Best Golf Course Restoration Podcasts (2025)

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The Future of Golf Course Restoration 1:30:29

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26d ago1:30:29

1:30:29

In the U.S., many of the greatest old golf courses have already undergone restoration work. So where can historically informed golf architecture go next? In this episode, Garrett explores a few projects that represent intriguing frontiers of the golf course restoration and renovation industry. First, he sits down with Jeff Stein to talk about Stein…

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Ep. 224: Golf Course Architect Kris Spence 50:32

14h ago50:32

50:32

Golf architect Kris Spence joins the LINKS Golf Podcast to discuss how his firm became one of the go-to companies in the design and restoration of classic golf architecture. Spence provides insight into what makes Donald Ross’s design style so brilliant, his work on PGA Tour venue Sedgefield Country Club, and the latest projects from Spence Golf, I…

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Ep84: Simon Holt, World Top 100 panel chair 1:54:39

7d ago1:54:39

1:54:39

A wide-ranging discussion with one of the best guys and keenest minds in golf travel and architecture this episode – one of Edinburgh’s favourite sons, Simon Holt. Simon’s seen all there is to see in world golf. We discuss architecture, rankings, modern green fees, Australian golf and a ton more. This is one of those episodes that feels like you're…

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Ep 83: Aussie Open mojo restored 31:05

8d ago31:05

31:05

A quick catch-up for Scott and Matt after a week that saw the men's Australian Open reborn at Royal Melbourne. Rory, the course, the set-up, a superb supporting cast of players & a remarkable 72nd hole all came together to breathe life back into the tournament and show it the way forward. Shoutout to Angus & Grace Go Golfing and Seed Golf for their…

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Ep. 223: Golf Courses We Saw for the First Time in 2025 1:02:52

9d ago1:02:52

1:02:52

Digital Editor Al Lunsford and co-host Joe Passov recount a year of travel across the country and list the best destinations and courses they visited for the very first time on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by Tourism Ireland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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Peter Jacobsen talks Skechers World Champions Cup 13:53

12d ago13:53

13:53

Peter Jacobsen joins Ryan Ballengee from Florida at the site of the Skechers World Champions Cup. Jake, who is the tournament chairman and co-creator of the event, talks about the unique three-team format, some of the stars to watch for this weekend and how he sees the event unfolding.By Ryan Ballengee, Golf News Net

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Golf Architecture 101: The Golden Age 1:20:32

12d ago1:20:32

1:20:32

What is the so-called “Golden Age of golf architecture”? In this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett introduces his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark to the three big ideas that sparked the Golden Age at the beginning of the 20th century.By Fried Egg Golf

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Adam Schenk explains winning on the PGA Tour putting one-handed 20:47

13d ago20:47

20:47

Adam Schenk won on the PGA Tour for the first time in 243 starts, and he did it putting one-handed at the Butterfield Bermuda Championship. He joins Ryan Ballengee and Brendan Sweeney to talk about the win, what it means, how he decided to putt one-handed, how the very windy conditions helped him and how winning compares to getting to the Tour Cham…

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Ep82: 7 Mile Beach 1:30:24

15d ago1:30:24

1:30:24

A long time in the making – we’ve been busting to record this episode after visiting a week ago. Australian Golf Passport hit 7 Mile Beach last week – and the course did not disappoint. A glorious layout full of high calibre holes, fantastic green complexes and so much fun, engaging, thrilling golf. We break it all down and digest the experience. W…

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Ep. 222: Our 36-Hole Fantasy Golf Feasts 1:22:45

16d ago1:22:45

1:22:45

On this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast, the hosts asked themselves this Thanksgiving-themed question: If you could stuff your proverbial golf plate with a generous portion of a variety of offerings, what would you consume? Digital Editor Al Lunsford and co-host Joe Passov each pick nine holes (front or back nines) from four different courses for…

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Ep. 221: Golf Course Architect John Fought 1:07:31

22d ago1:07:31

1:07:31

Former professional player turned golf course architect John Fought joins the LINKS Golf Podcast to talk about his recent work in Minnesota and California, building one of the top-ranked courses in Utah at Sand Hollow Resort, and his decorated playing career—including winning both the Walker Cup at Shinnecock Hills and the U.S. Amateur at Aronimink…

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Ep. 220: Davis Love III and the Restoration of Harbour Town 40:26

27d ago40:26

40:26

Digital Editor Al Lunsford sits down with professional player turned golf course architect Davis Love III at Harbour Town Golf Links for a quick-hitting interview covering the South Carolina course’s completed restoration. Later, Al is joined by co-host Joe Passov to discuss more about the updates and the significance of Harbour Town to golf course…

