Almost two years ago, when I last wrote about my favourite golf podcasts (that article is still consistently in the top 5 pages visited on ukgolfguy.com) I wrote about an explosion in golf podcasts - but it turns out that was just the warm up. 2019 saw another plethora of golf podcasts land, and the choice can be a little bewildering.
Personal taste is a massive issue when it comes to choosing which podcasts to have on the go, so I recognise that my selections may not be everyone’s choices. But hopefully the list will give you some inspiration if you are looking for something for your daily commute or workout in the gym. Enjoy, and feel free to let me know any I’m missing!
MY MUST LISTENS
I pretty much listen to every episode of these podcasts. In general they aren’t affiliated with a publisher but have a strong independent streak, and cover a wide range of topics.
I have written before about being an unashamed fanboy of Lawrence Donegan and John Huggan. Their ByTheMinute podcast was one of the earliest, and one of the best, examples of the genre and I am delighted that the two have got together again.
The podcast hasn’t been going long (it started in earnest at the end of September) and the plan is to release a new edition at the beginning of each week to discuss current golf affairs as well as sometimes diving into more general topics. There have been a couple of excellent guests so far (Mike Clayton and Denis Pugh) and I think the hosts will be pretty discerning about who they have on the show.
One of the things I like about McKellar is that Huggan and Donegan are beholden to no one and aren’t worried about talking about some of the ridiculousthings that go on in the world of golf today. They won’t hold back in their criticism of things they disagree with, but equally, here you have two people who are very well informed and really care for the game and its future.
I hope that they are able to sustain the regular drop of episodes we have seen in the early months. Some of the other podcasts on this list are a requisite of people’s jobs, this isn’t the case for Donegan and Huggan. It does promote the excellent McKellar magazine. Let’s hope that this one keeps going. They both make the golf world a richer place.
The Cut is a relatively new golf podcast but has quickly made it onto my ‘Must Listen’ list. It is produced by the BBC and features their golf correspondent, Ian Carter, and their best commentator, Andrew Cotter. From a frequency point of view they are pretty reliable through the main golf season, and will let you know when they are taking a break.
They tend to concentrate on current golf events - particularly when they are live on the site. The BBC still sends a team to the Majors and other big events, so during those weeks there is likely to be a good selection of interviews with leading players.
The European players are all very familiar with Carter from his many years of work with the BBC and Cotter through this and his much-discussed corporate work. As a result, you will normally get an interview which is fairly relaxed but probing, and Carter and Cotter will often elicit a good nugget or insight that others would struggle to get.
The pod is pretty European-centric and I’m not entirely sure how well the very (very) dry humour and references to 1980s British children’s TV translates in other parts of the globe. However, for those of us who can pick up on those it is very entertaining.
Don’t expect to necessarily get the hard-hitting ‘takes’ of some of the other podcasts. In their day jobs, Carter and Cotter rely on having a good relationship with the tours and players and that may dictate their style a little. However, I don’t think this takes away from the quality of their output. They are two of the very best voices in the game today.
From the ashes of the previously lauded ‘iSeekGolf’ podcast comes the Good-Good Golf Podcast. It was always likely that ISG was doomed after my appearance on episode 99 but the segue into Good-Good was easy.
The ISG hosts, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue have been joined by 'Feed the Ball’ host Derek Duncan. The content has evolved a little from the ISG podcasts. Their pitch is that ‘Good-Good is the golf show for the serious golfer. We celebrate everything great about the game, from course architecture to promoting public golf’.
There are slightly fewer interviews and conversations around current tour events than there were in iSeekGolf and more discussion and conversations between the three hosts on, dare I say it, the State of the Game. I maybe found the ISG podcasts a little more varied in their subject matter. It is early days though and I am sure that the content will evolve as 2020 develops and they have a full season of issues to discuss.
