The Thing About Golf Podcast

He's coached some of the best players in the world to some of the game's biggest titles but to sit and talk to Ian Triggs you'd never know it. In a world where being a high-profile coach can be a lucrative business, Triggs is as happy working with Brookwater's double digit handicap members as he is mentoring rising stars like Elvis Smylie. In this enlightening chat with host Rod Morri, Triggs reveals how the search for answers to what derailed his own promising playing career led him to be one of the most sought after coaches of his generation.

Who would have thought that a summer spent in the UK visiting family would prove the start of a journey that ended in Australia's first Masters green jacket? Phil Scott, father of former World No.1 Adam, chats with The Thing About Golf host Rod Morri about his accidental start in the game to Adam's surreal 2013 Masters victory and almost every facet of the golf industry in between. From club building and design to course construction and management, there isn't much Phil Scott hasn't touched in golf and he reflects on it all in Episode 46.

In the world of golf course architecture Bill Coore is considered royalty. His design work alongside partner Ben Crenshaw coupled with mentoring many of the game's current top architects is legendary. And yet, it would be difficult to imagine a more grounded or genuinely humble human being. In Episode 44 of The Thing About Golf, host Rod Morri chats with Coore to try to pinpoint just what it is about golf that has seen him devote his life to the game. We cover topics as varied as his latest Australian project - the stunning Bougle Run short course at Barnbougle Dunes (you can read Golf Australia magazine editor Brendan James’ review at www.golfaustralia.com.au) - public golf, course presentation, the future of the game and more.

In the male dominated industry of golf club management, Yarra Yarra Golf Club General Manager Andrea Watson stands out but not only because she's a woman. Completely new to golf when she took her first job in the dining room at Peninsula Country Club, Andrea has gone on to become one of the game's most respected club Managers. Here, she chats with host Rod Morri about her career in golf and offers some interesting insights into what the future might hold for the golf industry.

Since its inception nine years ago the combined men's and women's Vic Open has been a roaring success on all fronts. Now an LPGA and European Tour event, it would have been all but impossible to predict just how big the tournament would get when it was first conceived by then acting Golf Victoria CEO David Greenhill. While quick to (rightfully) credit others with the eventual success of the event, none of it would have happened without Greenhill's vision. On Episode 40, Greenhill reflects on how an idea which came to him while walking the dog morphed into one of the most talked about tournament in the world.

At the age of 46 Matt Millar is an anomaly in the modern professional game. Despite being one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour of Australasia he remains a competitive force in fields of much younger - and more powerful - players. A combination of great accuracy and an enviable short game explain much of his success but as Millar himself admits in this chat, the real key is mental.

There isn't much Mat Goggin hasn't done in the game of golf, from Australian Amateur champion to professional tournament winner. But what makes the Tasmanian such a compelling interview is that his interests are broader than just the game. An intelligent and articulate speaker who is widely read, Goggin often gives unexpected answers to seemingly simple questions and always keeps the listener - and interviewer - on their toes. Now in his mid-forties and heavily involved in the Seven Mile Beach development in Hobart, it would be easy to assume Goggin's playing days are over. But as you’ll hear from the wisdom dispensed in this interview, that would be a real shame both for Goggin and for fans of the game. One final note: whether before or after listening to this episode it is also recommended to read the blog post linked below. In it, Goggin explains some of his beginnings in the game and how the Seven Mile Beach project came to be. It is a wonderful accompaniment to our chat and also helps to answer that opening question: What's The Thing About Golf for Mat Goggin? https://7milegolf.wordpress.com/2021/02/14/10-years-and-counting/

Luckily for the game of golf there are people like Sue Thomson - one of the army of unsung heroes upon whom the game relies around the world. Sue is the junior coordinator at Perth's Mt Lawley Golf Club, but the title hardly conveys the impact she makes. We first heard of Sue through Australia's most recent major winner, Hannah Green. Long before she holed that extraordinary putt on the 18th green at Hazeltine, Green told host Rod Morri: "if it wasn't for Sue Thompson, I wouldn't even play golf." Morri immediately wanted to meet this woman. And so he did... now you can too.

This episode of the The Thing About Golf has a distinct Scottish flavour as we welcome John Huggan in his debut episode as co-host where he chats with Scotland's most promising young professional in Robert MacIntyre. Huggan caught up with MacIntyre the week after he claimed his maiden European Tour title, the first of what many good judges believe will be multiple career victories. MacIntyre is not your run of the mill Touring Professional and in this fascinating conversation with Huggan reveals some insight into an upbringing surrounded by foster brothers and sisters, his passion for the little known Scottish pastime of Shinty and why he'll never win his club championship playing right handed.

The name Jane Lock will be familiar to anybody with an interest in the history of the game in Australia. After all, she won the Australian Women's Amateur three times and was a member of the first Aussie team to win what's now known as the Espirito Santo trophy, the world cup of amateur golf. But beyond that, most of us know almost nothing of Jane Lock. An LPGA Tour player from 1980 to 1986 her professional record never really reached the heights of her amateur achievements. But her contribution to the game in Australia should not be overlooked.

Brad Hughes was always known as a level above when it came to ball-striking and on those weeks when his putting matched he was close to unbeatable. But as the game moved away from the heavy wooden clubs of his youth, Hughes' advantage became less and less. He began a search to understand the swing, a search which has ultimately seen him emerge in recent years as one of the game's most sought after coaches. Hughes is an interesting thinker and an engaging speaker and we hope you enjoy what is a comprehensive discussion about all things golf.

There's often an adversarial nature to the relationship between golfers and administrators which is why it's rare to find a successful player who makes the transition to the other side. One shining example is Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG) CEO Karen Lunn - a 10-time Ladies European Tour winner, who now has the responsibility of steering the women's professional game in Australia into a very uncertain future. Never one to shy away from controversy, Lunn talks about modern equipment and its impact on the game to the lack of 'mongrel' in some of the game's younger players. After a lifetime in golf Lunn has collected plenty of nuggets of wisdom and she shares many of them during the course of this interview with host Rod Morri.