Every major victory is historic in its own right, but for Sir Bob Charles his 1963 Open win was a first on multiple fronts. Charles was the first left-handed player to win one of golf’s big four, but was also the first player from New Zealand to do so and one of the last two players to take part in a 36-hole playoff for the title. Sir Bob sat down with Rod Morri to reminisce on a career in which he won more than 70 times as a professional, yet came about having only ever had two golf lessons in his entire life.
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The Thing About Golf: #139 David Leadbetter
Few people in any industry can claim to have altered the direction of that industry, but David Leadbetter is one. When a playing career eluded him in the 1980s, he turned his mind and energies to coaching and from humble beginnings, has built one of the most recognisable golf instruction "brands" in the world. But along the way, Leadbetter’s profile - and that of his successful clients - helped reshape the way golfers think about taking lessons, a change remaining in effect to this day. John Huggan sits down with Leadbetter to talk everything from his transformation of Nick Faldo’s swing, to the one player he never got to work with but wanted to.
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The Thing About Golf: #138 Andrew Cotter
They're the voices that accompany our enduring memories of the game but TV commentators often have more to their story - and connections with the game - than we hear about. Such is the case for our guest on episode 138, Andrew Cotter. Cotter will be familiar to golfers and also viewers of rugby, tennis, athletics, the Olympics, boat racing and more. In this wide ranging chat with John Huggan Cotter talks about his start in broadcasting, his lifelong love of golf and gives a peek behind the broadcasting curtain and what it means to be a commentator.
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The Thing About Golf #137: Soren Kjeldsen
One of the most underappreciated achievements in the professional game is longevity. Earning and keeping a PGA TOUR or DP World Tour card for years spanning into the double digits is rarer than we think and those who manage it -such as our guest on Episode 137, Soren Kjeldsen - have much to offer. In this wide ranging chat with John Huggan, Kjeldsen reveals not only a keen sense of humour, but a deep love, appreciation for and - perhaps most importantly for many - knowledge about how to play the game. A four-time European Tour winner (as well as a World Cup victory with Thorbjorn Olsen in our own backyard at Kingston Heath in 2016), Kjeldsen is thought-provoking and articulate and can now add "excellent podcast guest" to his Wikipedia.
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THE THING ABOUT GOLF #136: COLIN DALGLEISH
Ask most recreational players their dream job and 'professional golfer’ will be pretty high on the list. But not all who have the opportunity to join the pay for play ranks take that path and on episode 136, we meet just such a golfer. Colin Dalgleish is not only a long-time friend of our correspondent John Huggan, but a decorated amateur who chose not to pursue a professional career, despite winning the 1981 Scottish amateur championship and representing GB&I in that same year’s Walker Cup. He later captained the team twice, in 2007 and 2009. Don’t miss John Huggan’s fascinating chat with one of golf’s “lifers” and greatest contributors to the game.
Estimates say there are as many as 60 million golfers in the world and we all know at least some of them who are completely addicted. The question is why? Join us as we try to discover the answer to that burning question, interviewing golfers both famous - and not - on a monthly quest to solve the riddle of this maddening game.
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