British designer Clyde Johnson sits down to answer 24 questions from Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan. He discusses building the world’s largest Himalayas putting green at Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, how his upbringing playing golf in the U.K. influences his design perspective, how the golf architecture business in England and Scotland differs from the U.S. and how the best courses are those that embrace their natural landscapes.

Photos: Cover page, St. Patrick’s Links (courtesy of the club). Above, The Himalayas at Rodeo Dunes (Clyde Johnson).

See Derek narrate “Every Hole at Aronimink” here.

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Brett Hochstein is one of the most prominent shapers and collaborators in contemporary golf course design having worked closely with Tom Doak, Gil Hanse, Todd Eckenrode and many other designers. Most recently he was instrumental in the reconstruction of the bunkers and greens at Pasatiempo with Jim Urbina while simultaneously building a roster of his own unique clients.

Brett sits down with Derek to discuss the replication process at Pasatiempo using photography from 1929 and 1930, the possibility of re-establishing the greens at one of Alister MacKenzie’s last course designs in Sacramento, the importance of knowing when to keep your mouth shut, the current state of Himalayas putting greens, the nebulous route to becoming an architect and how mowing adjustments can enhance the playability of even simple municipal courses.

Photos: Cover page, Pasatiempo, hole 8 (courtesy of the club). Above, Lake Merced (Derek Duncan).

See Derek narrate “Every Hole at Aronimink” here.

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The evolution of Aronimink Golf Club in Philadelphia is one of the most interesting and mildly contentious in American golf. This episode of The Rap with Ron Prichard, who consulted at the club from 1994 to 2015, gets into the details of why.

Photos: Cover page, Aronimink, hole 3. Above, hole 10 (Derek Duncan).

See “Every Hole at Aronimink” here.

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Joe Hancock is one of the OG’s of golf course building and shaping, and has worked with the profession’s greatest architects. The list of courses’s he’s helped build is staggering. He joins Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan to discuss how Mike DeVries pulled him into golf design, how his own sense of frugality influences his design outlook, the importance of collaboration in successful design, how the experiential side of golf may be more important than the strategic intentions, the value of creative thought versus using precedent for inspiration and the advice he’d give to younger shapers hoping to have a long career in this industry.

Photos: Cover page, Midland Hills(courtesy of the club). Above, Yeamans Hall.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 7th hole at Pebble Beach.

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Architect David Kahn of Jackson Kahn Design comes back to the podcast to update us on his twin daughters afflicted with juvenile Batten disease and the 2026 Take a Swing Fore Batten auction. He also sits in the spotlight to answer questions about the challenges and advantages of building estate courses for private owners (that no other golfers get to see), how he views the contemporary trend of idolizing architecture tropes of the past, how Mike Strantz has influenced his outlook on design, developing the courage to build anything he and Tim Jackson can envision and putting the art of golf course design at the center of his ambitions.

Photos: Cover page, Monterey Peninsula Dunes Course (Jon Cavalier). Above, Scottsdale National’s Other Course.

Music: “24 Frames” by Jason Isbell.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 7th hole at Pebble Beach.

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Golf course designer Dave Zinkand joins Derek Duncan on the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about his work at Bandon Trails and Bandon Preserve with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, what “sympathetic restoration” looks like to him, what Harry Colt and Tom Simpson taught him about using the ground surrounding hazards, establishing name recognition with new clients and the power of having time on your side.

Photos: Cover page, Desert Forest (courtesy of the club). Above, Bandon Preserve.

Music: “24 Frames” by Jason Isbell.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 7th hole at Pebble Beach.

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Jim Urbina returns to the podcast, this time back in the guest chair, for a free-flowing discussion about the proliferation of bunkers in contemporary design, the sameness of courses now, whether designers and developers are pushing a vision or emulating others, and how much William Watson he feels he needs to bring back to his remodel of the Ocean Course at Olympic Club in San Francisco.

Photos: Cover page, Pasatiempo. Above, Loblolly G.C., Hobe Sounds, Fla.

Music: “Photograph,” REM with Natalie Merchant.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 7th hole at Pebble Beach.

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The post Episode 100: Jim Urbina 2 appeared first on Feed The Ball.

Golf designer Jay Blasi comes on the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about the challenges and importance of good public golf, comparing building new holes on top of existing holes versus working new land, the expectations versus outcome of Chambers Bay, the challenge of having to deal with cart paths, the challenge of making it in a tough industry where you’re two calls away from being out of business and much, much more.

Photos: Cover page, Lakeside Country Club (Laurie Perez). Above, Poppy Ridge (Poppy Ridge).

Music: “24 Frames,” Jason Isbell.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point.

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Ran Morrissett is the founder of GolfClubAtlas.com, the most influential golf architecture website of the past 25 years, which means, of all time. He’s a prolific writer and photographer, a consultant in course designs like The Roost at Cabut Citrus Farms in Florida, the former administrator for Golf Magazine’s top 100 U.S. and World courses, and one of the most eloquent advocates for pure, uncomplicated golf, which means walking courses in quiet environments with an absence of accoutrement or attitude.

Ran joins Derek Duncan to discuss golf in quiet places, the possibilities of bunkerless golf courses, the process of building The Roost with three different designers, the challenge of new designers routing courses, the highs and occasional lows of the Golf Club Atlas community and whether we shouldn’t be ranking courses based on experience versus architecture.

Photos: Cover page, The Roost at Cabot Citrus Farms (Carolina Pines Golf). Above, Barnbougle Dunes (Penelope Sattler).

Music: “The Unguarded Moment,” The Church.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point.

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Jeff Stein began his career shaping courses for Gil Hanse, Tom Doak, Jim Urbina and other designers. Now he has his own business consulting with clubs and a partnership with Brian Ross designing new courses. They recently opened Great Dunes on Jekyll Island in Georgia and are exploring other opportunities. Jeff talks with Derek Duncan about the unpredictability of the equipment available when building courses, combining the Walter Travis architecture at Great Dunes with parts of a Dick Wilson design, the happiest experience he’s had building golf, his unique job at Ohoopee Match Club and the intricacies of Devereaux Emmet.

Photos: Cover page, The Seawane Club (Larry Lambrecht). Above, Ohoopee Match Club.

Music: “24 Frames,” Jason Isbell.

Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point.

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