In common with all my ‘Must Listens’ the hosts of this show are intelligent and have a lot to offer when discussing the current position and future development of the game. All three of them bring a something to the party. Rod has a fantastic interviewing style, he is expertly guides the conversation and is not scared to provoke when required. Adrian is the unashamed intellectual of the group, and he is really thriving on this platform. There is also the opportunity to hear more from Derek Duncan of Feed the Ball fame whose strong credentials from the world of golf course architecture shine through.
One of the challenges for anyone trying to make a living in the current media world is how to make money producing content that we are getting so used to accessing for free. Morri has brought together a selection of golf podcasts into one place - Talkingolf. The idea is that a network of podcasts will be able to generate an audience attractive to advertisers. The standard is high and it would be great to see a model like this work.
The juggernaut that is No Laying Up continues. What started as a twitter feed, before evolving into a podcast, now has more arms and legs than a centipede (if, indeed, centpides have arms and legs?!). There is a merchandise area, spin-off podcast, excellent video travelogue channel, online forum, subscription only area and a travel company. These guys are very busy.
The NLU team have given up their previous day jobs to concentrate full time on making a success of the NLU franchise. They have managed to straddle the line between embracing ‘new’ media while having considered opinions, delivered with thought and passion. To monetise the brand they will have to rely on more than just the podcast. I really hope these other ventures give them what they need financially to carry on.
The podcast output has been pretty prodigious over the last 12 months - over 80 in 2019 - and that’s without the live Twitter video broadcasts during various big events. I probably listened to over 90% of these and the quality was very high throughout the year.
One of the concerns I had in the past was that they might find it hard not to go too ‘corporate’. Were they really going to criticise the distance the ball goes when Callaway pays their wages? Would they give the PGA Tour an easy time to ensure they got access to events and players?
It’s become clear though that they can tread that line well. They did a piece on golf course architecture and lamented the distance the ball is going - they must reckon that Callaway would still sell balls even if they didn’t go quite as far.
As for the PGA Tour, they are not at all shy to criticise, although Alan Shipnuck suggests here that that may be causing them a few issues. If that is the case then that is short-sighted of the Tour and it’s pleasing that NLU are still pushing on and being true to themselves.
Most of all, what I like about No Laying Up is their enthusiasm. They revel in celebrating what is good in the game, while pointing out some of the absurdities. They are just as happy discussing the current form of the world’s top talent as what makes a good golf trip or the finances that drive the modern game. And, although this is a podcast review, I would urge you to check out their travel series on YouTube. They are shot brilliantly, with some great story-telling.
So here we are again! There is a sense of deja vu as I write this. Here’s what I wrote in 2018 -
‘State of the Game is the best in the business. The combination of Rod Morri, Geoff Shackelford and Mike Clayton is gold-dust. However, their podcasts are so few and far between these days that they may need to be retired from the list. Fortunately, Morri hosts the iSeekgolf podcast now, Shackelford has his Shackhouse and Clayton has the media profile of a Kardashian these days, so you can hear plenty from all of them in various places. I would argue though that they are never better than when together.’
This almost all still applies. Alas, there have only been three episodes of the show in the last 6 months. When one appears it goes straight to the top of my list of golf podcasts to listen to. All is not lost though. Mike Clayton is very generous with his time and you don’t have to wait too long before he appears on one of the other podcasts on this list. Rod has Good-Good as well as a few other podcasts on the go.
However, we are missing the opinions of Geoff Shackelford at the moment. It would be great if 2020 bought an outlet for us to hear his views on the game more frequently. Even better if State of the Game got into a regular routine with these three back on air together.
SOMETIMES LISTEN
Even with a long commute and a fair bit of dog walking, there are only so many hours in the day to listen to a golf podcast. I’ve enjoyed all of the below at different times and will generally check out the subject matter of an episode before deciding whether to listen.
