The Golfer's Journal Podcast

When we started this podcast back in 2017, we didn’t have a grand plan. We just wanted to tell good golf stories and see where they took us. Two hundred episodes later, that’s still our north star.

To mark the occasion, we asked a few familiar voices from the show to pick their favorite episode from the first 199. TGJ’s Tom Coyne, Casey Bannon, Travis Hill and Alek Timm, along with our original host, No Laying Up’s D.J. Piehowski, each share why these shows stuck with them before rolling them out in full.

The result is nearly four hours of conversations that helped shape the podcast. It’s meant for long drives, holiday travel, and strolling down memory lane. Start at the beginning or jump around. Either way, thanks for listening.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here:⁠ ⁠⁠https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT⁠

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

(00:00:00) A thank you from Tom Coyne

(00:03:54) The story of Len Mattiace, selected by D.J. Piehowski

(01:02:38) Jimmy Dunne, selected by Tom Coyne

(01:29:20) Leon Panetta & Ted Balestreri, selected by Casey Bannon

(01:59:18) Sandra Boynton, selected by Travis Hill

(02:49:26) Keith Mitchell, selected by Alek Timm

(03:56:01) Here’s to the next 200

Jeff Warne has quietly led one of golf’s most interesting lives, from growing up in Augusta to building a stellar reputation as a top-100 instructor to becoming director of golf at The Bridge. He’s spent decades learning how clubs create the best experiences, and now he’s putting it into practice with one of his own with New Holland Golf Club, a new project rising amidst the Aiken golf boom. Warne joins Tom Coyne to lay out his vision for New Holland’s identity: a “firm but slow” heathland design, a UK-inspired access model, no cabins in sight, and a damn good hot dog bar. It’s an inside look at one of the most interesting new builds in American golf.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

They were can’t-miss kids. South Carolina standouts. PGA Tour hopefuls. Pioneers of golf’s YouTube era. But success is rarely a straight line. Alongside their feature in The Golfer’s Journal No. 34, George and Wesley Bryan sit down with TGJ managing editor Travis Hill to finally tell their whole story from the patio at Solina Golf Club, where it all began. They talk about the early days at Solina under their dad’s watch, the mini-tour failures, the trick-shot breakout that kept the lights on, and Wesley’s rapid climb to the PGA Tour. They also open up about their financial rock bottoms, the creative bets that paid off, and the growing tension with the PGA Tour as they carve their own path on YouTube. It’s the full arc of the Bryan Bros rise, fall, and rise again, told in their own words.

Editor’s Note: This podcast was recorded in May 2025.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

Author and essayist David Coggins has long explored the rituals that shape a life well lived. In his book The Optimist, he turns that focus to fly fishing, uncovering lessons in patience, humility, and craft that echo the same challenges found in golf. In this thoughtful conversation with host Tom Coyne, Coggins reflects on why the best days on the water—and the course—rarely come down to results, but to the time spent outside, learning and improving. Together, they wander through Scotland’s rivers and fairways, the art of slowing down, and the satisfaction of being a perpetual student in a pursuit that resists mastery.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

Few places in golf have inspired as much intrigue—or imitation—as Ohoopee Match Club. For founder Michael Walrath, it was never about simply building an exclusive playground. It was a simple promise to keep his friends connected. In this wide-ranging conversation with host Casey Bannon, Walrath shares how a 20-page “manifesto” became one of the most talked-about clubs in the world. From zebras in Georgia to a Michelin-level restaurant, he reveals the ideas, risks, and small rebellions that shaped Ohoopee’s identity as one of the best experiences in golf. Along the way, Walrath reflects on his parallel life as a tech CEO, why he thinks golf clubs are bad investments, and how chasing timelessness—not trends—has become his life’s most rewarding project.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist. 

Bud Cauley was a sure thing: three-time All-American at Alabama, Walker Cup star and one of the rare players to skip Q-School and go straight to the PGA Tour. But golf hardly follows a script. After injuries, multiple surgeries, and a near-fatal 2018 car accident that kept him away for more than three years, Cauley wasn’t sure if he had a future on the PGA Tour. Now 35, he joins host Tom Coyne from The Bear’s Club to reflect on the comeback season that vaulted him back into the spotlight. They discuss the role of family, friends like Justin Thomas keeping him going, and how fatherhood has reframed his approach to the game. It’s a genuine look at resilience from a player making the most of his second chance.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

This is part two of a two-part TGJ Podcast series that explores the simmering animosity and contrasting philosophies shaping the road to the 2025 Ryder Cup. The series is voiced by Chandler Withington, former head professional at Hazeltine National and a consultant to the winning American side in 2016.

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After another American collapse at Medinah in 2012, two very different approaches to team building came into focus. Europe leaned into culture, continuity and connection, while the U.S. searched for formulas, fixes and new leadership. Part two examines how those contrasting philosophies shape each side, and how they now collide on the eve of Bethpage in 2025.

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

The Golfer’s Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/subscribe

This is part one of a two-part TGJ Podcast series that explores the simmering animosity and contrasting philosophies shaping the road to the 2025 Ryder Cup. The series is voiced by Chandler Withington, former head professional at Hazeltine National and a consultant to the winning American side in 2016.

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Until the mid-1980s, the Ryder Cup was little more than a friendly exhibition dominated by American stars. But when Seve Ballesteros and Tony Jacklin rallied Europe at The Belfry in 1985, everything changed. Part one tells the story of how polite applause gave way to jeers, tense matches spilled into parking lots and a nearly forgotten event transformed into golf’s fiercest rivalry.

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

The Golfer’s Journal is made possible thanks to our members. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/subscribe

Dave “Phoenix” Farrell has led a different golf life. For more than two decades, he has played bass for Linkin Park, one of the most influential and highest-selling rock bands of all time. And whenever he’s offstage, he’s usually playing golf. His career has taken him all over the world and given him incredible opportunities. In this conversation with TGJ’s Travis Hill, Farrell shares stories of rounds at the world’s best courses while on tour, the friendships forged at the Dunhill Links, a three-birdie day at Augusta and how the game helped him navigate grief after the loss of the band’s former lead singer Chester Bennington. From architecture debates to wearing rubber pants at St. Andrews, Farrell proves his game can travel.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.

For Rich Shilling, keeping Philadelphia’s best muni in pristine condition is equal parts science, art and…honey. Maintaining Jeffersonville Golf Club—a Donald Ross gem that hosts more than 60,000 rounds a year—is no small task. In this episode, he joins host Tom Coyne from the Turf Care Center to talk about the craft of keeping a high-volume public course in country club condition: managing people, navigating wild weather patterns and sometimes sleeping at the course. He also explains how his on-property bee hives produce honey for the Philadelphia 76ers and serve as proof that golf and the environment can thrive together. Expect turf wisdom, tangents on divots and a superintendent who wouldn’t trade this life for anything.

The Golfer's Journal and this podcast are made possible by reader support. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider becoming a member here: https://glfrsj.nl/MembershipsYT

The Golfer’s Journal Podcast is presented by Titleist.