The Firm & Fast Golf Podcast

Episode 26: Grass Routes with Richard Pennell

June 29th, 2023  |  1 hr 58 mins

firm & fast, grass routes, richard pennell, stymied blog

Friend of the pod Richard Pennell is also known by the @pitchmarks moniker on the socials. A life long procrastinator, Richard finally grasped the writing nettle during lockdown to assist members of Woking GC to deal with covid induced isolation, he would go on to write an as yet unpublished book (it's a masterpiece) and subsequently launch his stymied substack bog in November 2021. 90 plus missives have been published so far - he has some news, which he wants to share with us... it's great to have him back!

Episode 25: The Return of Evalu18’s Jasper Miners

June 10th, 2023  |  2 hrs 4 mins

golden age, golf architecture, golf history

Jasper Miners of Evalu18 makes a return visit to discuss exciting news on a master planning project for one of Harry S Colt's very best courses, St Georges Hill. We also touch on Jaspers' trips to Ireland, the USA, Australia and New Zealand . It was great to have him back!

Episode 24: ODG Series #3 - Eddie Hackett with Ally McIntosh

May 5th, 2023  |  1 hr 37 mins

carne golf links, donegal, enniscrone, murvagh, rosapenna, strandhill, wild atlantic way

The ODG Series returns with an episode focussed on the Irish golf course architect Eddie Hackett. Hackett was involved in creating or revising over 100 Irish golf courses for 30 years from the mid 1960's until his death in 1995. Hackett is best known for his designs of links courses such as Waterville, Carne Golf Links, Donegal, Ballyliffin Old, Enniscrone and Connemara. Our regular architecture contributor Ally McIntosh joins us to explore Hackett's legacy.

Episode 23: Frank Pont - CDP's Bunker Renovation at The Royal Dublin Golf Club

April 6th, 2023  |  1 hr 58 mins

bunker renovation, bunker restoration, cdp, clayton de vries & pont, the royal dublin golf club

The Royal Dublin Golf Club is the second oldest course on the island of Ireland. In this episode we take explore the bunker renovation project that Clayton, De Vries & Pont have been implementing at Dollymount with the help of DAR Golf Construction, Whitemoss Eco and the in-house links team led by Course Manager Alan Hammond. Frank Pont from CDP joins us in this episode to take a look at the now completed project.

Episode 22: Rod Morri - The Godfather of Golf Podcasting

March 17th, 2023  |  2 hrs 4 mins

adrian logue, geoff shackleford, good good golf, i seek golf, john huggan, mike clayton, rod morri, the state of the game

Was Rod Morri born with a microphone in his hand and a pen in his pocket? He's generally the man asking the questions and opining on golf in his weekly column in the Australian Golf Magazine. We are very pleased to welcome Rod to the Firm and Fast Golf Podcast for a chat.

Episode 21: Graeme Beatt - Course Manager at Royal Portrush Golf Club

March 5th, 2023  |  1 hr 7 mins

In this episode we take a look at the staging of the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club with Course Manager Graeme Beatt

Episode 20: ODG Series #2 - Dr. Alister MacKenzie with Neil Crafter

February 4th, 2023  |  1 hr 48 mins

An exploration of some of the life and times of Dr. Alister MacKenzie - Scotsman, Camoufluer, Golf Architect and twinkle toes devil. Neil Crafter is a successful golf architect in his own right in addition to being one of the leading MacKenzie experts who has been central to the development of the MacKenzie Chronology.

Episode 19: 5 Times - Peter Thomson AO, CBE

December 2nd, 2022  |  1 hr 43 mins

5 times, british open championships, peter thomson, the melbourne tiger

Peter Thomson won 98 times around the world, including 5 Open Championships. Peter's son Andrew joins us today to talk about his fathers life both inside and outside golf.

Episode 18: Professor Paul Rouse - tracing the origin of golf in Ireland

November 9th, 2022  |  1 hr 8 mins

Paul Rouse joins us for an introduction to the development of the game of golf in Ireland - despite rumours to the contrary golf was not invented in Ireland - we explore some major influences including empire, the industrial revolution, the great war, the irish civil war, irish independence and partition, the changing nature of golf club memberships, the celtic tiger and what the future of Irish golf might look like.

Episode 17: Matt Mollica on Golf in Oz, Equipment Rollback and a L1V Soliloquoy

October 20th, 2022  |  1 hr 48 mins

Matt Mollica from the Australian Golf Passport Podcast joins us to chat about inbound golf travel to Australia, we explore technology rollback and its’ importance for golfs future, a smidgeon on L1V and why Metropolitan Golf Club reminds Scott Warren of Liam Hemsworth.

Episode 16: Adrian Logue from the Good Good Golf Podcast

September 29th, 2022  |  1 hr 50 mins

eyes up golf, golf club marketing, golf podcasts

Adrian Logue, co-host of the Good Good Golf Podcast joins us for a great chat covering golfing IQ, considering a wider perspective to enjoy the game of golf, conspicuous consumption, marketing and golf and how building a golf course is like shooting and producing a movie.

Episode 15: ODG Series #1 - Harry Shapland Colt

September 9th, 2022  |  1 hr 41 mins

old dead guys, the father of golf course architecture

Focus on the father of golf architecture Harry S Colt with journalist and historian Adam Lawrence who is currently writing a book on Colt entitled More Enduring than Brass.

Episode 14: Mike Cocking of OCM Golf

July 18th, 2022  |  1 hr 58 mins

medinah, mike cocking, ocm golf, peninsula kingswood

Mike Cocking and his partners Geoff Ogilvy and Ashley Mead are the directors and design partners in OCM Golf. Their company has touched many of Australia's classic courses such as Kingston Heath, Victoria, Royal Queensland, Lake Karrinyup and Royal Canberra. OCM has been in the process of expanding their reach into North America, where an initial commission in Shady Oaks in Texas has led to additional projects at Medinah #3 and greenfield projects in Minnesota and an as yet secret sand based development somewhere in the South-East of the United States.

Episode 13: Nick Edmund of Global Golf 4 Cancer - Following Fairways and Flying Flags

June 23rd, 2022  |  2 hrs 5 mins

cancer awareness, global golf, wild atlantic way

Nick Edmund joins us on this episode to discuss his story in golf - PG Woodhouse, 1976 Open Championships, Following the Fairways and 27 other golf publications, Faldo Golf Design, 4 time cancer survivor and founder of the Global Golf 4 Cancer campaign.

Episode 12: Stephen Proctor - The Long Golden Afternoon - Golf’s Age of Glory - 1864 - 1914

June 2nd, 2022  |  1 hr 46 mins

golf history, home of golf, royal & ancient

Today we explore the days immediately after the death of young Tommy Morris - what and who were the main drivers and influencers that facilitated the transposition of the game of golf around the world during Golf's Age of Glory.

Episode 11: George Waters - USGA Green Section Education Manager

May 10th, 2022  |  2 hrs 17 mins

golf course design, golf course maintenance, sand and golf, sustainability

George Waters has worn many caps throughout his career - green keeper, contractor, design/builder, course architect, course photographer, writer and educator. He joins us today to take a look at the intersection between golf course design and greenkeeping and what are some of the challenges that golfers would be wise to be more conscious about.