This episode of the National Links Trust Podcast features a recording of a recent Municipal Golf Network Webinar. In this episode, we head to the Lone Star State to check in with the Dallas Golf Initiative (DGI), a non-profit organization modeled similarly to the National Links Trust. DGI was formed in 2020 in response to the proposed closing of 9 holes at the Glen Course at Tenison Park to make way for a paved walking and biking trail that connects to the larger trail network within the City...

This episode features a recording of our Municipal Golf Network Webinar Series on the upcoming restoration and renovation of the Great Dunes Course at Jekyll Island Golf Club in Jekyll Island, GeorgiaNational Links Trust Co-Founder, Will Smith, is joinred by thee panelists. Jeffrey Stein and Brian Ross - the course’s co-architects, and Noel Jensen- the Deputy Executive Director for the Jekyll Island Authority. The group discusses the preservation of Travis’s architectural design as they trans...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we introduce a new National Links Trust Ambassador - Epson Tour player, Samantha Wagner.  Samantha grew up playing public golf and had a successful junior and amateur career before turning pro in 2017. Since then, she has played on the Epson and LPGA Tours. We’re really excited to have Samantha aboard our team. To support National Links Trust and our mission to positively impact local communities through municipal golf, we encourage you to...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we welcome on Micaa' Thomas. Micaa' is a professional golfer who grew up at Langston Golf Course. After an accomplished amateur career, today, she plays mini-tour events while chasing her dream to play on the LPGA Tour. In her spare time, she is a talented artist who has produced an award-winning short film, Our House is on Fire, and written a children's book, Penny and the Peanut: A Story About Food Allergies. With her background in...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we welcome on Stephanie Tran and Tyler McKeever - winners of the Women's and Men's Division Champions at the inaugural National Links Trust Championship last fall. The National Links Trust Championship is a national mid-am tournament for public golfers held at Washington, DC's historic Blue Course at East Potomac Golf Links. In this pair of interviews, Stephanie and Tyler talk about their background in the game of golf and competing in...

This episode features a recording of our Municipal Golf Network Webinar on San Francisco's Golden Gate Park Golf Course. Opened in 1951, this 9-hole, par 3 golf is coming out of a 6-month temporary closure that will see improved turf conditions, a brand new irrigation system and an expanded practice facility that will increase the course's environmental sustainability while expanding accessibility and inclusion for golfer's of all abilities. Course architect Jay Blasi (Chambers Bay) and...

This episode of the National Link Trust Podcast features a recording from the 2023 Symposium on Municipal Golf. Azucena Maldonado, Founder of the Latina Golfers Association, moderates a discussion on Partnerships and Community Engagement. National Links Trust's Andrew Szunyog, who oversees our volunteer and sustainability programs, is one of the panelists, and is joined by Dave Andrews, Director of The Path at The Park West Palm (FL) and Maria Stroup, Senior Vice President of Education,...

This episode of the National Link Trust Podcast features a recording from the 2023 Symposium on Municipal Golf.  Michael Stachowicz of the National Park Service moderates a discussion on Agronomy and Course Maintenance with a panel of golf course superintendents. These superintendents are Rich Shilling from Jeffersonville Golf Club (PA), Len Curtin from George Wright Golf Course (MA), and Clay Payne from Buffalo Dunes Golf Course (KS). All three of these properties have undergone renovation...

This episode of the National Link Trust Podcast features a recording from the 2023 Symposium on Municipal Golf. Bill Potter, Vice President of Communications and Engagement at First Tee - Greater Richmond, moderates a discussion on Fundraising and Marketing. Joining Bill are Marty Elgison, Co-founder and President of the Bobby Jones Golf Course Foundation (GA), Tim Andersen, Founder of Barrier Free Golf, and David Wagner, Board Member of the Highland Park Golf Foundation (OH). These panelists...

This episode of the National Link Trust Podcast features a recording from the 2023 Symposium on Municipal Golf. Rachel Carter,  Senior Membership Director at the National Golf Course Owners Association, moderates a discussion on Municipal Golf Governance and Management. She is joined by Steve Leary, former mayor of Winter Park, FL who was instrumental in the renovation of Winter Park 9, Michael Raby, Director of Golf for the Recreation and Park Commission for the Parish of East Baton Rouge,...