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Ep81: First look at Kangaroo Island, new World Top 100, Vic GC vs Cheltenham & Dean from Seed 1:59:34

1M ago1:59:34

1:59:34

A mixed bag of interesting topics this week: Footage of the fully-grassed course at The Cliffs at Kangaroo Island emerged recently and warranted discussion. New World Top 100 rankings from Golf Magazine are imminent and the Aussie candidates come in for attention. Some argy bargy surrounding Cheltenham Golf Club's new lease is in the news, so we br…

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Ep. 219: Golf Mount Rushmores, St. Andrews Course Changes, and More 1:35:04

1M ago1:35:04

1:35:04

The hosts are joined by LINKS contributor Tony Dear to discuss his “Mount Rushmore” golf article series and debate about the choices made for each category—including clubhouses, greens, seaside courses, and mountain courses. The group also discusses the recently announced renovations at the Old Course at St. Andrews and great places to play in the …

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Ep80: Tom de Jersey 1:08:21

1M ago1:08:21

1:08:21

Motivated by Scott’s personal journey with his swing and fitness through 2025, we sit down for a great chat with Tom de Jersey. Tom is a Sydney based TPI certified physiotherapist. He talks with us about strength, range, training for golf, physical limitations to the golf swing, and how best to negotiate them. Apart from his clinical work, Tom co-h…

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Regions of Golf: The Melbourne Sandbelt 1:40:13

1M ago1:40:13

1:40:13

The Sandbelt of Melbourne, Australia, boasts one of the densest concentrations of great golf courses in the world: the West and East courses of Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria Golf Club, and more. In this episode of Designing Golf, Garrett dives deep into the Sandbelt’s history, geology, golf, culture, and virtues as a destination. His gu…

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Adventures in Indiana at French Lick Resort and the Korn Ferry Tour Championship 34:41

1M ago34:41

34:41

On this episode, Ryan Ballengee talks about the season-ending Korn Ferry Tour Championship and the two seasons of The Road to French Lick that he did with French Lick Resort's Brendan Sweeney. Ryan gets into the pride of making the show and being connected to so many people in Southern Indiana who worked really hard to present this event to showcas…

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Ep. 218: Our Favorite 18-Hole Courses Under 6,000 Yards 1:09:24

1M ago1:09:24

1:09:24

The hosts detail their favorite “short wonders”—that is, 18-hole golf courses that play under 6,000 yards from their back tees—on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by Tourism Ireland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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Ep. 217: Golf Resort Essentials 57:47

2M ago57:47

57:47

Branded collectibles on the first tee; inexpensive F&B; GREAT—not good—showers. These and more make our list of golf resort essentials on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by Tourism Ireland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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Ep79: Listener Questions (Tassie green fees, Kangaroo Island mayo, best cheap courses & more) 2:06:11

2M ago2:06:11

2:06:11

Listener questions episodes have always been among our most popular, and we're back with 30 questions from our audience: ranging from the green fees at new destination courses to protecting classic architecture, cheap ways to improve country courses, Mt Lawley's WA Open close-up all the way to some guilty pleasures, favourite holes and the greatest…

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Jasper Park Rises from the Ashes 56:41

2M ago56:41

56:41

Last year, a devastating wildfire hit Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Jasper Park Lodge and its beautiful Stanley Thompson-designed golf course sustained heavy damage. In today's episode, Garrett speaks with Canadian golf architect Ian Andrew about Jasper Park's road to recovery. They also discuss the history of Jasper Park Golf Course and…

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Ep. 216: Michael Keiser Jr. 57:56

2M ago57:56

57:56

Sand Valley Golf Resort co-owner Michael Keiser Jr. joins the hosts on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast to chat about the latest developments at the Wisconsin golf resort and other properties in the Dream Golf collection—including Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, Wild Spring Dunes in Texas, and Old Shores in Florida. This season of the LINKS Golf Pod…

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San Antonio Municipal Golf & the Alamo City Golf Trail | Episode 35 56:18

2M ago56:18

56:18

This episode of the National Links Trust Podcast is a recording from our most recent edition of the Municipal Golf Network Webinar Program. Learn more about the program here. In this episode, we spotlight the Alamo City Golf Trail (ACGT) - the non-profit organization that oversees San Antonio’s municipal golf facilities with a commitment to afforda…

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Ep. 215: Reviewing the Fall 2025 Issue of LINKS 44:46

