The Thing About Golf Podcast

There are few in golf whose contribution to the game could be compared to that of Sir Michael Bonallack. 

Unquestionably one of Britain’s greatest amateur players he has also been a long-time administrator of the game serving as both Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and later Captain of the R&A.

As a player, he enjoyed great success but few years were as glorious as the summer of 1968 when the then 33-year-old won the third of his five Amateur championships, his fifth English Amateur, the Brabazon Trophy and was the leading amateur at The Open Championship.

In this lengthy chat with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, Bonallack reflects on that wonderful summer and his extraordinary life and career in the game.

Christine Fraser is one of only a few women in the golf course design business but the Canadian native is one of the most eloquent speakers and broad thinkers about what golf course design can and should be. While understanding the importance of how golf holes are laid out, Christine has a unique ability to consider design through a much broader prism than simply the shape of golf holes. She’s an eloquent speaker and out of the box thinker and covers a lot of territory in this in depth chat with Rod Morri.

Like many TV analysts it’s easy to forget Sky Sports’ Ewen Murray was a player long before he ever sat behind a microphone.

In this wide-ranging interview with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan, he looks back on his playing career on the European Tour, the putting yips, how he got into television, his fallout with Tiger Woods and what he thinks of the current LIV Golf controversy. 

It’s a broad and rambling discussion from a man whose life has been immersed in the game and it’s well worth a listen.

The name Thomson is synonymous with golf, not only in Australia but globally. Five times Open Champion Peter is, of course, one of the game’s greats but ask his wife Mary and she’ll tell you that you never would have known it. 

The Peter Thomson the public saw, listened to and read his words was the same Peter Thomson Mary saw at home and the couple enjoyed more than 50 years of marriage, which remained strong from the day they met in the 1960’s to Peter’s passing in 2018.

Mary Thomson is a remarkable woman and in this detailed chat with host Rod Morri, she gives an insight into life with one of golf’s greats that few got to see.

The voice will be familiar but there is much more to Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner than most golf fans would ever guess. 

From humble beginnings growing up on a family-owned driving range and miniature golf course in a tough part of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lerner fell in love with the game. A by-product of his time working the range, is a single figure handicap and a couple of club championship trophies from the 1980s.

After years of working in the media, he finally achieved his dream job – one of the most sought-after seats in golf television. Here, Lerner shares some fabulous stories with John Huggan in another excellent episode of The Thing About Golf.

A golfer can only beat the field assembled on any given week under whatever conditions are present at the time and that’s exactly what Stephen Allan did at the 2002 Australian Open at Victoria Golf Club. 

Allan joins The Thing About Golf host Rod Morri to look back on what was not only one of the most controversial tournaments in recent memory but also the highlight of the Victorian’s lengthy career.

Can golf be more than just a game? 100 percent yes, according to our guest on Episode 79 of The Thing About Golf. 

Tony Blackburn is the founder of Golf in Society UK, an organisation whose goal is to help – through golf – those afflicted by dementia, Parkinson’s Disease and other chronic illnesses.

Tony joins host Rod Morri for a fascinating and powerful discussion on the therapeutic power of the game for patients and carers alike.

From an early age Nicolas Colsaerts knew he was good. Not in a cocky way, just an acknowledgement he could do things with a golf ball others couldn’t.

But Colsaerts is also well aware there is much more to life than golf and his thoughts on both the game and topics beyond make for fascinating listening in this chat with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan.

Jackie Newton and Kathie Shearer have been staunch friends since the early 1970’s when they met and married two of Australia’s finest golfers, Jack Newton and Bob Shearer.

Earlier this year both lost their golfing icon husbands, Bob in January and Jack in April. 

In this episode, The Thing About Golf host Rod Morri sits down with Kathie and Jackie to get an insight into what life was like with two of Australia’s favourite — and most successful — golfing sons.

Women and caddies – two perspectives we don’t hear enough of in golf media and both bundled up in one interview. 

The Thing About Golf's John Huggan sits down with lifelong friend, mixed foursomes partner, former European Tour caddie and now one of the first women members at Scotland's Muirfield, Lindsey Garden. 

Lindsey caddied for Wayne Riley in his memorable 1991 Australian Open win at Royal Melbourne and that’s just one of many great tales in this chat.