A casual chat for this episode – Scott and Matt discuss recent golf, a plan to build excitement in the lead-up to the Australian Open, and more. The goals outlined at the start of the year also come in for a mid-season review. Tons of good stuff covered. We hope you enjoy the chat, and as always with the goals – we hope this topic encourages all of you to set a target and go for it.

As discussed in the episode – a few links below to the books we’ve read, and the hosts of the sensational October golf day at The Millionaire’s Club.

The Evin Priest & Steve Williams collab as read by Scott- https://www.booktopia.com.au/together-we-roared-steve-williams/book/9780063440999.html

The Tom Doak recommendation featured on Matt’s reading list- https://www.booktopia.com.au/antifragile-nassim-nicholas-taleb/book/9780141038223.html

28 - The memoir of footy and masculinity and more by Brandon Jack -https://www.booktopia.com.au/28-brandon-jack/book/9781760876777.html

The new release on Ian Baker Finch - https://www.booktopia.com.au/ian-baker-finch-geoff-saunders/book/9781761451645.html

For info on the annual Peninsula Home Hospice fund raising golf day held at Frankston GC on the Monday after AFL Grand Final weekend -

https://peninsulahospice.com.au/contact-us/

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. They have a new range of No Laying Up merch in stock & there’s a new AGP cap and a tee coming soon too. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their range of winter tops, including their merino pullovers as well as fleece vests & caps are super stylish and so warm.

Seed Golf continues to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, especially the SD-05 which has recently been awarded Gold in the Golf Digest Hot List.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me -Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Another longish episode where we wrap up the huge batch of listener questions forwarded to us recently. Membership issues, rankings, golf in Sydney, architecture, course comparisons, and so much more. A really interesting and varied grab bag of subjects to ponder. Thanks again to all those who submitted via the Insta story call-out.

To start the episode, we spend a moment talking over the opening of 7 Mile Beach and preliminary rounds there, Rory’s place in the field for the Australian Open this year and next, and drought conditions on King Island, among other little snippets.

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. We have some new AGP caps and a tee coming from AAGGG in the not too distant future – so keep your eyes peeled for that. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their range of winter tops, including their merino pullovers and fleece vests are super stylish and so warm.

Seed Golf continues to provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, especially the SD-05 which has recently been award Gold in the Golf Digest Hot List.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

This latest edition of Australian Golf Passport podcast is an ever-popular Listener Questions episode. Thanks to all those who submitted via the Insta story call-out. Almost 5 dozen questions will form hours of discussion for this episode and the next! We got to 28 of them in this two-hour session.

Lots of great stuff to mull over ranging from turf, rankings, architecture, travel on a budget, new courses and those under renovation, Mornington Peninsula questions, stuff on King Island and Tasmania, as well as a few esoteric queries which are always great to get the juices flowing.

The text we mentioned in the episode – Golf’s Royal Clubs by Scott Macpherson is available from Fine Golf Books - link below.

https://www.finegolfbooks.com/pages/books/12686/scott-macpherson/golfs-royal-clubs-honoured-by-the-british-royal-family-1833-2013

As discussed in relation to tree removal and the upcoming US Open venue Oakmont - this article from Steve Keipert and Derek Duncan (as featured in Australian Golf Digest) is a great primer.

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/the-last-stand/

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some new stuff in store and online as the weather cools here in Australia. We have some new AGP caps and a tee coming from AAGGG in the not too distant future – so keep your eyes peeled for that. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport. Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us! Check them out online, as they’ll have some branded merch available in Australia now – not just golf balls!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We’re back to devote an entire episode to Yarra Yarra – one of those Sandbelt courses that doesn’t quite get the love it deserves on occasions. We start the episode with a fast review of Scott’s recent Canberra visit, including his quick lap around Royal Canbera.

For those keen to visit Royal Canberra, click the link below -

https://www.royalcanberra.com.au/cms/golf/playing-at-royal-canberra/

During Scott’s October 2024 trip to Melbourne we took a look around Yarra Yarra, and have been keen to discuss the course and club ever since. We look at the history of the club from its earliest days, the move to the Sandbelt, tournament history at Yarra Yarra and the evolution of the course, from Alex Russell’s design, to the recent Renaissance Golf Design overhaul of the layout. The brilliant uphill par 3 11th,and re-sequencing of holes, and more.

