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

Andy and Garrett are back with another mailbag episode recorded in the midst of their trip through Massachusetts, Maine, and Upstate New York. This one is focused on all of your golf course architecture questions. Well, maybe not *all* of them, but Andy and Garrett do tackle some serious subjects, including which architect has done the most damage to golf course architecture. They also make time for not-so-hard-hitting topics such as the effectiveness of periscopes and bells and the correct distribution of on-course restrooms. The episode wraps up with advice on how to discuss golf course architecture with sane people and thoughts on course rankings and the crucial gap between "favorite" and "best."

30 Syys 20221h 2min

From the living room of an A-frame house in Massachusetts, three members of the Fried Egg team—Andy, Garrett, and Will—reach into the mailbag and answer a batch of your questions. The boys cover a variety of Presidents Cup-related topics: surprises and disappointments from this past week’s event at Quail Hollow, venues they’d like to see in the future, whether they’re annoyed with Justin Thomas’s antics, and more. They wrap up with a rollicking discussion of burgerdogs, pickles, and future TFE events.

27 Syys 20221h 1min

Team golf is back this week with the Presidents Cup at Quail Hollow. To celebrate, Garrett and Andy take a walk down memory lane and examine the history of the event. From the split between the PGA of America and what would become the PGA Tour to the failure of other team competitions, the series of events that led to the Presidents Cup's creation is a fascinating study. The second half of the episode is dedicated to the present state and potential future of the tournament. Garrett and Andy go over what ails the event, the distractions surrounding this year's edition, and their own proposals to breathe some life into the Presidents Cup. Notes: The World Series of Golf-like tournament that Garrett and Andy discuss was called the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, and it ran from 1979 to 2014. Garrett's account of the origins of the Presidents Cup draws extensively from Adam Schupak's book Deane Beman: Golf's Driving Force.

21 Syys 202254min

Anticipation for men's major championship golf this year was sky-high. Tiger was returning to the Masters, the PGA Championship had been moved to Gil Hanse-restored Southern Hills, the U.S. Open was visiting the Country Club for the first time since 1988, and St. Andrews was hosting the 150th edition of the Open. To the delight of golf fans everywhere, the tournaments lived up to the hype. Andy Johnson welcomes Geoff Shackelford (@geoffshac), author of The Quadrilateral, a Substack newsletter dedicated to golf's majors, to relive the four biggest weeks in golf, reminisce on early- and late-round memories, and give their rankings of each major.

20 Syys 20221h 25min

During the Covid-19 pandemic, recreational golf saw a major uptick. Rounds went up and equipment sales boomed. Have those boom times continued in 2022? Or has there been a regression to the mean? To take the temperature of the golf industry as a whole, Garrett speaks with Greg Nathan, the Chief Business Officer of the National Golf Foundation. Garrett and Greg discuss the nature of golf's "Covid bump," the overall health of the golf business, the future of golf course development, and more.

16 Syys 202247min

At this past week's BMW PGA Championship, multiple players who have signed with LIV Golf aired their grievances about the direction of the DP World Tour, formerly know as the European Tour. Ian Poulter, Sergio García, and other Euro vets feel that the proud, historic tour has become a mere "feeder tour," and that DPWT CEO Keith Pelley's negotiation of a "strategic alliance" with the PGA Tour is significantly to blame. They might have a point. Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison discuss the recent history of the European Tour, the decisions that led to its current status, how it should position itself in the new world order of professional golf, and whether it has any hope of returning to its former glory.

13 Syys 202252min

Denny McCarthy (@_dennymccarthy) just had his most successful year ever on the PGA Tour, highlighted by a T-7 finish at the U.S. Open. He joins Andy Johnson to talk about his outlook for next season, getting hot just in time for the U.S. Open, and the recent work he put in to up his game. He also shares his thoughts on LIV Golf and the sweeping changes the PGA Tour introduced last week. Lastly, for listeners struggling with the flatstick, Denny, who has never finished worse than T-22 in Strokes Gained: Putting, talks through his process on the greens and shares a few tips.

2 Syys 20221h 3min

In the second of two episodes recapping his first visit to Scotland, Andy Johnson gives Garrett Morrison his thoughts on two legendary courses—North Berwick Golf Club and the Old Course at St. Andrews—and two lesser-known gems in the East Lothian region, Dunbar Golf Club and Kilspindie Golf Club. They discuss the brilliance of North Berwick's hole designs, the uniqueness of the Old Course's terrain, the drama of Dunbar's routing, and the advantages of playing Kilspindie with hickories. Andy also offers some general advice on planning a golf trip to Scotland. (Hint: don't overbook yourself!) Time stamps for course discussions: (2:16) North Berwick (37:07) The Old Course (52:29) Dunbar (1:01:58) Kilspindie

30 Elo 20221h 15min