THE ROUND GOLF PODCAST
This was a bit of a sleeper for me but now I’ve listened to every episode and really enjoyed them. The basic premise is that the host, Richard Kaufman, speaks to a guest about the most significant round of golf in their life. They don’t give a shot-by-shot analysis of the round but rather explain the context of it and its impact on them.
The discussion starts with this premise but you usually get an in-depth look at a player’s career, their influences and a really good insight into their personality. Kaufman is a very ‘warm’ interviewer who elicits a lot from his subjects.
These also age well, so you can dip into the back catalogue without a worry that they are no longer relevant. The interviews with John E Morgan, Laura Davies and Matthew Southgate would all serve as a good introduction to the pod.
GOLF WEEKLY
I will resist the usual dig about the title of this podcast being a misnomer. This Irish-based podcast has upped its output over the last year and, through the key golf months, managed a podcast pretty much every week.
As an Irish pod, it obviously leans towards all things from Emerald Isle but it is not generally an esoteric listen. It mainly covers current professional events but the hosts will happily provoke debate on a wide variety of subjects. It’s all done with a very good sense of humour, sometimes with quite a biting edge.
My only slight quibble, and probably the thing that holds me back from listening a bit more, is when the podcast lands and, associated with that, the nature of the content. It often comes out towards the end of the week and spends a fair chunk of time reviewing the previous week’s action and previewing the current week’s event. The problem is that I have usually already listened to several reviews of the previous week’s events, which will seem like an age ago, and the previews of the current week just come too late as the events are often already underway.
This is a relatively minor issue, but if they fix it, this will be a ‘must listen’ next year!
THE SHOTGUN START
One quibble people often have with podcasts is their publishing reliability and the relevance of the content (see above!). Well you can forget any such concerns with The Shotgun Start. The level of output from hosts Andy Johnson and Brendan Porath is quite breathtaking. They have a new show every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning, published first thing, and have clocked in over 160 editions in 2019, each one lasting around an hour.
The Shotgun Start focuses on the professional tours as well as covering significant amateur events. The style of the two hosts is incredibly laconic. It’s just two guys having a chat about what’s going on in the golf world at the time. However, don’t mistake the laid-back style for a lack of depth or rigour. The level of knowledge and research, particularly from Johnson, is phenomenal. He is a walking encyclopedia when it comes to players’ stats and histories.
The frequency means that this podcast is probably the most topical in golf; they record after the conclusion of the PGA event on a Sunday evening. When they go off-piste, some of the discussions go over my head as I don’t follow any other US sports, but those never last too long!
I am becoming a big fan of this podcast and, if you are interested in the professional game, it is well worth a listen.
FEED THE BALL
I wouldn’t describe myself as a golf course architecture geek. If I were, I imagine that Derek Duncan’s excellent Feed the Ball podcast would be at the very top of my list. In a little under 2 years Derek has established himself as one of the most thoughtful and interesting voices in the game.
Every episode has the same construct. Derek talks to a guest (normally an architect) about their careers, their thoughts on design. the state of the industry and the future. Not being an architecture expert, I have often not heard of the guests before listening to an episode, but Derek chooses his guests well and coaxes fascinating insights from them with his endearing, easy to listen to style. Since listening my knowledge of and interest in golf course architecture has definitely increased.
The interviews can be long but they are easy listens. If you haven’t listened before, the Mike Clayton and David McLay Kidd pods from early 2019 are good places to jump in, and the recent Jim Urbina episode was one of the very best.
TALKINGOLF HISTORY
2019 saw the launch of Talkingolf History. Hosted by American golf historian Connor T Lewis, this podcast does exactly what it says on the tin. In each episode, Connor discusses an aspect of the game’s history with an expert. Connor clearly has a real passion for the subject matter which shines through in his broadcasting. He chooses his guests well and they bring real expertise to the subjects covered.
There is a North American skew to date and it will be interesting to see how the podcast develops. While I am sure the UK and US have the best researched areas of golf history I think it would be fascinating if, at times, Connor took a look at the evolution of the game in other parts of the world.