For those keen to visit and play Yarra Yarra, click the link below -

https://www.yarrayarra.com.au/cms/golf/visitors-information/

Thanks to all the listeners who sent in questions and topics of interest to cover during this episode. Yes the greens get scary quick, and we hear you – most don’t love the tenth! 😊As discussed in the episode – the three reference texts we cited during the chat – links below.

Discovering Alex Russell

https://ryanpub.com.au/russell.htm

From Eyrie to Eagles

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/193830149112?_skw=from+eyrie+to+eagles+yarra+yarra&itmmeta=01JSTMQEW80SNQ5EMCY35KZX2G&hash=item2d212d5bf8:g:Ll0AAOSwNDNf7naa&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAABAFkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1dPwePbqA9%2Bgc8CikzSDdEevo6aO3AbNlYjba3K8EOz%2FzZvnwbFD%2Fp8ZbcBzjoMwq2oWPc8l%2BwLyRcGbT%2FVujMremr3aqIl1H%2FqVN0fHqVPSyieLY3mZLZggv9a8%2F58E1YyylydfBHKt8LLpNgicVam4JeNyC9ZqrCo8rhuBUGWjLK6HkigB4YlLmIyy%2B2IVHgXovN9OUX1X9VuuJEhmES9%2FQfiPookXSH4MgrL3CoOUo0XjxvHszsc36dZBzF5kAwHVQer07aU99O%2F8Lpq00RYgNrMk4CXHCBYRgfSoYDhdOF%2Fy2mO0Gmpz6mzAbC7EbM%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR67u3dTOZQ

The Story of The Yarra Yarra Golf Club

https://www.abebooks.com/Story-Yarra-Golf-Club-George-Thomson/30665018043/bd

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some new stuff in store and online as the weather cools here in Australia. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. More and more of you are making the switch to Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter(@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Tom Mackenzie from Mackenzie & Ebert is our guest for this episode, talking all things NSWGC redesign, plus the arm-wrestle between designing in the dirt and having a plan to work to, the tension between form and function, tricks for making tight sections of property feel spacious and why he thinks Melbourne is the best golf city in the world.

But before then, because this is who we are now, there's a mea culpa about the love lives of two of Gil Hanse's employees...

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus AndGrace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Imagesaccompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me- Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

Fast turn around from last episode to this – with RoyalSydney about to publicly unveil their newly renovated Gil Hanse golf course. After a recent multi-hour walk around the property with super Adam Marchant, Scott shares his views on the design, and the highlights of the reworked layout. Needless to say – expectations were exceeded!

Prior to that, we briefly discuss golf shoes and a PhD studyundertaken by a listener of the pod. The link below takes you to a 10 minute survey for a LaTrobe University Podiatry faculty research project on golf footwear. We hope you’re able to spare the time to participate. It will really help.

https://redcap.latrobe.edu.au/redcap/surveys/?s=W4WHC4YRM9ERYAP7

A few listener questions are an entrée to the main fare -chat on Rose Bay. We briefly talk about the imminent North Adelaide course overhaul by The Shark, and OCM works including Long Island and Riversdale. Links below for some of that!

Adelaide course work courtesy of Australian Golf Digest –

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/this-is-what-ive-dreamed-of-for-decades-norman-pumped-about-new-liv-golf-adelaide-project/

Long Island walk courtesy of The National GC website -

https://nationalgolf.com.au/journal/long-island-course-walk-august-2024/

And to finish a great hole by hole look at Royal Sydney, asnarrated by Gil Hanse!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/1069854367

As always – special thanks to our OG supporter - Angus AndGrace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Their pants, shorts, polos, vests, caps and more are brimming with style and quality.

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off forlisteners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point. Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Imagesaccompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me- Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

This episode affords the chance to review loads of little topics on the Australian golf landscape - courses re-opening after works, Karl Vilips breakthrough win, Matt's quick jaunt to Tara Iti, activities of panelists on the AGP Top 50 panel, and more of Scott's ball testing.

