The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

Sam interrogates Tom about his 2025, his golf, his travels and his outlook on the game. Most importantly takes us on his journey through the year in a form of an eclectic 18, from Merion to Maple Leaf, nd from St Endodoc to Streamsong! Even Cumberwell Park to Cabot, and back again! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Following on from our Thanksgiving extravaganza about Pasatiempo and the work of MacKenzie and Hollins, Sam sits down with Jim Urbina and Brett Hochstein. A link to our film can be found here . Jim has been working on the restoration of Pasatiempo for 25 years now, and knows the course about as well as Marion and the good Doctor would have. His love and care over the last quarter of a century has helped bring the course back to its former glory, and following their most recent work in the past two winters, the green sites are absolutely sparkling. Brett is a restorative shaper and someone we’ve become good friends with over the last few years. Brett talks about the process of bringing those shapes and contours within the green sites back to life thanks to the wonderful library of Beck photos which exist, and which have helped inform every grain of earth that was moved in the process. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this episode we sit down in the second clubhouse at Pasatiempo, overlooking the 1st and 9th holes, with Emily Chorba – archivist at Pasatiempo Golf Club – to talk about the life and legacy of Marion Hollins, who founded Pasatiempo in the roaring twenties following her successes at Pebble Beach and Cypress Point. Hollins' career in the game is quite sensational, yet at times overlooked. An entrepreneurial mind, she grew up on the wealthy east coast before heading west to help shape the golfing landscape we enjoy today on the Monterey Peninsula, as well as finding success in the Kettlemen Oil Company which enabled her to channel those achievements into the first ever planned sporting complex in North America, with Dr Alister MacKenzie her able accomplice. Her demise is a sad story. Not long after opening, the Great Depression hit and Marion Hollins suffered a tragic car accident from which she was never the same afterwards. Thankfully, her legacy lives on and her contribution to the club and the area is brilliantly brought to life throughout Pasatiempo, notably in her statue on the first tee, standing as an equal partner with MacKenzie, where Emily can be seen on her immediate right. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

