The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

From within the media centre at Royal Birkdale, Sam and Peter recap the Monday last-chance qualifier at the Open Championship, where 12 players competed for one place in the field. 
The format, the field, and a first look at the course conditions are all discussed, alongside a recap of the first ever Last Chance Qualifier - an event we think was a resounding success.
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In this episode we discuss the Scottish Open at Renaissance Club and the experience around the event, including the relaxed atmosphere for players, the links-style setting, and the way the course routing was changed. We also talk about nearby courses on the East Lothian coast, including Gullane, Winterfield, Craigielaw and Longniddry.

We then begin the final part of our series on major golf course architects, focusing on the Hawtree family. We explain that the Hawtrees span three generations and have worked for over a century, with Frederick George Hawtree as the practical founder, Frederick William Hawtree as the more golf-focused writer and consultant, and Martin Hawtree as the modern restorer and consultant.

We trace Fred Senior’s early career from greenkeeping at Sundridge Park to his first design work with James Braid at Sundridge Park and Croham Hurst. We also cover the founding of his practice in 1912, the interruption caused by World War I, and his later partnership with J.H. Taylor.

A major theme is Hawtree’s work on municipal and public golf. We discuss the Artisan Golfing Society, the National Association of Public Courses, and their role in courses such as Richmond Park and several municipal courses around Birmingham, including Lickey Hills and others.

We then cover Fred Senior’s purchase and rebuilding of Addington Court in the early 1930s, making it the first privately owned public golf course in Britain and the firm’s headquarters for decades. We also discuss the 1932 rebuilding of Royal Birkdale, including the new routing through the dunes and the course’s later refinements.

Finally, we cover Fred Jr.’s education, wartime service and post-war consultancy work, then Martin Hawtree’s role from the 1970s onward. We mention his work at venues such as Lahinch, Ballybunion, Royal Aberdeen, Trump International and Royal Liverpool, and his comments about growing up around the family business and continuing the Hawtree tradition.
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In this episode, we speak from Renaissance in East Lothian, where we discuss the golf on the coast and how many different courses there are in the area. We talk about the quality of the turf, the variety of links courses, and how the region keeps surprising us even when we think we know it well.

We also discuss golf shoes and metal spikes, including why spectators wear golf shoes at events and why professionals still use metal spikes, even though many clubs do not allow them. We compare different styles of shoes and talk about the practical and visual side of wearing them around a golf course.

A major part of the conversation is our Eclectic 18 for East Lothian. We explain why holes from Musselburgh, Winterfield, Dunbar, Archerfield, Muirfield, Gullane, North Berwick, Luffness New and the Glen made the cut, and we talk through several of the choices, including standout par threes, par fours and par fives. We also note that some courses appear multiple times because of the strength of the holes.

We finish by discussing which three East Lothian courses we would recommend to someone visiting the area, excluding North Berwick and Muirfield. We mention Dunbar, Winterfield, Musselburgh, Gullane 3, Luffness New and the Glen as strong options, and we end by saying how impressed we were with the trip and the golf across the region.
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Will Dugdale discusses starting golf as a child, playing junior, county, Oxford and Cambridge golf, and turning pro in 1999. He also covers early career ups and downs, the putting yips, changes to his grip, and his work helping other golfers.
Will has a genuinely fascinating story in the game of golf, and his relationship with the flat stick will no doubt resonate with many. For those who want to learn more, we'd encourage you to head to Will's website, best-putter.com. 

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In this episode we cover final qualifying for the Open Championship across four venues, with reports from Dundonald, Burnham & Berrow, Royal Cinque Ports, and West Lancashire. We compare the atmosphere at each course, noting that the day drew strong crowds, with many volunteers managing scoring, marshalling, parking and course presentation.

We discuss how the golf courses were set up and how the weather affected play. Burnham and Barrow was described as especially well presented, while West Lancashire played firm and fast with strong runoff areas and difficult greens. We also talk about how the draw and weather conditions made a major difference to scoring, especially later in the day.

We go through several of the main qualifiers and near misses. James Nicholas qualified comfortably, Tom Sloman played well at home to get through, and Caleb Surratt, Alejandro de Castro Piera and Austin Truslow also advanced. At West Lancashire, Sam Bairstow, Kazuma Kobori, Jose Ballister, Tiger Christensen, Sam Easterbrook and Matt Jordan featured prominently, while at Royal Cinque Ports Bard Bjornovic Skogen and MJ Defoe led the way.

We also cover notable players who missed out, including Owen Edwards, John Goff, Fraser Jones and Brandon Robinson Thompson. There is discussion of withdrawals, players stopping after lunch, and the mix of amateurs, club players and touring professionals in the field. We note that many players had caddies, family members, or partners on the bag, and some chose to carry their own clubs.

We finish by explaining the new Monday last-chance qualifier at Royal Birkdale, which will give a small group of players another route into the Open.
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