The Sandbelt of Melbourne, Australia, boasts one of the densest concentrations of great golf courses in the world: the West and East courses of Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria Golf Club, and more. In this episode of Designing Golf, Garrett dives deep into the Sandbelt’s history, geology, golf, culture, and virtues as a destination. His guests are Harley Kruse and Lukas Michel, both Australian golf architects who are deeply familiar with the region.
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1:40:13
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1:40:13
Jasper Park Rises from the Ashes
Last year, a devastating wildfire hit Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Jasper Park Lodge and its beautiful Stanley Thompson-designed golf course sustained heavy damage. In today's episode, Garrett speaks with Canadian golf architect Ian Andrew about Jasper Park's road to recovery. They also discuss the history of Jasper Park Golf Course and the design philosophy of Stanley Thompson.
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56:41
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56:41
The State of the Golf Course Industry (2025 Edition)
Garrett sits down with Greg Nathan, president and CEO of the National Golf Foundation, to take stock of the U.S. golf course industry. Has the post-Covid surge in participation proven sustainable? What kinds of golf course development are we seeing? Why does there seem to be an under-supply of public golf facilities in certain areas? How are short courses faring? Garrett and Greg get into these questions and more.
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1:03:24
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1:03:24
What Makes a Good Match-Play Golf Course?
With the Ryder Cup approaching, Garrett asks a question that has been on his mind for a while: what, if anything, suits a golf course to the match-play format? Garrett talks to two different architects: first, Andy Staples, who recently designed a match-play course called The Match at PGA National Resort; second, Brian Schneider, who is somewhat skeptical of the notion of a “match-play course.” To close out the episode, Garrett discusses his takeaways from his chats with Andy and Brian, and he offers some thoughts on Bethpage Black’s design and suitability for the Ryder Cup.
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53:50
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53:50
The History of the Idea of Fairness in Golf
Building off of our latest Golf Architecture 101 episode, Garrett Morrison sits down with golf historian Bob Crosby to discuss the historical roots of the notion of fairness in golf course design. Garrett and Bob explore how two major figures of the game in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Laidlaw Purves and John Low, came to represent opposite sides of the fairness debate—a debate that still rages today.
Designing Golf is a show about golf courses: how they’re built, who builds them, and which ones are worth playing. Hosted by Fried Egg Golf’s Garrett Morrison, Designing Golf will explore all facets of golf architecture, from its basic principles to its history to its practitioners to its best examples in the United States and abroad. Each episode will investigate a different topic in a fun, concise way. Whether you’re a longtime aficionado or a beginner in the subject, Designing Golf will deepen your knowledge about and fascination with golf courses and golf course design.
UK