The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

Sam sits down with 1991 Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch. A player whose name is woven into both the history of the game and the soundtrack of its most memorable moments.

Best known for his remarkable victory at Royal Birkdale, Ian’s story extends far beyond that week in 1991. After his playing career, he became one of golf’s most recognisable and respected broadcasters, spending more than 25 years behind the microphone calling some of the sport’s most dramatic moments for audiences around the world.

In this conversation, Ian reflects on his journey through the professional game, from the pressure and triumph of winning The Open Championship to the challenges that followed, and how he ultimately found a second life in the commentary box. 

Known as one of golf’s most generous and well-liked characters, Ian was kind enough to give us his time while enjoying some well-earned rest and relaxation in New Zealand. The result is a thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation about resilience, perspective, and a lifetime in the game.

A link to Ian's wonderful biography written by Geoff Suanders can be found here and we highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself.  

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Sam & Peter sit down to discuss this year's Sunningdale Foursomes. Peter was our man on the ground following all the action. Congratulations to Jamie McGeoch and Ellie Lichtenhein on surviving seven rounds of match play to win the 92nd Sunningdale Foursomes.

Ellie is the first Sunningdale member to win the event since 2009 - a fitting finish to one of the finest weeks in the British golfing calendar.

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In part 2, Tom takes us through Pete's trip to Scotland that inspired his work with Alice as a course designer. 

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Pt 1 of our 2 part special on the life and legacy of Peter Dye: 1925 - 2020. 

In part one, Tom takes us through the first 38 years of the life of Pete Dye, beginning with his early years in Ohio and growing up on a course built by his father Paul. Pete would go on to quite school early, enlist in the Army and take a career defining trip to Scotland with wife Alice. 

This is part of an exciting series we are running this year where we explore the life and legacy of the architects that have shaped the 4 major venues in 2026 (+ the players)!

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Sam & Tom sit down to review their visit to Conwy Golf Club on the north coast of Wales. With a history stretching back to 1869, and Hoylake professional Jack Morris the man behind the initial design, Conwy is a breathtaking piece of land on which to play golf. We had a great time here, settling a club championship match in a four-club wind.

In more recent years, Frank Pennink re-designed much of the course following the two World Wars in the first half of the 20th century. Most recently, Mackenzie & Ebert’s work with the club has seen gorse removed, green sites enlarged, and bunkers returned to more naturalised shapes.

For those of you who follow the trials and tribulations of our matches on the road, the ‘Club Championship’ section of the website is filled with match reports as we go, along with a league table tracking our performance records.

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Tom and Sam sit down to discuss the golf over the weekend, with Anthony Kim winning for the first time in fifteen years and Colin Morikawa prevailing at Pebble Beach for the first time in two and a half years. 

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Josh Simpson joins the podcast (a.k.a 'the Ginger Golfer') to talk about his world record breaking effort over the last 12 months playing 652 courses in a year, eclipsing the previous 581 World Record. 

We talk about Josh's introduction to the sport, and how he turned a tragic chapter in his life into a force for good, raising nearly £100,000 for two wonderful charities: Macmillan Cancer Support and Tapping House. We've put the link for further donations here so you can contribute to the money raised.

We also discuss the trials and tribulations of life on the road, some of his favourite courses and also his - soon to be trademarked - shower rating system. The 10 point rating criteria can be found below:

• 2.5pts: Shower Pressure
• 2pts: Temperature (consistency & warmth)
• 2pts: 'Look'
• 1pt Towel Provided (yes or no)
• 1pt: Privacy / Draft / Space
• 0.5pts: Amenities (0.1pt for each amenity provided)
• 0.5pts: Dials accessed without getting hands wet
• 0.5pts: No need to keep pushing to activate

(Only Sunningdale & The Caversham have swept up 10 points so far!)

Follow Josh and his adventure along here. 

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Sam sits down for a catch-up with friend of the pod, West Byfleet membership secretary and exceptional writer Richard Pennell. Together, they cover a wide range of topics, including Richard’s latest book, Common Grounds, which chronicles his journeys to some of the rawest and purest forms of the game.

Building on the success of his first book - Grass Routes - you can secure a copy through the wonderful folks over at Grant Books here. 

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Tom sits down with Golf Badgers’ James Bledge at BTME in Harrogate to discuss the event.

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Sam and Tom sit down in the West Sussex clubhouse to chat to one half of Mackenzie & Ebert - Tom Mackenzie - about his love affair with landscapes, and a career in course architecture. We talk about West Sussex and making alterations to your home course, as well as work further afield. 

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