Geoff Ogilvy on The Players, TPC Sawgrass, and Chasing Speed

You can now add "children's book author" to Shane Bacon's (@shanebacon) lengthy résumé. The TV personality and host of the Get a Grip podcast just released his first book, "The Golfer's Zoo." He talks with Garrett about why he wanted to write golf book geared toward kids, the ways that becoming a parent changes one's relationship with the game, and the nature of the "golf guilt" that many moms and dads feel. The second half of the episode delves into Shane's career and how the field of golf media has evolved since he started out as a blogger in the late aughts. "The Golfer's Zoo" is available for purchase at back9press.com/bacon.

7 Marras 20221h 1min

Only days after LIV's first-year finale in Miami, the high-stakes game of player recruitment for the Saudi-backed league's second season has ratcheted. Building on a recent piece by Andy in The Fried Egg Newsletter, Andy and Garrett discuss the top remaining players on the PGA Tour and their value in the tussle between the Tour and LIV. Andy and Garrett also reflect on the Tour's battlefield strategy this past year and how it might affect the future of both professional circuits.

4 Marras 202255min

Brendan Parkhurst, superintendent at Cape Arundel Golf Club in Kennebunkport, Maine, joins Andy as the latest guest in our Superintendent Series. Brendan has been at Cape Arundel for over 20 years and has helped guide the Walter Travis-designed course through its restoration. The special care needed for Cape Arundel's dramatic greens, how a tidal river flood impacts the grass, and the pros and cons of taking care of a 5,800-yard course are all discussed. Brendan also shares some tips for how to handle the security detail and motorcade when the President of the United States is a frequent visitor.

1 Marras 202246min

Golf course architecture is experiencing its biggest boom in almost 20 years. With demand for new courses and restoration/renovation work ramping up, the industry is at an important juncture. Andy and Garrett each share three things they hope and/or expect to see from golf course design in the near future. They explore possibilities for less suitable land, shorter courses, and experimental shaping as well as predictions for how the economy and climate change will shape trends.

25 Loka 202255min

Zach Helfand’s main job is editing The New Yorker’s “Talk of the Town” section, but for the past few months he has been working on a feature story about the battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. That article appears in this week’s print edition of the magazine and was published online under the title “Will the Saudis and Donald Trump Save Golf—or Wreck It?” Zach (@zhelfand) tells Garrett about his reporting process, the benefits of his outsider status in the golf world, and what he observed at the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship and LIV’s events at Trump Bedminster and the International. He also reveals how he wrangled a now-widely-aggregated interview with Majed Al Sorour, CEO of the Saudi Golf Federation and one of the major decision makers behind LIV.

21 Loka 202256min

Ian Gilley is the co-founder and president of Sugarloaf Social Club, which is a golf society, a popular Instagram account, a merchandising operation, and now a part-owner of a golf course. Ian and Andy start by chatting about searching for hidden gems in Kansas and Nebraska and creating golf logos that stand the test of time. They then delve into why and how Ian and business partner David Cronheim recently purchased a six-hole course in Upstate New York. The course, which will soon be enjoyed by members of the Sugarloaf Field Club, has holes inspired by the Old Course at St. Andrews and a clubhouse inspired by Augusta National. Ian and Andy wrap up by talking about the three golf courses they think about the most.

18 Loka 202255min

PGA Frisco is one of the most important golf-development projects of the past two decades. It consists of two 18-hole golf courses, lighted par-3 and putting courses, an ambitious hotel and retail enterprise, and a new "home" for the PGA of America. In the next 12 years, Frisco will host six PGA majors: two PGA Championships, two Senior PGAs, and two Women's PGAs. Andy visited the complex recently and joins Garrett to discuss everything he saw. The two cover the overall development and partnership between the PGA, Omni Hotels and Resorts, and the city of Frisco, Texas; and they break down the Gil Hanse-designed East course and the Beau Welling-designed West course. There's praise for the PGA's efforts to bring golf to a major metropolitan area as well as critiques of some architectural details and concerns about the cost of the sprawling compound.

11 Loka 20221h 8min

Sandy Reid (@SandyReidGK), the Director of Greenkeeping at St. Andrews Links, is today's guest for our Superintendent Series. Sandy has one of the busiest jobs in the turf industry: he oversees all seven courses at St. Andrews. This year was busier than ever for him, with the 150th Open and the Dunhill Links both taking place at the Old Course. Sandy shares how he and his team managed the infrastructure necessary for the events and the inevitable wear and tear to the course. He and Andy also talk about Sandy's time at Carnoustie, how he maintains courses that rarely shut down, what it's like having the property turn into a park on Sundays, and much more. The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company. NOTE: There was an issue with the originally posted version of this episode; you may need to re-download it.

4 Loka 202255min