The Fried Egg Golf Podcast

What to Know About Perry Maxwell (ft. Chris Clouser and Colton Craig)

In the latest installment of our “What to Know About…” series on golf’s greatest architects, we focus on Perry Maxwell, the designer of many courses, including Prairie Dunes, Southern Hills, and Old Town Club. Garrett Morrison and Andy Johnson kick off the episode by talking about The Fried Egg’s upcoming event at Dornick Hills Country Club, the first course Maxwell built. We then present two conversations: one between Garrett and biographer Chris Clouser on Perry Maxwell’s life and work, and another between Andy and architect Colton Craig (@craig_colton) on Colton’s quest to play every Maxwell course in existence. Toward the end of the podcast, we return to Chris for some closing reflections on Maxwell’s architectural legacy. (Time stamps below.)

The Banker, our June 6 event at Dornick Hills in Ardmore, Oklahoma, opens for registration on Monday, February 7. For more information, visit our new events page on Golf Genius.

Check out The Midwest Associate, Chris Clouser’s biography of Perry Maxwell.

Time stamps:

0:35—Discussion of Dornick Hills and The Banker

7:04—Chris Clouser interview

36:34—Colton Craig interview

54:05—Final thoughts with Chris Clouser

Catching Up with Bill Coore

Legendary golf course architect Bill Coore returns to the podcast for the first time in over two years. He and Andy Johnson have a lot to catch up on, and they cover a number of past and present Coore & Crenshaw projects, including Old Sandwich Golf Club, Bandon Trails, the Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame, and Brambles in Northern California. Bill shares his insights on the current boom in golf course construction and how it differs from the last upturn in the 90s and early 00s. He finishes with some reflections on what keeps him going and what he loves most about designing golf courses.

Bandon Deep Dives: Old Macdonald

In the second of their five Bandon Dunes deep dives, Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison discuss what may be the resort’s most polarizing course: Old Macdonald, built by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina in 2009. Andy and Garrett start with a historical rundown, touching on the origins of C.B. Macdonald and Seth Raynor’s “ideal holes,” the decision to make Old Mac a tribute to those templates, and the unusual collaborative process behind the construction of the course. Then Andy and Garrett dig into the nitty-gritty of Old Mac’s design. They talk about the holes they love (and don’t quite love), and they try to figure out why this unique, brilliant course sometimes rubs people the wrong way.

The Bandon Deep Dives are brought to you by Zero Restriction (code: OLDMAC).

Challenging Golf Course Architecture’s Status Quo with Tim Jackson and David Kahn

While visiting Scottsdale, Arizona, Andy Johnson met up with Tim Jackson and David Kahn of Jackson Kahn Design (@JKDgolfdesign). Tim and David got their start working for Tom Fazio’s organization, founded their own firm in 2009, and went on to do striking, ambitious work at Monterey Peninsula Country Club and Scottsdale National Golf Club. In this episode, they describe their design style, share stories of working for Bob Parsons (“kaboom, baby!”), and explain how a video game helped them conceptualize the Bad Little Nine at Scottsdale National. They also have some choice words about the current state of golf course architecture as an art.

Yolk with Doak 33: Listener Questions and the State of the Industry

In this second part of his most recent conversation with Andy Johnson, Tom Doak answers more listener questions, including ones about the upcoming Sedge Valley project at Sand Valley and the non-golf literature that has influenced him. Tom and Andy also discuss how golf course architecture finds itself at a crossroads, with established architects approaching retirement just as construction has started to boom. Finally, Tom answers the hardest question in Yolk with Doak history.

