The Firm & Fast Golf Podcast

Keith Cutten from WAC Golf joins us today to explore the historical evolution of golf course design.

Keith is a golf course architect who has worked with design build practitioners such as Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, Rod Whitman, Dave Axland and Jeff Mingay.

As part of his Masters in Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph in 2012, Keith carried out extensive research into the evolution of golf course design. This research was later (2018) repurposed into an exellent book entitled The Evolution of Golf Course Design.

Link available below to Amazon listing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0958136378

Over the course of our chat we cover wider themes such as culture, capital, sociology, art and industry as drivers of the wider game of golf. We also consider the King of Clubs, OTM, some of the men of Musselburgh and Horace Hutchinson effects on golfs historical trajectory.

Many thanks for tuning in, we hope you enjoy our chat!

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Keith Cutten.

James Henderson of Top100golfcourses.com joins us on this episode to discuss, rankings, ranking criteria, panel hierarchies and more.

Hendo won the golfing lottery when he was born into an East Lothian golfing family. As a result of this happy accident of birth he has been steeped in a culture of brisk two-ball play, slow lunches and matchplay.

He's a well travelled character, not without an opinion or two!

Many thanks to James for his time - we hope you enjoy our chat.

Roundbook

[Top100golfcourses.com](top100golfcourses.com)

Book Recommendations

The Golf Omnibus by P.G. Wodehouse

Early Golf by Neil S. Millar

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: James Henderson.

Gavin Bottrell joins me on this episode to reflect on a twenty year odyssey to perfect the lost craft of Feathery Ball making.

Gavin is an engineer by profession and became fascinated with how one might reverse engineer the process of developing a modern day feathery ball. Over the course of a 90 minute chat Gavin shares his learnings from the bottom of a very deep rabbit hole, from where he has perfected a skill that was lost to time and progress as the development of the gutta percha golf ball superceeded the feathery in the 1850's.

Gavin recently tested his mark 43 ball against a genuine 185 year old feathery ball and replicated its performance.... he swears that this is the end of his quest..somehow I get the feeling that a doubling down may be on the cards. I'm led to believe that a book is on the cards at some point in the future, which will lay out the techniques, methodology and processes that Gavin has employed in mastering this ancient craft.

We hope you enjoy the episode!

Check out the following links that detail some of Gavin's fascinating research

How far did Feathery Balls Actually Go?

The Shape of Feathery Balls

How heavy were Feathery Balls

Why did Feathery Golf Balls come in different sizes?

The proportions of Feathery Balls

Some additional links that might be of interest

Hitting a genuine 185 year old Feathery Ball

Link to Feathery Golf Ball Website

Link to Time Warp Golf

Link to British Golf Collectors

Book Recommendations

Allan Robertson: King of Clubs by Roger McStravick & Bill Williams

The Oldest Clubs - 1650 - 1850 by Bob Gowland

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Gavin Bottrell.

Bradley Klein joins us today to take a look at the life and times of one of Dornoch's favourite sons.... none other than Donald Ross.

Over the course of our conversation we explore young Donald's early days in the Scottish Highlands and in the East Neuk of Fife under the guidance of OTM. His appointment as keeper of the green and professional at Dornoch GC and the chance visit of a well connected Harvard Professor to Dornoch in late 1898 which led to life altering opportunities in Boston and later throughout the USA.

We take a look at some early projects, the Ross influence in North Carolina, a Colt collaboration at Old Elm, Seminole & the host of this years PGA Championship Aronimink in Philadelphia.

We assess the importance of key associates, explore his design tendancies and how the formation of the Donald Ross Society has facilitated and assisted with restoring many Ross courses to their former glories.

Many thanks for tuning in, we hope you enjoy the chat!

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Bradley Klein.

Ally McIntosh joins us for another adventure down the rabbit hole of golf course architecture.

Over the course of this past winter Ally and his design partner James Coughlan have been busy overseeing the implementation of their Strandhill masterplan. They also commenced phase one of significant improvements to Carne Golf Links.

Ally runs us through the specifics of the work at both sited and explains how they utilise specific site specific solutions to fit the needs of these cery different coastal sites.

We also pay tribute to Pat Ruddy, look at some new course developments in the southeast of Ireland, compare and contrast the Top100golfcourses and Irish Golfer Magazine rankings, try to disect Ally's suspicion of 'fun' golf and explore possible upcoming course works at Portmarnock Golf Club.

Thanks for tuning in, we hope you enjoy our chat.

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Ally McIntosh.

Joe McDonnell from McDonnell Cooper joins us to discuss the recent improvements to the 7th hole at Formby Golf Club which has recently reopened for member play. Please click on the link for an instagram video where Joe & Sam give us a sneak peak of the fruits of their labour. You can also check out this link where they detail the issues that the club asked McDonnell & Cooper to address.

