Friend of the pod Mark Millar, the Superintendent at County Sligo Golf Club, joined us for a chat in the Ewing Room in the clubhouse at Rosses Point during a recent visit to the home of the West of Ireland Amateur Championship. The Club has hosted the event since its inaugural hosting of the event in 1923. We take a look at the site at Rosses, discussing some of the challenges that Mark faces through the seasons and tke a look at his well travelled career. We also look forward to the clubs...

The First in a four part series that cover the F&F Spring Break to Counties Sligo and Mayo. Myself and a good mate set off from Dublin to the Atlantic West Coast of Ireland to explore the delights of links golf at Rosses Point, Strandhill, Enniscrone & Belmullet. Please take a look at the F&F Instagram page to view a number of reels showing County Sligo, Strandhill, Enniscrone and Carne in all of their early season splendour. Please find a few links below for accommodation,...

Tony Cunningham is a long standing member at County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses Point. While visiting recently we sat down with him to explore the origin story of ine of the grand old dames of Irish Golf. Founded by members of the Sligo Militia in 1894, the club celebrates 130 years in 2024. The Club has hosted the West of Ireland Championships since its introduction/inception in 1923 - the West heralds the beginning of the elite amateur golf season and is held over the course of a week every...

The First in a four part series that cover the F&F Spring Break to Counties Sligo and Mayo. Myself and a good mate set off from Dublin to the Atlantic West Coast of Ireland to explore the delights of links golf at Rosses Point, Strandhill, Enniscrone & Belmullet. Please take a look at the F&F Instagram page to view a number of reels showing County Sligo, Strandhill, Enniscrone and Carne in all of their early season splendour. Please find a few links below for accommodation,...

Leo Barber the GM and Course Manager at Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club on the Kapiti Coast of the North Island of New Zealand joins us for this episode. I have had the great pleasure of playing the links at Paraparaumu Beach on a number of occasions, over the course of 4 rounds there, thus far, the washboard fairways and associated dunescapes really resonated with this self confessed links junkie. Leo recently marked the 75th anniversary of Alex Russell's arrival at Paraparaumu with a...

In this final instalment of my chat with Pat Ruddy we take a look at his work in County Donegal - revising Eddie Hackett's work at both Murvagh and Ballyliffin, revising Morris, Vardon and Colt at Rosapenna, creating muscular modern links courses at Ballyliifin (Glashedy) and Rosapenna (Sandy Hills) and a revitalisation project at the Colt and Alison designed County Sligo Golf Club. Apologies for the, at times, slightly stratchy audio, we hope it doesn't detract too much from the...

This is part two of my chat with Pat Ruddy (final part due in a few weeks), we hope you enjoy our conversation! In this episode we focus on the origin story of The European Club which is located in Brittas Bay in County Wicklow - how the site was eventually found, the opening day, a course of 20 holes, sleeper shod bunkers and a 127 yard green..... it's a cracking story.... well told! Apologies for some scratchy audio throughout, we hope it doesn't detract too much from the...

Pat Ruddy may be known to many of you as the owner and course designer of The European Club located at Brittas Bay, Co. Wicklow. That association is central to his story, however, it does not tell the full tale. In addition to course design Mr Ruddy is a Golf Journalist, Author, Bibliophile, Historian and Magazine publisher. A native of Ballymote, Co. Mayo, Ruddy would often cycle 20 miles from his home in Ballymote to play the great coastal links of County Sligo Golf Club at Rosses...

Mike DeVries joins us from a wintery Michigan in advance of what may be his final construction visit to the 7 Mile Beach Golf Development that he is currently building for Mat Goggin in Hobart, Tasmania. We discuss his early influences at Crystal Downs in Michigan, restoration work at the Meadow Club, The Addington & Royal Dublin. We take a quick look at both the Addington in London and the 7MB project, get an elevator pitch for golf in Michigan and finally Mike shares some of his...

Gordon Hobson joins us in this episode to focus upon a story, arguably unprecedented in the world of golf. Calvin Peete was born into to a family of migrant laborers in 1943, dropping out of school in the eighth grade he went to work picking crops....not a familiar springboard for PGA Tour success, particularly when you realise that he played his first game of golf at the age of 23! Dedication and hard work contributed to Peete's rise to the top of worldwide golf throughout the 1980's....

Ally McIntosh joins us for a slightly delayed review of our respective 2023 golfing years. We catch up on renovations at Strandhill and Ally's plans at Carne Golf Links in 2024. Take a look at some of the Irish golfing highlights to come over the year to come and compare notes on various courses that we have visited over the course of the past year and locations we are eyeing up for the year to come. Many thanks to you, for returning to the show throughout 2023. Here's to great golf in...

Over the course of researching the history of golf in the Netherlands two golf related stories have really resonated with me. In this episode we are joined by Stephen Zivin and to investigate the initial history of a Charles Hugh Alison design at De Wildhoeve in The Hague, now the home of the Royal Hague Golf Club. The story is intertwined by its' original owner, a gentleman by the name of Daniel Wolf Robin Bargmann makes one final cameo to tell us the story of Kennemer Golf &...

