The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

This episode we discuss the setup for the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, with particular focus on the firm, fast conditions and how much water the course is losing each day through high wind and heat. We talk about how the greens are being monitored and adjusted with modern technology, and how the course presentation is being kept under control.

We also look at how players may adapt their strategy, with many expected to leave driver out in favor of irons, mini drivers or three-woods. The discussion covers wedge bounce, firm fairways, bunkers, and how the course conditions create difficult equipment decisions for the field.

We spend a lot of time on the holes that could shape the championship, especially 1, 10, 13, 14, 17 and 18. We talk about the challenge of the opening stretch, the reachable but dangerous par 5s, the narrow closing hole, and how wind direction could change the approach on several key holes.

We then turn to likely scoring and possible outcomes, with the group largely agreeing that the winning score is more likely to be in the high single digits rather than very low. We also discuss which players may suit the test, including Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Jordan Spieth, Bryson DeChambeau, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Reed, Matt Fitzpatrick, Harris English and others.

Finally, we cover the “Tooting Beck” low-round prediction for British and Irish players, and close with a brief exchange about England’s football match against Argentina.
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In this episode we play a price-guessing game based on merchandise and food from the Open Championship site. We set up the rules, use a match-play style scorecard, and compare the prices of items the listeners would not have seen.

We start with some reference prices, then move through a yellow Open mug, a boxed Vice golf ball, and a small navy pen holder shaped like a tall bag. We also price a Malbon quarter zip and a Malbon bucket hat, which lead to some of the larger early swings in the score.

We continue with a silver claret jug-style jug, a 99 ice cream with a flake, a Future Open Champion baby bib, and a straw sun hat with a claret jug ribbon. We also cover Open-logo socks in a presentation box and a large Vessel carry bag.

Later, we guess the cost of a Hugo Boss cap for marshals, an Adidas tracksuit top with Open branding, and a special-edition Stewart remote-control trolley. We then move to a Peter Millar cashmere V-neck and a player’s yardage book for the course.

In the closing stretch we price a Vessel rucksack, a yellow kids’ flag, an Open T-shirt, and a metal ball marker with hole yardages. The episode ends with a final score update and a quick wrap-up after the last item.
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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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