguing characters. In the early days of his career, he was best known for his Confidential Guide, a book which featured some blunt and controversial takes on golf courses around the world. For more than 20 years now he has created commercially successful and critically acclaimed courses in almost every corner of the globe, which has seen him become a celebrity in...

To many in the golf world England's Meghan MacLaren is recognisable only as 'that equal pay girl.' But is there more to the 25-year-old two-time NSW Open winner than pointing out the inequalities between professional golfers of opposite gender? The answer is a resounding 'Yes'. MacLaren is intelligent and articulate, thoughtful and engaging and, most importantly, brutally...

John Paramor has spent the best part of 45 years adjudicating on animal scrapes and penalty drops. But the European Tour's chief referee is more than just the best known rules official in the world, he's a passionate lover of the game and an admirer of its very best exponents. He's had a front row seat at some of the great, and not so great, moments in modern golf - from Seve to Tig...

In the sub-culture that is golf course architecture, Bob Harrison needs no introduction. The long-time design partner of Greg Norman, Harrison was predominantly responsible for most of that company’s work for most of its life. But that doesn’t begin to tell the story of Bob Harrison. From a near partnership with Seve Ballesteros to eventually turning down the design of both courses at Barnbougle D...

In the brutal, dog eat dog world of modern professional golf David McKenzie has managed to achieve something very few do... to wit, make a living out of playing the game around the world for more than three decades. Needless to say, he's learned a few things along the way and in this revealing chat, David offers some insights into the PGA Champions Tour as well as some of the highs and lows o...

Liz Smylie is an unusual interview choice for a golf podcast. Of course, she is best known for her exploits on the tennis court - winning four Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles titles in the 1980s, as well as climbing to No.20 in the world ranking. What makes her story interesting is she doesn't play golf at all, but is mum to one of Australia's most promising golfing talents, Elvis S...

Golf has more than its fair share of cheerleaders but Golf Australia columnist John Huggan is not one of them. And the game is better for it. Here, we get an insight into his passion for the game – born on the links of Scotland – which has taken him from outside the ropes as a young autograph-hunting fan, to a fine amateur player, award-winning writer and occasional caddie.

For more than 40 years Peter Senior has been plying his trade on the fairways of the world. His relentless competitive spirit and ability to get the job done when the pressure is a thing of folklore. But perhaps, most importantly, he's renown for being one of the nicest people in the professional game.

The 2019 Presidents Cup will shine a spotlight on Dr Alister MacKenzie's Royal Melbourne masterpiece. Course Superintendent Richard Forsyth is charged with the day-to-day responsibility of maintaining this revered layout and here, he talks about all things golf, courses, the Cup and his 'office'.

A two-time Australian Open Champion with a terrific sense of humour and a knack for telling great stories. So it's no wonder Peter Lonard is one of Australia's favourite players, equally popular among his playing peers and fans alike.

Tom Moore is one of only 12 current life members of the PGA of Australia, and he has witnessed just about every imaginable significant change the game has seen. It is this unique perspective that we chat about with Tom on a journey that eventually leads us to discover that for him, the thing about golf is its history and the less than ideal way we treat it.

Any golfer with an interest in golf course architecture is no doubt familiar with the name Paul Daley. For the past two decades, Paul has been publishing books about the sub-culture that is golf course design and it's an endeavour that - as you'll hear - truly is a labour of love. But there's more to this conversation than course architecture.

Richard Sattler likes to call himself a farmer and that is a true and accurate description. But Sattler – the owner of the Barnbougle Dunes complex on Tasmania's north-east coast – is much more than that. Despite not being obsessed with the game or indeed the business, Sattler stands as one of golf's most important people of the past two decades.

Bob and Kathie Shearer are Australian golf royalty. Bob, of course, was one of Australia's premiere international players during the 1970's and 80's. Kathie, on the other hand, didn't find golf it found her and for nearly three decades she has had to deal with the biggest names in the game, while managing tournament media centres around the world. Theirs is a love story... with...

This is the remarkable story of one of the finest amateur players of recent times that you've likely never heard of, a player whose career trajectory goes against almost all accepted wisdom. She's a plus handicap golfer, prolific tournament winner, mother of four and grandmum to six. This is the Sue Wooster story.

Welcome to this special preview edition of a brand new podcast launching this week, Golf Australia Magazine's The Thing About Golf. If you're a keen player or even a self-confessed golf nut you'll know there is plenty to love about this game. In this monthly series, we will chat with golfers both famous and not to find out just what it is that draws them to this great game.