The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

Sam chats with Stuart Grehan fresh of his Amateur Championship win at Royal Liverpool and West Lancs last week. The 131st Amateur was also the 19th time this event has been hosted at Royal Liverpool - more than any other venue. 
We talk about his wins in the knockout, the adjustments from 18 to 36 hole matches, as well some of the trickier matches that lay between him and his final against Matt Maloney which went all the way to the 36th hole. We also talk about his career, from pitch and putt as a kid, to turning professional, regaining his Amateur status and now looking forward to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, a Masters invitation and a spot in the US Open next year at Pebble Beach. 
In the aftermath of his win, we also talk about some of the criticism Stuart has come in for from the likes of Dan Rapaport, going from Professional to Amateur, as well as his experiences at Cypress Point last year in the Walker Cup, and looking ahead to Lahinch in September. Stuart says that the movement back to amateur golf was all about the lifestyle.... well what a lifestyle it is!
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In this episode we reflect on the US Open at Shinnecock Hills and the course setup, including the firm greens, the undulations, and how the test shifted the emphasis toward short game and putting. We discuss the USGA’s explanation of why the greens were managed the way they were, and how the event played gradually from Thursday through Sunday.

We also talk about Wyndham Clark’s win, his reception from the crowd, and how he held onto the lead despite not playing his best golf at the weekend. We compare his performance with Scottie Scheffler’s, and we discuss the idea of players chasing a major-title milestone under intense pressure from a strong field.

A substantial part of the conversation is about fan behaviour and whether golf should accept more crowd noise and needle at big events. We discuss the contrast with other sports, the difference between a normal tournament and a Ryder Cup atmosphere, and whether Clark’s situation was more about his lead and persona than about golf becoming less traditional.

We then move on to players and others who stood out at Shinnecock, including Keith Mitchell, Tom Kim, and the course superintendent Joe Jennings. We also mention some of the week’s disappointments and controversies, including bunker conditions, Joaquin Niemann’s penalty, and Harry Higgs arriving without trousers before his round.

Finally, we cover regional qualifying and the Amateur Championship. We talk about the scale of qualifying venues around the country, Peter’s attempt at Ferndown, and several players who advanced. We also review the Amateur at Hoylake, where Stuart Grehan won after a 36-hole final, and we note the strong coverage of the event online.
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Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age.
In part 2 we discuss the construction firm of Toomey & Flynn, his design work into middle life and going on to designing the renovation of Shinnecock Hills.
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Tom is in the chair this time to bring to life the story of William Flynn, one of the more forgotten architects in the American Golden age.
In part 1 we discuss Flynn's childhood, his upbringing and his relationship with Frederick Pickering. We also discuss his work at Marion and his founding of the construction firm Toomey & Flynn.
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It’s hard to believe its 3 years since Jim joined the pod to talk about his last book - When Revelation Comes - which went on to become a Herbert Warren Wind award finalist, and this time we’re joined to talk about another exciting project. 
To get a hold of a copy of Jim’s latest book, make your way to Back9Press or head to Amazon where we’ve hyperlinked them for your own ease.
A round of Scottish courses is a book charting 18 of Jim’s most beloved but often less celebrated courses. Some courses people will be familiar with but others less so. The likes of Aberfoyle are not on many bucket lists (until now), places like Iona and Harris require some serious commitment to get to, and some bigger names like Cruden Bay and Prestwick rightly hold a place in Jim’s heart. 
We also talk about the process of uncovering the history of these lesser-known courses, collecting old postcards images and the beautiful architecture of the buildings that often accompany these smaller well-preserved courses. 
Great to own. Great for a gift. 
Side note: out charity link for our upcoming 95 hole challenge around Arran can be found here. All donations hugely appreciated.
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