Joe also walks us through some of the holes that have been lost to coastal erosion, please click on this link to a video that has been lovingly created by our friends at the Cookie Jar with input from Sam & Joe.

Finally Joe takes us on a magical mystery tour of some of the bright lights of Englands Golf Coast which stretches from The Wirral in the South to the Fylde Coast.

It's always great to catch up with Joe, we hope you enjoy our chat.

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Joe McDonnell.

David Normoyle is a respected golf historian who works closely with heritage golf clubs to harness the story telling power of their historical assets.

Over the course of our chat, David makes a case for the significance of golf heritage and history - emphasising the need for active conservation of club histories.

We look at the distinct difference between tradition and traditionalism, the role of myths and proven fact in golf culture, the danger of recency bias and how the development of a deep understanding a club's past informs and supports future direction. Our conversation also touches on the importance of playing promptly, the distance debate and the influence and importance of literature on the game.

Finally David provides actionable advice for clubs looking to preserve their history while engaging with members and visitors.

Many thanks for tuning in, we hope you enjoy our chat.

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: David Normoyle.

Gavin Caldwell joins us on this episode to take a look at the history of golf at Trinity College Dublin.

Over the course of this episode we explore the main drivers of the foundation of both the Dublin University Golf Club and later the Society for Alumni that was first established in 1909.

We also profile many of the elite amateur golfers who were associated with Trinity through their studies and afterwards as part of the DUGS alumni.

Gavin has been associated with Trinity Golf for the past 60 years and co-wrote College Courses and Lasting Links detailing the history of Golf at Dublin University.

For anybody interested in purchasing a copy of the book please contact the Honorary Secretary of the Dublin University Golf Society (Mark Murnane) who can be reached via email at dugshonsec@gmail.com.

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Gavin Caldwell.

Friend of the pod Richard Pennell returns to chat about his new book Common Grounds.

Over the course of the episode we chat about Richard's focus on slightly more rustic golfing adventures throughout the UK, Ireland and farther afield.

Common Grounds is published by those lovely people at Grant Books, if you are interested in purchasing the book, please follow the link below:

https://pitchmarks.bigcartel.com/category/books

Remember to enter the competition to be in with a chance of winning one of two copies of Common Grounds that we are giving away.
Details on how to enter are included in the introduction to the episode.

Images can be found on the following channels

X
Instagram
Bluesky

For listeners interested in purchasing Eamon Mangan's book on building Carne Golf Links, please follow the link below.

https://www.mayobooks.ie/Building-Carne?search=building%20carne

A link to the Cookie Jar Course Diaries feature on Royal Worlington & Newmarket can be found below:
https://www.cookiejargolf.com/315-course-diaries-royal-worlington-newmarket/

By no means least a link to Richard's Pitchmarks substack account can be found below

https://pitchmarks.substack.com/

Episode music - Nectar by Dye O
Supplied under license from Epidemic Sound

Special Guest: Richard Pennell.

In this episode I am joined by Royal Adelaide member and all round good egg Terry Thornton, our chat today focuses on his first trip to Ireland for golf during this passed summer which included 22 rounds over 27 days.

Over the course of the episode we discuss favourite Irish courses and holes from his recent trip in addition to many other rabbit holes that come our way,

Many thanks for tuning in, we hope you enjoy the show.

Episode music supplied under license from Epidemic Sound
Shoreline Serenade - Dye O.1.1

Roderick Ritchie, the current course chairman at Utrechtse Golf Club, joins us today to explore the evolving story of 'de Pan' and what can be learned from the sort of careful and considered custodianship on show at Bosch en Duin.

UGC is one of Europe's best golf courses... hidden away amongst a sandy expanse of heather and pine in the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, a nature reserve of some 120 hectares, originally formed by glacial sand deposition during the last ice age.

'de Pan' was Harry Colt's second design commission in the Netherlands. Initially opened in 1929 as a 9 hole course which was extended to 18 in 1932.

Listeners who have sampled the delights of the Greater London Heathlands will recognise and appreciate the golfing charms that await them at UGC.

We hope you enjoy our chat!

Episode music supplied under license from Epidemic Sound
Shoreline Serenade - Dye O.1.1

Special Guest: Roderick Ritchie.

Stephen Proctor returns to F&F to chat about Matchless, his new book, which charts the rise of formal womens golf from the late 1860's until the 1930's. The title of the book refers to the titanic battle between England's Joyce Wethered and Glenna Collet of the USA in the 36 hole final of the British Ladies Championship of Great Britain in 1929. This Championship was held at St. Andrews where the two premier players of the competed in what is widely considered to be the Greatest Women's golf match ever played.

Prior to a précis on the 1929 final, Stephen introduces us to some of main characters who influenced the evolving game on both sides of the Atlantic as both suffrage and war would present challenges and opportunities to the gane of golf and wider society.

Many thanks to Stephen for joining us again, we do hope you enjoy our chat.