With the Ashes kicking off this Friday, Sam heads to an undisclosed location near Ormskirk to sit down with a very good friend of the jar — and first-timer on the show — James Woods, to talk about golf’s close relationship with the game of cricket. We explore the connections between the two sports, how they have overlapped over time, and the characters who excelled in both. A huge thank you to James for his exceptional research for this episode. The podcast is packed with incredible insights, featuring names familiar to many as well as plenty never celebrated on this podcast before. James’ passion for golf trivia can be enjoyed on his social media profile here and, more famously, through his regular picture quiz which he curates for Golf Quarterly, among other contributions. As James rightly points out, Golf Quarterly is a superb investment or gift for any golfer, and we'd highly encourage you to sign up for £35 a year for more of these types of tales. Link here . Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom travels about as far from Cabot Highlands as is humanly possible on the British mainland in Cornwall to sit down with Clyde Johnson and talk about the newly opened second course at Cabot Highlands. Old Petty, designed by Tom Doak opened for preview play this summer, and no sits proudly alongside its older sibling Castle Stuart. Tom and Clyde chat about the routing, the construction process, and the key considerations when building the course, not to mention how natural and ancient features of this historic landscape were incorporated into the design. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam sits down with Formby Golf Club archivist and past Captain - Ian Jamson - to talk about the history of the club. Founded in 1884, Formby is one of the oldest courses on the north west coast and has some fascinating and eclectic tales, which Ian recounts beautifully in this episode. From Horace the Hippo to a clock tower gifted by Sir Bruce Ismay of Titanic fame, and through the evolution of the links and its championship history, it’s a brilliant listen! Ian is a superb storyteller and another highly passionate club archivist who thankfully preserves these wonderful stories for future generations, and we're really grateful to him for finding time to sit down with us. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In this in-depth Eclectic 18 special, previous guest and friend of the show Simon Barrington takes us on an odyssey of obscure connections with some of his favourite holes and courses around the world, and their links to the macabre. It’s not just an assortment of holes with cemeteries nearby — we go back to medieval battles, haunted castles, greens built on ancient burial grounds, and even draw some tenuous links between bunkers and the afterlife. Follow Simon on x here or get in touch with him on [email protected] . His scorecard is below. #1 Ballybunion #2 West Hill #3 Old Petty (Cabot Highlands) #4 Winter Park #5 Lake Zurich #6 Cruden Bay #7 Dornick Hills #8 Royal Troon #9 Portmahomack #10 St Enodoc #11 Sleepy Hollow #12 Augusta National #13 Dunaverty #14 The Old Course #15 Lochcarron #16 Pasatiempo #17 Painswick #18 The Old Course (Reversed) Par: 71 / Yardage: 6,466 Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam is joined by Peter Handcock aka @thehalfparkid to do an eclectic 18 scorecard comprised of solely of half par golf holes. As a reminder, this fun exercise requires you to fill the card with holes you've played, but they can only go in the position in which they sit on the scorecard, and you can only use one course once! His scorecard: 1 - Woking - 3.5 275yds 2 - San Francisco - 4.5 455yds 3 - Dumbarnie - 3.5 310yds 4 - Royal St George’s - 4.5 495yds 5 - Royal Worlington & Newmarket - 3.5 155yds 6 - Royal Aberdeen - 4.5 490yds 7 - Gullane No. 3 - 3.5 310yds 8 - Durness - 3.5 360yds 9 - Cypress Point - 3.5 290yds 10 - Elie - 3.5 285yds 11 - Pasatiempo - 4.5 390yds 12 - The Addington - 4.5 485yds 13 - Lahinch - 3.5 365yds 14 - Fishers Island - 4.5 425yds 15 - Los Angeles Country Club - 2.5 100yds 16 - Royal Cinque Ports - 4.5 510 yds 17 - The Old Course - 4.5 450yds 18 - North Berwick - 3.5 270yds Yardage: 6,320 Par: 70 Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Stephen Proctor rejoins the pod to discuss his latest book, Matchless — a captivating account of one of golf’s great interwar rivalries. Joyce Wethered, the finest player of her generation in England, and Glenna Collett, the leading light of the American women’s game, were born just 18 months apart and dominated their respective sides of the Atlantic. Stephen’s work as an author is exceptional — meticulously researched and told with a compelling narrative thread. Matchless is no exception. Copies are available from all good bookshops, and we’ve linked Amazon here for ease. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam and Tom sit down in the office to catch up on silly season. Sam takes — frankly far too long — to commemorate his school’s highest-ever finish in the Grafton Morrish, played last weekend at Royal West Norfolk and Hunstanton. Huge thanks to both clubs for hosting such a special event, and to the volunteers who make it all possible. We also recap our latest event at Sunningdale Heath, which closes our 2025 event schedule. A huge thank you to everyone who joined us throughout the year — we look forward to announcing our 2026 plans in due course. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

After one of the squeakiest Sunday singles sessions for a long time, Sam, Tom & Bruce sit down to recap the action from an unforgettable few days at Bethpage, where Team Europe squeezed out a 15–13 win despite going into the singles session with 12 points already secured. Lots of things to unpack here: from Luke Donald to Loro Piana, Bradley to Bryson, the course set-up, and some of the events that shaped a memorable week in New York. Ole Ole Ole! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