2M ago44:46

44:46

Kicking off Season 20 of the LINKS Golf Podcast, the hosts give their takeaways from the 2025 Ryder Cup and run down the topics covered in the recently released Fall 2025 issue of LINKS Magazine. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by Tourism Ireland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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Ep78: Tom Doak 1:08:11

2M ago1:08:11

1:08:11

A real treat to speak with one of the world’s greatest golf course architects – Tom Doak. After starting in the golf architecture world with Pete & Alice Dye, Tom founded Renaissance Golf Design decades ago and has travelled the world building some of the finest courses in the game. We speak with Tom about his experiences in Australia including Bar…

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The State of the Golf Course Industry (2025 Edition) 1:03:24

2M ago1:03:24

1:03:24

Garrett sits down with Greg Nathan, president and CEO of the National Golf Foundation, to take stock of the U.S. golf course industry. Has the post-Covid surge in participation proven sustainable? What kinds of golf course development are we seeing? Why does there seem to be an under-supply of public golf facilities in certain areas? How are short …

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Royal Dornoch vs. Country Club of North Carolina with Jeff Dotson 23:13

2M ago23:13

23:13

On this episode, Ryan Ballengee welcomes Country Club of North Carolina Director of Golf Jeff Dotson to talk about their annual matches against Scotland's Royal Dornoch. Learn the history of the matches -- starting with the name of CCNC's property and a connection to Donald Ross -- and the evolution of what has become a special week for players and…

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Ep77: Kate Torgersen & Sandbelt Vegetation 1:31:58

3M ago1:31:58

1:31:58

After an eventful week of golf twitter exchanges about tea tree and the sandbelt we have a timely interview to lead off this episode. Kate Torgersen from Environmental Golf Solutions joins us to talk about her career in golf. Starting with her time in turf management, then the switch to flora. We talk about her experiences, the people and courses s…

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World Long Drive No. 2 Jack Smith goes deep on the science of the sport 26:43

3M ago26:43

26:43

On this episode, Ryan Ballengee is joined by the No. 2-ranked long driver in the world, Jack Smith, as he prepares for the World Long Drive world championship in Colorado. We talk about his history in the sport, his preparation for the event and getting a little nerdy on the science and biomechanics of long drive (as Jack is a pre-med). FOLLOW ME G…

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What Makes a Good Match-Play Golf Course? 53:50

3M ago53:50

53:50

With the Ryder Cup approaching, Garrett asks a question that has been on his mind for a while: what, if anything, suits a golf course to the match-play format? Garrett talks to two different architects: first, Andy Staples, who recently designed a match-play course called The Match at PGA National Resort; second, Brian Schneider, who is somewhat sk…

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The time the Ryder Cup almost died 30:55

3M ago30:55

30:55

In the early 1980s, there came a point where the Ryder Cup governing bodies had seemingly tried everything, but nothing worked. The matches weren't competitive, the U.S. players were losing interest, and the chief sponsor of the European team dropped out, leaving them with no money to continue. This, even more than the pause for the Second World Wa…

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The History of the Idea of Fairness in Golf 1:04:42

3M ago1:04:42

1:04:42

Building off of our latest Golf Architecture 101 episode, Garrett Morrison sits down with golf historian Bob Crosby to discuss the historical roots of the notion of fairness in golf course design. Garrett and Bob explore how two major figures of the game in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Laidlaw Purves and John Low, came to represent opposite side…

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5-time long-drive world champion Phillis Meti 21:22

3M ago21:22

21:22

On this episode, Ryan Ballengee is joined by 5-time long-drive world champion Phillis Meti as she prepares for the World Long Drive world championship in Colorado. We talk about her history in the sport, her favorite world title and her biggest challengers. FOLLOW ME Golf News Net: https://thegolfnewsnet.com X: https://twitter.com/ryanballengee Fac…

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Ep. 214: Historic Public Golf and Museums in South Carolina 1:06:05

3M ago1:06:05

1:06:05

Digital Editor Al Lunsford and photographer Billy Richards (carolina_pines_golf) recount their four-day road trip in South Carolina discovering historic public golf courses and a collection of museums in this travelogue-style episode. Discover all South Carolina has to offer at discoversouthcarolina.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap…

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Ep76: Tara Iti - The best course in the southern hemisphere? 1:38:31

4M ago1:38:31

1:38:31

Two of the heavyweights of world golf are the stars for this episode – Royal Melbourne West and Tara Iti. Scott recently returned from a quick hit and run trip to Tara Iti and played both courses at Te Arai as well. The rounds at Tara Iti had him thinking it might even surpass the famed West course at RM as the Southern Hemisphere’s best. We discus…

