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

For the past decade, Sean Martin, senior editor at PGA Tour.com, has been covering Hideki Matsuyama's career with more depth and nuance than any other golf writer. So who better than him to sit down with Andy Johnson and review Matsuyama's triumph at the 2021 Masters? Sean and Andy discuss the action down the stretch at Augusta National; Hideki's backstory, personality, potential, and relationship with the press; and the story behind Sean's appreciation of the new Masters champion's game.

14 Huhti 202150min

Golf Channel host Shane Bacon joins Andy Johnson to discuss the upcoming Masters Tournament. Shane and Andy each run through five things they're looking forward to seeing at Augusta National this week. They touch on Jordan Spieth's reemergence, Rory McIlroy's struggles, and the predictive power of name length, among other topics. On most weeks, you can catch Shane on Golf Today, the Golf Channel show he co-hosts with Damon Hack, and Get a Grip, his podcast with PGA Tour pro Max Homa. This week, you can watch Shane not only on Golf Channel's Live from the Masters broadcast but also on Masters.com coverage of the tournament.

6 Huhti 20211h 5min

When the world is in disarray, what, if anything, is the role of professional sports? Specifically, what's the role of the Masters, a tournament that has always felt like an escape from everyday life? To explore those questions, Garrett Morrison talks with Curt Sampson, the author of several books on golf history. Garrett and Curt focus on the 1968 Masters, which took place at a time, like 2020, when society seemed to be unraveling. Ultimately, that edition of the tournament failed to provide the solace that many fans were seeking.  Reading material: Curt's Golf Digest essay on the town of Augusta during the 2020 Masters The Lost Masters: Grace and Disgrace in '68 The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia

2 Huhti 202153min

Jim Wagner is a longtime design partner at Hanse Golf Course Design and the head of the firm’s Caveman Construction crew. With the rise of the design-build approach in golf course architecture, Jim’s on-the-ground knowledge is more relevant than ever. He took some time away from an in-progress build at Jonathan’s Landing in Florida to chat with Andy Johnson about working with contractors, mentoring shapers, crafting contours, and staying hands-on as the Hanse name gets bigger. They also touch on new projects at PGA Frisco and West Palm Beach.

31 Maalis 20211h 1min

Jim Huntoon is the golf course superintendent at the Heritage Club in the Myrtle Beach area and a contributor to the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association. In this installment of our Superintendent Series, Jim speaks with Andy about finding creativity in his daily routine, the impact of the pandemic on his operation, his memories of Mike Strantz, and the best spots (for golf and other activities) in the Myrtle Beach area. The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

23 Maalis 202146min

For many people, golf course rankings published by major magazines provide an introduction to golf course architecture. They communicate the basic notion that some courses might (or should) be considered "greater" than others. Since 1996, Jonathan Cummings has served on one of the panels responsible for those rankings. Last year, he gathered up his tremendous knowledge about the rating process and published it in the form of a book, The Rating Game. He and Garrett Morrison discuss the book, the different approaches taken by the magazines to the rankings, and whether the entire course rating industry has done more harm than good. Jonathan Cummings, The Rating Game

17 Maalis 202146min

Kiel Alderink is a PGA professional and one of Golf Digest's top instructors under the age of 40. Along with mental coach John Weir, he founded Mental Golf Type, a company that uses personality psychology to help golfers practice and play better. Kiel also happens to be Andy Johnson's longtime golf coach. In this episode, Kiel and Andy discuss the underrated influence of personality type on teaching and performance in golf. They also talk about that time Andy hit it so far left at the U.S. Mid Am that a bus tried to pick them up. Check out Kiel's work at mentalgolftype.com.

11 Maalis 202135min

Programming note: We first released this episode on Thursday, March 12, 2020. That evening, the Players Championship was canceled in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. So with the 2021 Players approaching, we thought we'd give this story another chance. In this installment of our audio documentary series, we detail how PGA Tour Commissioner Deane Beman and golf course architect Pete Dye turned an alligator-infested swamp in Ponte Vedra Beach into a new kind of tournament venue. We also tell the story of the pros' first encounter with TPC Sawgrass at the 1982 Players Championship. This episode features interviews with Deane Beman, Jerry Pate, Vernon Kelly, Tom Doak, Sean Martin, and Adam Schupak.

6 Maalis 202148min