This episode of the National Link Trust Podcast features a recording from the 2023 Symposium on Municipal Golf. Garrett Morrison of Fried Egg Golf is joined by Jay Blasi (Chambers Bay), Mike Young (Warmouth Sands), and Troy Miller (Charleston Municipal Golf Course). All three of these architects have vast experience in the architecture business, but their experience in municipal and public golf make them particularly well-fit for this conversation. To support National Links Trust, join our...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, our host, and National Links Trust (NLT) co-founder, Will Smith is joined by his fellow co-founder, Mike McCartin. Mike and Will provide a number of updates on NLT including the state of the Rock Creek Park Golf rehabilitation project, ongoing work at Langston Golf Course, a new Director of Agronomy for our three Washington, DC courses, and more. They also discuss upcoming NLT events and talk about their recent golf travels checking out new...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we are joined by Coach Arielle Dawson.  Coach Dawson is the assistant golf coach at Howard University, working with both the men’s and women’s programs. Her background in golf is unique having served as a caddie at various clubs and an instructor at a Topgolf facility, before breaking into college coaching at Howard. In this interview, Coach Dawson walks us through her introduction to the game, journey to college golf, career in the...

This episode of the National Links Trust Podcast is a special edition featuring a discussion from the latest Municipal Golf Network Webinar Program about The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida. The Park was opened to widespread acclaim this past spring. The renovated property features a Gil Hanse-designed 18-hole regulation course, 9-hole par 3 course, putting course, driving range, and The Path - a “needs based program including individual and group instruction, workshops, a youth caddie...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we welcome on Chuck Wilson, the CEO of Babygrande Global and founder of Babygrande Records. Chuck is a veteran in the entertainment industry who also has a passion for golf in Washington, DC having grown up playing the city’s courses.  Chuck’s latest venture, Babygrande Golf, is the title sponsor of the upcoming Babygrande D.C. Classic - an AJGA event being July 10-13 at East Potomac Golf Links that also benefits NLT. Learn more about the...

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we are joined by The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson who discusses golf course architecture and development within the scope of municipal golf.  As part of this, Andy shares his thoughts on The Park, PGA Frisco, Augusta National's investment in The Patch, and more. National Links Trust is supported by members of the Capital Club - our annual giving society. To learn more about membership visit shopnlt.com/collections/nlt-capital-club.

In this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, we introduce our new Executive Director, Damian Cosby, PGA. Damian comes to National Links Trust with more than 20 years of experience in the golf industry. A "Class A" PGA Professional, he most recently served as the Director of Golf Operations for Cleveland Metroparks where he oversaw the system’s eight golf courses including Manakiki Golf Course, a Donald Ross design, and Sleepy Hollow Golf Course, a Stanley Thompson design. Prior to...

In this episode of the "National Links Trust Podcast", we highlight the renovation of Charleston Municipal Golf Course. The course was renovated in 2020 by Charleston native, Troy Miller. Paying homage to nearby Yeamans Hall Club and the Country Club of Charleston, it was designed in the style of Seth Raynor. Since its reopening, the course has received universal acclaim, with The Fried Egg's Andy Johnson writing, "Above all, Charleston Municipal makes an emphatic case that municipal golf...

Golf Channel's Damon Hack joins us on episode nine of the National Links Trust Podcast. Hack, a veteran golf media member who has spent time with Sports Illustrated  and the The New York Times, talks about diversity in golf, entry points to the game, his career in sports media, and more. 

On this episode of the National Links Trust Podcast, NLT co-founder, Mike McCartin, discusses an update on the rehabilitation of Rock Creek Park Golf project.  Mike specifically walks the listeners through a published plan for the property, available for viewing at the link below. View the plan here: NationalLinksTrust.org/future-of-rock-creek-golf More about the plan:  The Rock Creek Park golf course rehabilitation is the first leg of National Links Trust’s “Nation’s Capital Project”...

Jeremy Wilson (@PairedUpGolf) has spent the last year traveling across the US playing municipal courses and documenting the stories of the random people he was paired up with at each one. The end result will be a book about his journey. In this episode of the “National Links Trust Podcast,” Jeremy shares the origins of the project, stories from the road, and more. 

Marcus Byrd, a Washington, DC native, grew up at Langston Golf Course. Today, he competes as a professional golfer on the APGA Tour while trying to gain status within the PGA Tour. In this episode, Marcus details his upbringing at Langston, talks through his journey through the game of golf from junior tournaments to competing in college to his professional career, and shares how having access to a municipal golf facility like Langston shaped his life. 

Marcus Byrd, a Washington, DC native, grew up at Langston Golf Course. Today, he competes as a professional golfer on the APGA Tour while trying to gain status within the PGA Tour. In this episode, Marcus details his upbringing at Langston, talks through his journey through the game of golf from junior tournaments to competing in college to his professional career, and shares how having access to a municipal golf facility like Langston shaped his life. 

Host Alex Dickson talks with Christine Fraser of Christine Fraser Design about her background in golf course architecture, her vision of the future of the game, and more. Christine will be a panelist at National Links Trust's 2022 Symposium on Municipal Golf on October 24th-26th in Washington, DC.  More about Christine Fraser: Having grown up learning to play golf on her family’s golf course and later competing in the NCAA Division One Varsity Golf circuit in Florida, golf has always been a...