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Deep Dive: Cypress Point 1:52:23

4M ago1:52:23

1:52:23

On today’s episode, we dive deep into the history and architecture of Cypress Point Club, site of the upcoming 50th Walker Cup. First, Garrett speaks with David Normoyle, author of Cypress Point’s soon-to-be-published centennial book, about the history of the club. Then Garrett offers some of his own reflections on the course’s land, routing, and d…

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The Fields, Warmouth Sands, and the State of Public Golf with Mike Young | Episode 34 26:33

4M ago26:33

26:33

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we are joined by veteran course architect, Mike Young. With a career spanning more than 40 years in the golf industry, today, Mike is best known as the architect and owner of The Fields Golf Club in LaGrange, GA. Built on rolling hills southwest of Atlanta, The Fields has developed a "cult follow…

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Three mid-century Ryder Cup maniacs 43:33

4M ago43:33

43:33

Buried in Ryder Cup history, in the middle of the last century, are some enormous personalities, and today we're looking at three of them who rise to the level of "maniac"—which we mean as a compliment. These three stories encompass incredible human resilience in the face of tragedy, outrageous, event-changing competitive drive, and an unlikely sav…

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Ep. 213: Our Way-Too-Early Ryder Cup Preview 49:36

4M ago49:36

49:36

The hosts of the LINKS Golf Podcast talk about this year’s venue Bethpage Black, the players who will be the stars, their favorite all-time Ryder Cups, and the past venue they each love the most on the final episode of Season 19. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by PerryGolf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/ad…

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Golf Architecture 101: Fairness 1:10:54

4M ago1:10:54

1:10:54

In the latest installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett sits down with PJ to discuss the hot-button issue of fairness. What does it mean for a golf course to be fair? What kinds of design features might be considered unfair? Should we expect fairness out of a golf course? Garrett and PJ discuss it all in this episode.…

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Ep75: Royal Queensland 1:17:45

4M ago1:17:45

1:17:45

The week before last afforded the chance for Scott, Matt and Dean from Seed to share a game on a sunny and breezy Saturday afternoon at Royal Queensland. Before and after the game several RQ members proudly hosted a tour of the land east of the Gateway Bridge, describing the imminent development of new holes, and plans for refinement of the existin…

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The Tour Championship: 40 years of success and failure 31:55

4M ago31:55

31:55

In 1987, PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman announced the first-ever Tour Championship, and 20 years later, new commissioner Tim Finchem kicked off the first-ever playoff series. What problem was it trying to solve, and where has it succeeded or failed in four decades of change? On this week's Local Knowledge, we assess the state of the tour's Super…

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Ep. 212: Brian Ross & Jeff Stein 46:06

4M ago46:06

46:06

A tandem of golf course architects, Brian Ross and Jeff Stein, join the LINKS Golf Podcast to discuss their joint effort building a new Walter Travis-inspired 18-hole course at Jekyll Island in Georgia, Travis’s unique design style, and more. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by PerryGolf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me…

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Ep. 211: Best U.S. Spots for BBQ and Golf 1:19:28

4M ago1:19:28

1:19:28

Feeling hungry? You will be after this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast, as our hosts each pick their three favorite destinations to combine a round of golf with a plate of barbecue. This season of the LINKS Golf Podcast is presented by PerryGolf. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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Ep74: Peninsula Kingswood (South) 1:08:37

5M ago1:08:37

1:08:37

After visiting Peninsula Kingswood together late last year Scott & Matt finally get around to devoting an entire episode to this gem of a course. There’s the inevitable comparisons drawn between South and it’s sibling course, but so much more too. Discussion of the many strengths of the course, as well as it’s perceived weaknesses. The cool collect…

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Bringing the UK Golf Club Model to the U.S. 1:02:12

5M ago1:02:12

1:02:12

American golfers who visit the UK often come back wondering the U.S. doesn’t have more private golf clubs that encourage outside play. There are a number of reasons for the differences between the UK and U.S. club “models”—some tax-related, others having to do with history and culture. Still, it is possible to create a golf club in the U.S. that co…

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The Tiger Killer: The fascinating life and times of Y.E. Yang 35:30

5M ago35:30

35:30

For a man who did something so astounding—becoming the first and only golfer to beat Tiger Woods on Sunday at a major from behind—we know very little about 2009 PGA Champion Y.E. Yang. As it turns out, the Korean body builder turned golfer has a surprisingly great story, and one of the most unique life paths we've ever heard of in professional golf…