The Fried Egg Golf Podcast

Five Things About the 2021 PGA Championship with Kyle Porter

Kyle Porter, golf writer for CBS and co-host of the First Cut podcast, joins Andy Johnson to preview this week's PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. Kyle and Andy each run through five things they'll be paying attention to as the action gets underway at the Ocean Course. They speculate on who will thrive at the difficult Pete Dye design and why so many top players don't seem to be in particularly good form.

Superintendent Series: Jeff Stone on Kiawah and the PGA Championship

Jeff Stone has worked for the Kiawah Island Golf Resort since before the Ocean Course was built, and he has been the golf course superintendent at the Ocean Course since 2003. For this edition of the Superintendent Series, Jeff takes some time out of his hectic schedule to chat with Andy Johnson about getting the course ready for this week's PGA Championship. They discuss the differences between resort and championship conditions, the Ocean Course's transition from Bermudagrass to Paspalum, Jeff's memories of Pete Dye, and whether it's ever snowed on Kiawah Island. The Superintendent Series is brought to you by the Toro Company.

Fried Egg Stories: Making the Ocean Course

In September 1989, a devastating hurricane hit South Carolina. Directly in its path was Kiawah Island, where Pete Dye had just begun to build a new golf course. And this wasn't just any course: in two years, it was supposed to host the Ryder Cup. To kick off the second season of Fried Egg Stories, we dig into drama behind the making of the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, host of next week's PGA Championship.

Season two of Fried Egg Stories is presented by Precision Pro Golf. This episode was produced by Garrett Morrison, co-hosted by Andy Johnson, and mixed by J Vierck. Thanks to Meg Adkins for transcript help, and to Troy Miller for connecting us with several interviewees.

What’s New at the Ocean Course with Scot Sherman

Golf architect Scot Sherman joins Andy Johnson to discuss recent renovation work at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island for the 2021 PGA Championship. Scot talks about how being at the Ocean Course has brought his career full circle, and he explains some of the magic behind Pete Dye's design. He and Andy then dig into another recent project: along with Davis Love III and Mark Love, Scot completed an ambitious renovation of the municipal Belmont Golf Course in Richmond, Virginia. The work included a restoration of 12 of A.W. Tillinghast's original holes and a new six-hole short course and driving range for the First Tee of Richmond.

Two Championship Golf Courses in California (and a Lovely Muni)

Last week, the Fried Egg team went on a whirlwind tour of California, and in this episode Andy and Garrett break down the highlights. First they discuss Soule Park, host of the Fried Egg's Boomerang event and one of the best public courses on the West Coast. They then talk about two storied championship venues that you'll soon see on TV: San Francisco's Olympic Club and San Diego's Torrey Pines, upcoming sites of the U.S. Women's Open and the U.S. Open, respectively. Andy and Garrett dig into the undeniable strengths of these courses as well as their substantial weaknesses.

Golfers and Environmentalists Are Not Enemies

A common knock on golf courses is that they're bad for the environment. But that's an over-simplified view—and in some cases, a flat-out incorrect one. With Earth Day coming up, we thought it was time to sort through these issues with an expert, so Garrett Morrison sat down with Dr. Cole Thompson, the Assistant Director of Green Section Research at the USGA. In this episode, Garrett and Cole dig into current USGA-funded research on golf course sustainability, address a few popular criticisms of golf's ecological impact, and discuss how golf courses can become more environmentally beneficial and sustainable.

Reviewing Hideki’s Masters Win with Sean Martin

For the past decade, Sean Martin, senior editor at PGA Tour.com, has been covering Hideki Matsuyama's career with more depth and nuance than any other golf writer. So who better than him to sit down with Andy Johnson and review Matsuyama's triumph at the 2021 Masters? Sean and Andy discuss the action down the stretch at Augusta National; Hideki's backstory, personality, potential, and relationship with the press; and the story behind Sean's appreciation of the new Masters champion's game.

Five Things About the 2021 Masters with Shane Bacon

Golf Channel host Shane Bacon joins Andy Johnson to discuss the upcoming Masters Tournament. Shane and Andy each run through five things they're looking forward to seeing at Augusta National this week. They touch on Jordan Spieth's reemergence, Rory McIlroy's struggles, and the predictive power of name length, among other topics. On most weeks, you can catch Shane on Golf Today, the Golf Channel show he co-hosts with Damon Hack, and Get a Grip, his podcast with PGA Tour pro Max Homa. This week, you can watch Shane not only on Golf Channel's Live from the Masters broadcast but also on Masters.com coverage of the tournament.

The Lost Masters with Curt Sampson

When the world is in disarray, what, if anything, is the role of professional sports? Specifically, what's the role of the Masters, a tournament that has always felt like an escape from everyday life? To explore those questions, Garrett Morrison talks with Curt Sampson, the author of several books on golf history. Garrett and Curt focus on the 1968 Masters, which took place at a time, like 2020, when society seemed to be unraveling. Ultimately, that edition of the tournament failed to provide the solace that many fans were seeking. 

Reading material:

Curt's Golf Digest essay on the town of Augusta during the 2020 Masters

The Lost Masters: Grace and Disgrace in '68

The Masters: Golf, Money, and Power in Augusta, Georgia

Jim Wagner of Hanse Golf Course Design on Contours and Cavemen

Jim Wagner is a longtime design partner at Hanse Golf Course Design and the head of the firm’s Caveman Construction crew. With the rise of the design-build approach in golf course architecture, Jim’s on-the-ground knowledge is more relevant than ever. He took some time away from an in-progress build at Jonathan’s Landing in Florida to chat with Andy Johnson about working with contractors, mentoring shapers, crafting contours, and staying hands-on as the Hanse name gets bigger. They also touch on new projects at PGA Frisco and West Palm Beach.