Robin Bargmann joins us for the final time, as we explore how the game of golf in the Netherlands started on the private estates of the aristocratic and mercantile families of Holland. We take a look at some of these early pioneers, that brought the game to the dunescape and heathland of the lowlands. Over time the custodians of the first clubs, engaged notable names such as Harry Colt, Hugh Alison and John Morrison to revise, extend and design some of the countries best courses. In future...

'I think you always have to go to the context, to understand something' R. Bargmann. Robin Bargmann joins us for the second instalment on the back story to dutch golf. Today we touch on some Dutch history including the Spanish Armada, the fall of Antwerp and subsequent rise of Amsterdam, the Dutch masters and the Burghers, the demise of the game of colf, not to forget the foundation of the Dutch Republic, Waterloo, the Dutch East India Company and much more. Thanks for tuning in, we...

Robin Bargmann joins us on this episode to begin an exploration of early golf and the influence that the European lowlands had on the modern game of golf, founded in Scotland in the 15th century. Robin is widley recognised as one of the leading golf scholars in The Netherlands and has written a number of books including Serendipity of Early Golf which traces the many connections between Holland and Scotland. The breadth of his research as impressive as it is extensive, we trust that you...

In this second installment of our docupod series we take a look at the creation of the grounds for golf in the Netherlands. Stepping into a geological time machine with the help of Robert Hack we take a look at the geography, geology and underlying history of the low countries and how natural forces and the hand of man have conspired to create a dunescape, sandy interior and polderland that is utilised in its' myriad forms for the 250 Dutch golf courses. We also get a sneak peek of episode...

Inspired by a relatively recent golf trip to the Netherlands, this is episode #1 trying something slightly different. In this episode we take an introductory look at golf in Holland getting a feel for what you might expect in a golfing sense with assistance from some of our friends, namely Mike Clayton, Frank Pont, George Waters & Jasper Miners. We also take a sneak peak at what to expect to from the remainder of the docupod series.... please be mindful that most of it is as yet...

We are releasing a new format docupod series tomorrow which will take a deep dive into golf in the Netherlands. This snippet was too good to leave out so I have included here as sneak peak of my recent chat with Mike Clayton...sage advice as to why you should consider a golf trip to the Netherlands, Belgium & France. I hope you enjoy tomorrows release. Special Guest: Mike Clayton.

Jeff Mingay joins us from Nova Scotia for a varied discussion on the life and times of Arthur Vernon Macan (1882-1964). Macan was born in Ireland but is better known in his adopted homeland of Canada. An accomplished amateur golfer, AV was a qualified lawyer who became a prolific golf course architect throughout the Pacific Northwest of Canada and the USA. We explore Macan's back story, his influences and notable courses which include the original iteration of The California Club in San...

With the Open Championship quickly approaching Joe McDonnell, member of RLGC for over 30 years, joins us to explore the seemigly ever changing faces of Hoylake. Many thanks to Joe for his time and expertise.... this should whet your appetite in advance of the 151st staging of golfs' original and greatest major. Links mentioned in the episode Richard Latham's golf history books The Updated version of Scott MacPherson's Evolution of the Old Course Joe McDonnell's Time Machine Please...

Richard Pennell makes a long overdue return to the pod, I am honoured that he decided to favour F&F as the medium to announce the imminent publication of his new book - Grass Routes - a collection of some of his @pitchmarks pieces. [Grass Routes Website](pitchmarks.bigcartel.com) Richard has launched a new [website](pitchmarks.bigcartel.com) to launch his book, the first edition has a limited run and will undoubtedly be a collectors item in the years to come. Through the medium of...

Firstly, please excuse the somewhat spotty audio - there were gremlins in the system which were beyond my control - must do better Mr. Zoom...grrrrr. Jasper Miners from Evalu18 is back by popular demand - to say that the Evalu18 story has picked up pace of late would be somewhat of an undersell. Jasper shares the recently announced news that Evalu18, in association with Renaissance Golf Design, have been appointed to prepare a masterplan to restore both courses at St Georges Hill Golf Club...

Ally McIntosh joins us on this episode to take a dive into the golf course design career of Eddie Hackett. A name synonymous with golf course design in Ireland from the mid 1960's until his death in 1996. Over the course of his career, Hackett would hold many roles within the golf space - apprentice, golf club maker, teacher and head professional - he even owned a tobacconist in the 1950's before he was reincarnated as a course designer through the auspices of an invitation from Bill...

In November 2019 The Royal Dublin Golf Club appointed the design firm Clayton DeVries & Pont to undertake a bunker study in an effort to reconnect with their Harry Colt design heritage. Since the Colt revisions in 1920 Royal Dublin has been revised, lengthened, toughened and tinkered with by some of the great and good - including Eddie Hackett and Dr. Martin Hawtree. CDP initially developed a proposal for member consideration revisiting Colt's original design principles while...