Australian Golf Passport

A real treat to speak with one of the world’s greatest golf course architects – Tom Doak. After starting in the golf architecture world with Pete & Alice Dye, Tom founded Renaissance Golf Design decades ago and has travelled the world building some of the finest courses in the game. We speak with Tom about his experiences in Australia including Barnbougle, St Andrew’s Beach, consulting at Royal Melbourne, the people he’s met and more. He shares his architectural knowledge, views and insights with us, in a chat that could have extended for hours more if time were to permit. We hope you enjoy listening as much as we enjoyed recording! Thanks so much to Tom for his time. 😊

For those less familiar with Tom’s works – click the link here for a look at his portfolio –

https://www.renaissancegolf.com/

And while we didn’t really speak much about Tom’s writings, he’s published a ton through his career. For those interested links to purchase some of Tom’s books below, including Anatomy of a Golf Course, his biographical work on Alister MacKenzie and several volumes of The Confidential Guide.

https://www.doakgolf.com/bookstore/

As always – special thanks to Matt and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And don't sleep on the AAGGG rain jacket - as modelled by Scott on his recent trip to Tara Iti.

Thanks to Dean and his crew at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we will see some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

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

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

After an eventful week of golf twitter exchanges about tea tree and the sandbelt we have a timely interview to lead off this episode. Kate Torgersen from Environmental Golf Solutions joins us to talk about her career in golf. Starting with her time in turf management, then the switch to flora. We talk about her experiences, the people and courses she’s worked with, as well as the under-appreciated & important role she plays within the broader golf industry. She shares her knowledge of indigenous plants, and her views on lots of different points of interest to our audience. Learn more about Kate and Environmental Golf Solutions here - https://www.envirogolf.com.au/the-team

We then move to a discussion between Scott and Matt that focuses on vegetation, with a particular focus on the Sandbelt. We hope this chat builds an understanding among the listenership of the basis for so much important work that is getting done on-course. And that some widely accepted and long-held misconceptions are addressed.

As mentioned in the episode – a great article by Will Watt of Contours on the use of fire to manage indigenous vegetation - The Royal Back Burn - https://contours.golf/journal/the-royal-burn-back/

The reference texts cited within this episode were -

Flora of Melbourne - https://www.publish.csiro.au/book/8155/

Indigenous Plants of the Sandbelt - https://openlibrary.org/books/OL28493513M/Indigenous_Plants_of_the_Sandbelt

C.S. Sutton report within The Naturalist, 1912 - https://archive.org/details/biostor-120900

Claude Crockford’s The Complete Golf Course - Turf and Design - https://www.finegolfbooks.com/pages/books/13684/claude-crockford/the-complete-golf-course-turf-and-design

As always – special thanks to Matt and his staff at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And don't sleep on the AAGGG rain jacket - as modelled by Scott at Tara Iti last month.

Thanks to Dean and his crew at Seed Golf – they provide 20% off for listeners to Australian Golf Passport via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Check their site for Seed merch – we will see some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

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

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

Two of the heavyweights of world golf are the stars for this episode – Royal Melbourne West and Tara Iti. Scott recently returned from a quick hit and run trip to Tara Iti and played both courses at Te Arai as well. The rounds at Tara Iti had him thinking it might even surpass the famed West course at RM as the Southern Hemisphere’s best.

We discuss the genesis of the course at Mangawhai – including the seminal GolfClubAtlas thread in which Tom Doak put out a call for people to nominate sites on which his client could develop one of the best courses in the world – turns out it was even earlier than we though it was. 2005, and long time GCA contributor Ash Towe was the one who steered the ship towards the East coast of New Zealand, north of Auckland.

https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,19775.msg351600.html#msg351600

The site, the routing, and so much more of Tara Iti is discussed. Strong holes on both layouts, contrasted with the weaker links in the chains. The assortment of holes on both courses is a focus – short and long threes, driveable fours, more testing long two shot holes as well as reachable fives. Big greens and small, aggressive greens and artistic hazards. We chat about it all. The amazing landscape on which Tara Iti is built, and more.

As mentioned, this excellent hole by hole look at Tara Iti courtesy of Golf Digest is a great entrée into a chat about the course. https://youtu.be/U6_5cGQhnDA?si=t3I69xGH5tXKiwty

We also make mention throughout the episode of the NoLayingUp piece that Soly recorded at Tara Iti back at the end of the debut season of Tourist Sauce – the link for that is here - https://youtu.be/VV40tk_5fis?si=I7YoALIqEEIv1Jwb

There’s no longer the option for unaccompanied visitors to play Tara Iti unfortunately. But both courses next door at Te Arai are well worth the travel.

For those who have an appetite for more Tara Iti content – Charlie Mercer has dedicated several episodes of his excellent NZ based golf podcast, The Yardage Book podcast, to Tara Iti and Te Arai. His episodes with Jim Rohrstaff, Tron Carter and Michael Wolff are well worth going back to for a listen.

Link to Tron’s episode here - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/tron-carter-unpacks-his-recent-trip-to-tara-iti-and/id1714222287?i=1000708867879

Those who wish to visit Royal Melbourne to play West can enquire through this link. https://www.royalmelbourne.com.au/visitors/

We round out this episode with a hole by hole match play of TI v RMW comparing like for like holes, and where would we be without a four word course review to conclude? This was a fun one to record, given the quality of both courses under consideration – we hope you enjoy listening as much as we did recording!