Metro, The Lakes, NSW, Mt Lawley, Royal Sydney and more are all discussed. It's been a busy little time.

As discussed - preview play at 7 Mile Beach is on the horizon. Details as published in Australian Golf Digest magazine are below -

https://www.australiangolfdigest.com.au/hobarts-7-mile-beach-announces-course-opening-date-for-preview-play/

The Chappell Foundation is conducting a fund-raising day at Capital Golf Club, with money directed to youth homelessness. $500 donation to play Capital and participate in a great day. Tickets below -

https://thechappellfoundation.com/melbournegolfday25

Those who wish to visit Te Arai - visit the link below to get more details -

https://tearai.com/

Seed Golf continues to provide an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to  ⁠⁠seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff – especially the collaboration with The Fliers Club. AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

New South Wales GC is baaaaaack!

Matt checks in with Scott after opening weekend at the newly-renovated NSWGC for a quick initial reaction to the changes. Spoiler: he enjoyed himself.

Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to  ⁠⁠seedgolf.com.au⁠ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff – especially the collaboration with The Fliers Club. AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The shorts are all world. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

An episode topic that has been consistently requested since we first started recording Australian Golf Passport – a deep dive into Golf Along The Might River Murray.  We’re joined by Brian Walshe – great friend of the pod, and a passionate golfer who has planned & enjoyed dozens of Murray River golf trips over the decades.

Courses, accommodation, meals, drinks, and everything you need to know about playing the game along the northern Victorian border. We get into it all as Brian provides an hour of expert insight.

As referenced in the episode – a few resources including Brendan James’ comprehensive guide to golf along the Murray River, as published in Golf Australia magazine back in 2022.

https://www.golfaustralia.com.au/feature/your-ultimate-murray-river-golf-guide-583810

And some more resources for planning a visit to the region –

https://golfonthemurray.com.au/ and https://www.visitthemurray.com.au/things-to-do/golf

Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to  ⁠https://seedgolf.com.au/ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff – especially the collaboration with The Fliers Club. AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The shorts are all world. Be the best dressed golfer at your club – visit Angus And Grace Go Golfing.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

We could have taken the easy way out and made this two episodes to chip away at our goal of 26 for the year, but instead here's two and a half hours of listening spanning four topics.

We open with a chat about sanity prevailing at Sandringham with the men's and women's Aussie Opens to be contested separately again from 2025 after a failed three-year experiment co-sanctioning the two. Where to for both tournaments after so much damage was done to their standing?

The main event is an hour-long deep dive on Commonwealth Golf Club in Melbourne, which has experienced an absolute renaissance thanks to a full course rebuild by Brian Slawnik. Scott and Matt were both crestfallen by what had become of Commo before the facelift and could not be more boyant about the club's future now with the course brought back to its best. If you want even more Commo content, head back to Ep 55, and immediate reaction which we recorded just an hour or so after throwing our clubs in the boot after our round.

And on top of that we have a chat with Eric from The Fliers Club, one of the many new-millennium golf societies that has brought passionate golfers together, and in this case on a bucket list trip to the great courses of Australia.

And finally, we've enjoyed talking golf balls so much with Dean Klatt from Seed since he came on board as a sponsor of the pod that we asked him to come on air for a chat about how and why he founded Seed, how you even go about designing your own golf balls, the work that's already underway at Seed to prepare for the coming rollback, and more.

Seed Golf has provided an introductory 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport.  Head to ⁠https://seedgolf.com.au/ and enter AGP at checkout to get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price point.  Thanks so much to Dean and all at Seed. Some of you have already tried Seed balls - thanks for supporting those who support us!

As always – special thanks to Angus & Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta feed and website for some new stuff - AAGGG are making some of the best golf apparel on the planet. And if you're in Melbourne, head to Middle Park Bowling Club on Sat 22 February from 1-6pm for the pop-up shop and The Fliers Club x AAGGG collab event.

Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators.

Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me - Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.c⁠om