The Firm & Fast Golf Podcast

Unknown unknowns and the golfing road less travelled

About the show

We're on a golfing quest of sorts, looking to increase our golfing I.Q.'s in the process. Our aim is to speak to expert guests at the intersection of golf design and construction, green keeping and history…...to name but a few topics.

This podcast is not about us, it's about the guests, what they know and how that can influence the sustainable future of the game of golf that we all cherish.

Suspend what you know about the game of golf for a moment and join us on this journey, we promise great guests, different takes and a few laughs along the way.

Many thanks for considering us for a listen!

The Firm & Fast Golf Podcast on social media

Episodes

  • Episode 37: ODG Series #5 - Calvin Peete - Golf's Forgotten Star

    January 24th, 2024  |  1 hr 1 min

    We return to our ODG series in this episode to focus on Calvin Peete - a forgotten star of 1980's golf. Calvin would overcome significant obstacles to become a winner on the PGA Tour on 12 occasions. He truly was one of the best golfers in the world during from 1982 - 86. The story of how he qualified for the 1983 Ryder Cup is worth a listen by itself.

  • Episode 36: 2023 Firm & Fast Year in Review with Ally McIntosh

    January 3rd, 2024  |  1 hr 9 mins

    2023 Year in Review

  • Episode 35: Dutch Golf Series #6 - Rockets Over Wild Farm & The Atlantic Wall

    December 23rd, 2023  |  52 mins 27 secs
    charles hugh alison, daniel wolf, de haagsche golf club, domburgsche golf club, koninklijke haagsche golf & country club, noordwijk golf club, robin bargmann, royal hague golf club, steve zivin, the atlantic wall, the first v2 rocket, the kennemer golf club, world war 2

    This episode explores the story of Daniel Wolf as he hurriedly rushed to get a new golf course constructed upon his personal estate in The Hague. We also look at how construction of the Atlantic Wall effected golf properties along the coast of the Netherlands during and after WW2.

  • Episode 34: Dutch Golf Series #5 - Robin Bargmann #3 - Nascent Modern Dutch Golf

    December 9th, 2023  |  1 hr 6 mins

    Our final episode with Robin Bargmann focuses on foundation of the first Dutch golf clubs. Many of these courses no longer exist in their original locations, now being located on comparatively better grounds for golf. The early course development pioneers also had the fortune and foresight to engage the services of both master designers in Colt & Company and the local course building contractor H. Copijn & zoon.

  • Episode 33: Dutch Golf Series #4 - Robin Bargmann #2

    November 17th, 2023  |  57 mins 35 secs
    batavia, colf, dutch east india company, dutch golf, robin bargmann, the burghers, the dutch masters

    Robin Bargmann joins us again for part 2 of our 3 part chat about his research into the dutch influence on the early days of golf in Scotland and early golf in the Netherlands.

  • Episode 32: Dutch Golf Series #3 - Robin Bargmann #1

    October 29th, 2023  |  1 hr 12 mins

    Robin Bargmann joins us for the first instalment of an exploration of early golf. The historical influences that have been forgotten through time and the pollination across borders of people, language, games and culture that influenced the modern game of golf.

  • Episode 31: Dutch Golf Series #2 - Grounds for Golf in The Netherlands

    October 22nd, 2023  |  46 mins 7 secs
    dutch golf, dutch grounds for golf, geography, geology, history, sociology

    Exploring the geology, geography, history and sociology underpinning the creation of the grounds for golf in The Netherlands.

  • Episode 30: Dutch Golf Series #1 - An Introduction

    September 18th, 2023  |  44 mins 12 secs
    frank pont, george waters, golf in the netherlands, jasper miners, mike clayton

    And now for something completely different! A podcast series inspired by a golf trip to the Netherlands in June 2023.

  • Episode 29: New Series on Dutch Golf... Releases tomorrow... Advance Bonus Content

    September 17th, 2023  |  3 mins 52 secs

    And now for something completely different.... new docupod series releases tomorrow

  • Episode 28: ODG Series #4 - A.V. Macan with Jeff Mingay

    August 3rd, 2023  |  1 hr 48 mins
    arthur vernon macan, jeff mingay

    Arthur Vernon (A.V.) Macan was an accomplished amateur golfer who emigrated from Ireland to British Columbia, Canada in 1912. Macan is best known for his original designs at Royal Colwood, Inglewood, The California Club, Overlake and Shaughnessy. Jeff Mingay joins us to shed light on a pioneer of golf course design in the Pacific Northwest of Canada and the USA.

  • Episode 27: The Evolution of Golf at Hoylake host of the 151st Open Championship

    July 8th, 2023  |  1 hr 31 mins
    151st open championship, bobby jones, fred daly, george morris, harold hilton, harry shapland colt, john ball, open championship, peter thomson, roberto di vincenzo, royal liverpool golf club

    Royal Liverpool Golf Club hosts the 151st iteration of the Open Championship in July 2023 - we take a look at the evolution of the golf course since the clubs foundation in 1869, with long time member Joe McDonnell

  • 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.