The greatest event in sport? Not sure, but one of the many questions we unpack as we head towards the Ryder Cup this week at Bethpage. As Luke Donald leads Team Europe into battle against Team USA with only 14 points needed to retain the Ryder Cup, we cannot wait for the spectacle that will no doubt unfold. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Ryder Cup week calls for Ryder Cup stories — so we’ve clipped together Monty’s best from part two of our Colin Montgomerie podcast (episode 320), 15 mins packed with his memories from the event. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam, Tom & Bruce sit down to relive the last three days at Cypress Point for the 50th Walker Cup. Final scores: USA 17 & GB&I 9 Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam, Tom & Bruce report from Cypress Point on the final practice day of the 2025 Walker Cup. As we embrace the chaos, we report on our initial impressions of the venue and are joined by the great and the good as we recorded the podcast from the practice grounds of Cypress Point. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Dublin’s leading authority on pace putting and amateur golf joins the podcast this week to share his top five Walker Cup stories from the previous 49 editions of the venerable matchplay tournament between GB&I and the USA, as well as his All-Star squad of 10 players. Darragh is obsessed with the Walker Cup, collecting artefacts from its history, including 48 programmes, crockery from Ganton, blazers from half a century ago, coasters — you name it. While we’re grateful to him for giving up his time to join the podcast, deep down we know he needs no encouragement to talk about the event he loves. With the event kicking off with the opening ceremony in a matter of days, it's another brilliant teaser around some of the wonderful history of this event! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam travels to a baking hot committee room at Huntercombe to sit down with previous guest and friend of the show, Richard Fisher, to recap the history of The Walker Cup, including a statistical deep dive into the sessions that make and break a GB&I performance. A huge thanks to Richard for his research and exceptional insight in this podcast. It’s a cracker! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Bruce heads to the Auld Grey Toon to catch up with Fintan Bonner, Senior Instructor at the St Andrews Links Golf Academy. A close friend of Bruce’s for over a decade (and patient recipient of countless swing questions), Fintan has become one of the most respected coaching voices in the game. Passionate about nurturing young talent and guiding elite players such as Gregor and Conor Graham, his work speaks to both his tenacity and expertise. In this episode, we dive into Fintan’s journey in golf, his coaching philosophy, and what it takes to develop players at every level. Link to Fintan's social media here . Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam & Tom sit down for Part III of their deep dive into the Tiger Slam. 25 years on from the third leg of Tiger's historic run — and his fifth major victory overall — we revisit the 82nd PGA Championship at Valhalla, where he clinched the Wannamaker in a thrilling three-hole playoff over Bob May to secure his second straight PGA. For more on the Tiger Slam, we highly recommend Kevin Cook’s book, which captures the era in microscopic detail. You can grab a copy here . Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

In part two, Tom sits down with putting coach Phil Kenyon to explore his approach to helping golfers of every level, from weekend players to the world’s best, find confidence on the greens. They discuss the common challenges amateurs and elites share, the importance of pace control and line, and how green reading and technique must all blend together seamlessly to produce great putting. For more on Phil and his work you can follow him along on @philkenyonputting Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Tom speaks to one of the world’s leading authorities on putting - Phil Kenyon - to talk about his career in golf, his route into coaching and working with some of the best in the world. Huge thanks to Phil for finding time to sit down and record this cracking two parter! You can follow Phil and his journey via his socials here ! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Brought to you in partnership with Loch Lomond Whiskies, the Spirit of The Open. Tom speaks with Iona Stephen — broadcaster, golf obsessive, and content creator extraordinaire — to talk about her journey in the game. From becoming an elite player from a standing start, to building ⁨ @ontheroadwithiona ⁩ through to handing over the Ryder Cup to Team Europe back in 2023, it's a great chat! Huge thanks to Loch Lomond Whiskies for putting us together and providing such great refreshments for this 'blether'. We're sure already following her journey, the link to her socials are here ! Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam and Tom are joined by NBC Golf broadcaster and commentator Tom Abbott to recap the action from the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl. Miyu Yamashita claimed her first major title — and her first victory outside Japan — with a stellar display on Sunday, seldom putting a foot wrong as she held off a charging Charley Hull, who recorded her 10th top-10 finish in a major. Huge thanks to Tom Abbott for joining us once again after a great time down at Denham and a podcast appearance earlier this year. Special congratulations to Royal Porthcawl for putting on an exceptional show. The course was truly sparkling! Image credit: Richard Heathcote/R&A/R&A via Getty Images. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website

Sam speaks to Peter Evans — Professional at Royal Porthcawl — about his time at the club and his experiences on the links, as excitement builds for the AIG Women’s Open this week. Royal Porthcawl is a truly special place in world golf, and while we could have talked for hours about the shower pressure, the incredible clubhouse, and the famously warm welcome, this episode is strictly about the course — which will take centre stage as we look forward to the first women’s major in the land of the dragon. Send us a message if you liked the show If you've enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify ! You can follow us along below @cookiejargolf Instagram / Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Website