Among America’s greatest golf courses, the East Course at Merion Golf Club is one of the oldest. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s relatively small, occupying only about 115 acres. Still, the East Course remains a legitimate championship venue, with the 2030, 2040, and 2050 U.S. Opens on its docket. Next week, the club will host the U.S. Amateur for the seventh time. So there’s no better time to discuss Merion East in depth and ask why it has endured so strongly. Garrett opens the episode with a quick rundown of the course’s key characteristics, including its routing and primary hazards. Then he brings on historian Wayne Morrison for a full exploration of Merion East’s history and its intricate Hugh Wilson-William Flynn design.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On any golf course, the greens are the center of gravity. Around 40% of the shots we hit in a given round on a regulation course are putts. Over half will be either putts or chips. And any decently hit approach shot will also interact with the green or its surrounds. So today’s Golf Architecture 101 topic is an important one. Garrett is joined by his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark to talk about greens: how they’re designed, how they’re built, and what makes a good one.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Next week, Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, will host the Open Championship for the 11th time. The pros will probably love it (because they almost always do), but will we like it? In this episode, Garrett discusses all things Royal Birkdale with his Fried Egg Golf colleague Joseph LaMagna, who recently visited the course. Garrett and Joseph talk about Royal Birkdale’s history, land, routing, greens, and architectural philosophy before delving into the changes the club made in preparation for this year’s Open.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the biggest stories in the golf course industry over the past 30 years has been the rise of the public destination golf. The 2020s in particular have seen a remarkable surge in remote developments featuring neoclassical golf architecture. So where are we now in the evolution of this type of resort? How has public destination golf influenced golf architecture? After reviewing several ongoing projects and discussing some recent trends, Garrett brings on architect Mike Koprowski to discuss his work at Candyroot Lodge, a new resort in the Carolina Sandhills. Garrett and Mike dig into the nitty-gritty of the design of Candyroot’s first course and how he’s challenging certain conventions of the public destination style.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

William Flynn, the designer of Shinnecock Hills, was one of the greatest golf architects of the Golden Age. In this episode of Designing Golf, we explore his distinctively naturalistic, restrained design style. First, Garrett lists what he believes are the five essential Flynn courses. Then Garrett brings on Jim Nagle, an architect who has helped restore many Flynn designs, to delve deeper into Flynn's career, philosophy, and legacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In two weeks, the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, for the sixth time. This episode of Designing Golf dives deep into the course’s history and current William Flynn design. First, Garrett talks with his Fried Egg Golf colleague Matt Rouches about the six things that make Shinnecock a great course. Then Garrett brings on golf historian Bob Crosby to discuss how the early iterations of Shinnecock Hills represent the evolution of golf architecture between the 1890s and the 1930s.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After a surprisingly controversial PGA Championship at Aronimink, Garrett brings on his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark to chat about championship golf course design and setup. First they discuss the factors that made Aronimink a polarizing venue: the lack of trees, the firm greens, the provocative pins, and the relatively low emphasis on driving accuracy. Then Garrett takes PJ through a brief history of the championship setup wars, starting with Robert Trent Jones’s “Open Doctor” shenanigans in the 1950s and 60s. Finally, Garrett and PJ both lay out what they’re looking for in a 21st-century major championship golf course.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Donald Ross had one of the most prolific, impressive careers in the history of golf architecture. Yet his design methods and ideas are not as widely and precisely understood as those of, say, Alister MacKenzie or C.B. Macdonald. So in this episode, Garrett sits down with Bradley Klein, a longtime golf architecture writer and golf course consultant, to answer some Ross-themed questions asked by members of Fried Egg Golf Club. First, though, Garrett discusses what he believes are the five essential Donald Ross golf courses.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do the different components of a golf course construction project cost? Or really — what should they cost? In today’s episode, we tackle the economics of building golf courses. First, Garrett outlines Alister MacKenzie’s ideas about economy in construction and applies them to today’s realities. Then he brings on golf architect Bruce Hepner to discuss Hepner’s recent work on public courses like Miami Lake Golf Club and his thoughts on the excesses of modern golf architecture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The golf course at Augusta National has changed a great deal over time. So what was the original version like? This episode dives into what Garrett calls one of the strangest and most interesting courses ever created. First, he is joined by Josh Pettit, founder of the Alister MacKenzie Institute, to discuss how certain holes at Augusta National were inspired by links templates. Then Garrett sits down with golf architect Brian Schneider to talk about the ways that the 1930s iteration of the course might inspire modern golf architecture.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.