As always – special thanks to Matt and his crew at Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock now and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crispwhite tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And don't sleep on the AAGGG rain jacket - as modelled by Scott at Tara Iti earlier in the month.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue 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. Check their site for Seed merch – we might be getting some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

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

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

The week before last afforded the chance for Scott, Matt and Dean from Seed to share a game on a sunny and breezy Saturday afternoon at Royal Queensland. Before and after the game several RQ members proudly hosted a tour of the land east of the Gateway Bridge, describing the imminent development of new holes, and plans for refinement of the existing course. Paul and JM discuss all this and more with us after the round, with a red in hand, in the bowels of the RQ clubhouse. The passion and vision at RQ is obvious, and members are justifiably proud of their wonderful course and Club. We’re sure you’ll enjoy this chat about the golf course, the role as 2032 Olympic golf host, and so much more. Thanks to Dean and everyone at Royal Queensland for a wonderful day.

Those of you who wish to visit the course can enquire via the link below.

https://www.rqgolf.com.au/web/pages/golf-bookings-2

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. The new Australian Golf Passport cap will be in stock soon – it’s smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crisp white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And the AAGGG range of warmer winter clothing is superb. Especially the jackets, fleece vests and caps. Do yourself a favour and grab some AAGGG today.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue 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. Check their site for Seed merch – we might be getting some caps, gloves and other goodies hitting our shores. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

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

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

After visiting Peninsula Kingswood together late last year Scott & Matt finally get around to devoting an entire episode to this gem of a course. There’s the inevitable comparisons drawn between South and it’s sibling course, but so much more too. Discussion of the many strengths of the course, as well as it’s perceived weaknesses. The cool collection of threes, the great short fours, the grandstand finish and more. Creeks, great veg, and superb condition that’s apparent during every visit. Scott plans out a composite routing on the PK property, which could have made a grand home for the Presidents Cup. And you’ll want to stay till the end for Scott’s FWCR of PK South.

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. The new Australian Golf Passport cap will be in stock soon – it’s smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crisp white tee with the AGP logo too, which is also very sharp. And the AAGGG range of warmer winter clothing is superb. Especially the jackets, fleece vests and caps. Do yourself a favour and grab some AAGGG today.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue 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. Keep your eyes and ears out for some upcoming content where we get into the weeds on all things golf balls with Dean too.

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

A really special episode this time around, with the voices of five different golfers all fleshing out the experience of preview play over the eleven holes currently open at the new Mike DeVries and Mike Clayton Seven Mile Beach course in Hobart.

Will Kay, Will Watt, Sam MacDonald, Jared Kendler and Chris Kane all share their experiences of visiting and playing the course. It will definitely whet the appetites of all those who are yet to lay eyes on what is sure to become recognised as one of the best courses in the land.

You can book your own visit now on the Seven Mile Beach website - preview play is now open for all until the end of October.

As mentioned in Scott and Matt's chat at the start of the episode, some links below for golf at some special courses.

The Peninsula Home Hospice Annual Charity Golf Day scheduled for Monday October 6 at Frankston Golf Club - https://peninsulahospice.com.au/news-events/

Publicly available tee times at RACV Healesville – https://healesville.miclub.com.au/cms/public-bookings/

A link to find out more about the Stay & Play package at Crown Towers, accessing the exclusive Capital Golf Club - https://www.crownmelbourne.com.au/hotels/crown-towers/offers/stay-play

And the book Sweet Spot – a superb publication celebrating the best of New Zealand golf – visit https://sweetspotgolfbook.com/ for more

Thanks again to all those who participated in this episode. It was a fun one to put together and we hope you all enjoy listening to it as much as we did working on it!

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. The new Australian Golf Passport cap is in stock and smoking hot. A small run, so grab one while you can.  There’s a crisp white tee with the logo too, which is also very sharp. And the AAGGG range of warmer winter clothing is superb. Especially the fleece vests and caps. Do yourself a favour and grab some today.

Thanks also to Dean and all at Seed Golf – they continue 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.

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

Matt flying solo for this one, with special guest Ewan Porter discussing a range of topics, as Scott was racking up the birdie alongside Nick Mills on his beloved NSW GC at the time of recording. Our anchor will be back for the next episode – which we’re really excited about. More to come on that soon…

We start this episode off recapping Ewan’s experiences on playing every metropolitan golf course in Sydney, along with some details of his times with the Gala Boys, and vintage equipment. He shares his thoughts on golf courses, as well as his views on the pro game, the evolving landscape of pro golf, and we touch on his own pro career. Scott’s emergency text from on-course during recording has Ewan considering a few head-to-head match ups of Sydney layouts. The Next Gen Am Tour is a focus of discussion – a topic near and dear to Ewan’s heart. We also spend some time looking back on Ewan’s pro career, and his stellar final round to clinch a wire-to-wire win in the Nationwide Tour / Aus PGA Tour co-sanctioned 2008 Moonah Classic. It was great fun to chat with Ewan. We hope you enjoy it!

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

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