Building an Affordable Set of Used Golf Clubs with Ryan Barath

As the supply-chain crisis escalates, new golf equipment is becoming pricier and harder to get ahold of. So it might be a good time to take an interest in used clubs. Ryan Barath (@rdsbarath), lead content strategist at Tour Experience Golf, is one of the industry's most knowledgeable resources on that subject. Ryan talks with Garrett Morrison about how his golf nerdery started and how the equipment business has changed during his career. In the second half of the episode, Ryan and Garrett give their picks for two sets of used clubs: one that can be had for under $750 total, and another that consists of equipment made before 2005. This exercise allows them to delve deeper into the products, innovations, and trends that have, for better or for worse, shaped 21st-century golf.

On The Fried Egg website: How to Assemble a Great Set of Used Golf Clubs

Yolk with Doak 32: New Year’s Resolutions and Unconventional Course Concepts

In the latest edition of our interview series with golf course architect Tom Doak, Tom answers listener questions about New Year's resolutions, forward-tee placement, and accounting for climate change in his designs. He also shares with Andy a number of new concepts and projects he'd like to explore, including a modern replica of Pine Valley, a course specifically for women, and a fresh take on residential golf. Look for part two of this conversation in the coming weeks.

Superintendent Series: Devon Carroll on Women in Turf

Why aren’t there more women in the turf industry? What changes would be necessary for there to be more? Devon Carroll (@turfgirl24), a doctoral candidate in turfgrass science at the University of Tennessee, has looked deeply into these questions. Recently she has been interviewing women who hold leadership roles in turf and finding out how more women might be recruited and retained. This topic has taken on additional urgency over the past several months as workplaces everywhere, including those in golf, have struggled to find labor. Devon joins Andy Johnson to talk about her background in golf and golf course maintenance, her experiences in the male-dominated field, and the ways that the industry can improve its gender diversity. 

Check out Devon’s new peer-reviewed research paper, “Women in Turf: A Qualitative Study Examining How Women Have Sustained Their Leadership Role in the Turfgrass Industry.”

The Superintendent Series is brought to you by The Toro Company.

Previewing the 2022 PGA Tour Season with Joseph LaMagna

Let’s be honest: the PGA Tour season doesn’t really start until the serene seascapes of Kapalua fill our TV screens in the first week of January. To prepare for the occasion, Andy Johnson calls up Joseph LaMagna (@JosephLaMagna), the sharp mind behind the Finding the Edge newsletter, to discuss what to expect from Ponte Vedra’s princes in 2022. They talk about the youth wave in men’s professional golf, the keys to Collin Morikawa’s success, and whether Rory McIlroy is “back.” Andy and Joseph finish by running through several players who are primed for breakout years and a few who could regress to the mean.

Fried Egg Events, Explained

For our final episode of 2021, we talk about The Fried Egg’s roster of 2022 events. First, Andy Johnson and Garrett Morrison run through some FAQs: Why do we hold these events? How do we choose the venues? What’s the format? Can I register as a single? What if I’m not a particularly competitive player? (To address the latter two questions briefly: absolutely, and it doesn’t matter.) Then Andy and Garrett have an in-depth discussion of Lawsonia Links, site of the annual Steamshovel event. Lawsonia was designed by William Langford and Theodore Moreau in 1930, and it is an important course both to Andy and to The Fried Egg. We finish up with two clips from past episodes: a portion of Andy’s interview with architect Troy Miller about Charleston Municipal Golf Course, host of the King Tide; and a conversation between Andy and Garrett about Soule Park, host of the Boomerang.

Sign-ups for the first four Fried Egg events of 2022 open on Monday, January 3! Those events: the King Tide at Charleston Muni in Charleston, South Carolina; the Boomerang at Soule Park in Ojai, California; the Steamshovel at Lawsonia Links in Green Lake, Wisconsin; and the Coup de Grâce at the Dunes Club in New Buffalo, Michigan. For details, visit our EVENTS PAGE.

Here are some time stamps in case you’d like to skip around in the episode:

(0:37) Explanation of Fried Egg events and next year’s events in particular

(24:40) Discussion of Lawsonia Links

(40:50) Interview with Troy Miller about Charleston Muni

(55:10) Discussion of Soule Park