Please find links to Stephen's publisher, Birlinn Books, below where you can order from his back catalogue or preorder his new book

Matchless - Joyce Wethered, Glenna Collet and the rise of Womens Golf
Long Golden Afternoon - Golf's Age of Glory, 1864-1914
Monarch of the Green - Young Tom Morris, Pioneer of Modern Golf

Richard Pennell @ pitchmarks Substack link

Matchless pre-orders (for customers in the USA) are now also available by clicking on the following link - bookshop.org

Many thanks to Stephen for joining us again, we do hope you enjoy our chat.

Episode music supplied under license from Epidemic Sound
Shoreline Serenade - Dye O.1.1

Special Guest: Stephen Proctor.

Sam Williams from the [Cookie Jar Golf Podcast](http://www.cookiejargolf.com) joins us on this episode to explore how CJG have grown from a crumb trail in 2020 into one of the largest UK golf podcasts.

Over the course of an hour or so we take a look back through some highlights, recurring guests, expansions and look forward to what the future might hold for Sam, Tom, Bruce & Cal.

It was great to finally catch up with Sam properly, we hope you enjoy our chat.

Episode music supplied under license from Epidemic Sound
Shoreline Serenade - Dye O.1.1

Special Guest: Sam Williams.

James Bledge the Links Manager at Royal Liverpool joins us in this episode to talk about his love for links golf, vocational green keeping, RCP @ Deal, Hoylake, drainage & irrigation, technology, STEM and inspiring the next generation.

It was great to catch up with him again, we hope you enjoy the episode.

Episode music supplied under license from Epidemic Sound
Shoreline Serenade - Dye O.1.1

Special Guest: James Bledge.

This is the final instalment focussing on Sir Anthony Babington's reminisences. In this episode he remembers his great friend Harry Shapland Colt. They were first introduced in 1919 by the Secretary of The Royal Dublin Golf Club, Cecil Barcroft. The relationship would prove fruitful for both men over the following decades.

Many thanks for tuning in.

Episode music supplied under licence from Epidemic Sound
A Single Dance - Jon Bjork

In this episode Sir Anthony shares his memories of the purchase of the the Holyrood Hotel and its transformation into the current clubhouse at Royal Portrush. He also details the R&A's decision to host the 1951 Open Championship at Royal Portrush which was won by Max Faulkner.

Many thanks for tuning in.

Episode music supplied under licence from Epidemic Sound
A Single Dance - Jon Bjork

In this episode Sir Anthony details the modernisation of the Royal Portrush Links under the combined efforts of HS Colt, JSF Morrison, Franks Harris, ABB & Hugh McNeill.

Many thanks for tuning in.

Episode music supplied under licence from Epidemic Sound
A Single Dance - Jon Bjork

In this episode of the continuing series, we learn about Sir Anthony's early golfing days on the North Coast of Portrush. He also covers the consequential matters of extended tenure, security and opportunity that access to additional golfing grounds to the east of the town afforded the wider membership.

The thorny history of Sabbatarianism also raises its head through a golfing lense as he teases out how this matter was resisted, debated and resolved over the course of the mid 1920's.

Many thanks for tuning in.

Episode music supplied under licence from Epidemic Sound
A Single Dance - Jon Bjork

Over the course of the next number of short episodes we wilI take a look at another character that influenced the early development and growth of golf in Ireland.

Anthony Babington was a native of Co. Derry, educated at Glenalmond in Perthshire and Trinity College Dublin.

Babington was introduced to golf at Lisfannon in Donegal and Royal Portrush. He was a scratch player of some repute, competing extensively in the elite national amateur championships of the day. However, it was in the administration of the game that he really excelled, influencing golf at Trinity College, Dollymount, Portrush, Belfast and beyond.

Through the medium of his recently uncovered memoirs and historical writings I'm pleased to introduce you to the long golfing life of A.B. Babington and the positive influence that he brought to bear throughout the island of Ireland.

I hope you enjoy his recollections!

Many thanks for tuning in.

For more information on the history of Ireland please click here for a link to The Empire podcast referenced in this epiosde. Please see episodes 236 - 246 which relate to same.

Episode music supplied under licence from Epidemic Sound
A Single Dance - Jon Bjork

Chris Breen has been the Superintendent at Rosapenna Golf Resort since 2019. A recent trip to Downings enabled us to sit down for a chat that we've been meaning to have for the past 12 months or so.

We take a look at how he's ended up back home in Donegal overseeing the 63 hole, 1200 acre property.

The importance of getting "your homework right" from a course setup perspective.
How an easterly wind is less than optimal for growing grass early in the season.
Why he's not praying for rain.... just yet.
Grass paths and golfer expectations.
The many changes that have occurred at the resort over the past 6 years and much more.

Many thanks to Chris for his time, we hope you enjoy the listen.

Episode music supplied under license from Epidemic Sound
Shoreline Serenade - Dye O.1.1

Special Guest: Chris Breen.