Connor is also prolific on social media. He has founded ‘The Society of Golf Historians’, driven through his Twitter and Facebook feeds. These are a good ways to find out what is coming up in future podcasts and the Facebook group is becoming a place where others are regularly sharing interesting historical articles and opinions.
LIFE ON TOUR
I was originally fairly skeptical about the European Tour’s house podcast. I had assumed we would get a slightly anodyne Pravda-esque production. Fortunately, that is not the case. The format means the podcast doesn’t need to deal with topical controversies, rather you have Andrew Cotter interviewing a well known golf personality.
Cotter’s easy-going style works very well in this format and the interviews last around an hour each which means you get a level of depth you will rarely find elsewhere. Well worth a listen.
GOLF.COM
I’ve slightly lost the plot with the branding of the podcast from Golf magazine. I think it is called the Drop Zone at the moment but there has been a few incarnations, so I will stick with Golf.com for now.
The regular hosts, Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier are journalists at Golf magazine and release a new podcast every week, with the focus on US personalities and the PGA Tour. They have a good line-up of interviewees during the course of a season and I tend to dip in when one of those is of particular interest to me.
The episodes that really stand out are Alan Shipnuck and Michael Bamberger’s major tournament previews and reviews. These episodes absolutely make it into the ‘must listen’ category. The previews are likely to meander in many different directions, including anecdotes from previous editions of the events they have covered. They usually record their Major reviews on the Sunday night of the event, in a local restaurant, while still giddy about whatever has unfolded that day. This makes for some of the very best golf podcasts.
THE FRIED EGG
Another Andy Johnson production, the Fried Egg covers a range of topics from golf course architecture to the professional and amateur games. This has been a grower on me since it began.
Andy’s incredible knowledge of the game again shines through and he has had a fantastic line-up of guests. Geoff Ogilvy and Tom Doak both appear frequently and those episodes go straight to the top of my listening pile. However, many of the lesser names also entertain.
There are some episodes I opt out of. These tend to cover some of the less well-known US courses or events. There’s just not enough hours in my week to listen to everything!
I would love to know what Andy’s business model is. He produces a phenomenal amount of output, and his research must be very time-consuming, yet his podcasts have only the lightest commercial element to them. Whatever it is, the listener is benefiting from it!
THE CLUBPROGUY PODCAST
The NoLayingUp interview with ClubProGuy is still probably the funniest golf podcast every made. If you haven’t heard it then follow this link and enjoy.
ClubProGuy started out on Twitter where we were introduced to the ex-Mexican mini-tour player who is now a club pro. He has since branched out into producing some highly entertaining videos and this occasional podcast. In them, he interviews pros who appreciate his unique sense of humour. It’s worth a listen, but to get all the gags make sure you follow him on Twitter too.
ON MY LIST FOR 2020
These are the podcasts I’ll be listening to more in 2020. I’ve only listened to a few of each but I’ve liked what I’ve heard so far.
THE GOLFER’S JOURNAL
The Golfer’s Journal podcast has moved on from being merely a companion piece for the print publication and is now a fortnightly production hosted by golf writer Tom Coyne.
SKY SPORTS GOLF PODCAST
The Sky Sports Golf podcast, hosted by the entertaining Josh Antmann focuses mainly on the European Tour. It focuses on reviewing and previewing Tour events, using Sky Sports presenters and other UK-based guests.
THE TRAP DRAW
This is a spin-off podcast from Tron and Randy of No Laying Up. Where NLU will have a focus on the main tours and players, the Trap Draw tends to focus more on less well-known players and has more discussion on broader topics such as architecture or book reviews.
So there you have it. There are many other podcasts out there but these are the ones that make it onto my regular rotation. I find those that simply review PGA Tour events and preview upcoming events a little samey. But if there are any great listens I’m missing just let me know - there’s always room for 1 or 2 more!