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PODCAST

Designing Golf

Designing Golf is a show about golf courses: how they’re built, who builds them, and which ones are worth playing. Hosted by Fried Egg Golf’s Garrett Morrison, Designing Golf will explore all facets of golf architecture, from its basic principles to its history to its practitioners to its best examples in the United States and abroad. Each episode will investigate a different topic in a fun, concise way. Whether you’re a longtime aficionado or a beginner in the subject, Designing Golf will deepen

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All Episodes

79:31

The Winter Park Renovation, 10 Years Later

Designing Golf ·

2026/10/01

Ten years ago today, Winter Park — a nine-hole municipal golf course in a suburban town outside of Orlando, Florida — underwent one of the most important renovations of the 21st century. On a budget of just over a million dollars, Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns, a pair of Coore & Crenshaw associates, transformed WP9 into an excellent, fun, community-focused golf facility. It’s a model for what the municipal game can and should look like. So, in this episode, Garrett chats with

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80:15

Golf Architecture 101: The Uses of Out-of-Bounds

Designing Golf ·

2026/09/17

Many golfers don’t like seeing out-of-bounds stakes anywhere near a playing corridor; they object on principle. Yet some of the most famous, revered holes in golf use out-of-bounds as a strategic hazard — so there must be something to it. In this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett takes his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark through the ways OB has been, and should be, deployed in golf course design. Garrett also brings in Craig Winter, the USGA’s Senior

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85:51

The Story of East Potomac Golf Links

Designing Golf ·

2026/09/03

On September 1, East Potomac Golf Links, a popular municipal golf facility in Washington, D.C., was supposed to shut down for a massive renovation led by the Trump administration and architect Tom Fazio. But then... it didn’t. So what’s going on here? And what’s the backstory? Garrett is joined by his Fried Egg Golf colleague (and DMV resident) Brendan Porath to go through the full history of East Potomac, from its beginnings as an innovative reversible golf course to its current

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68:56

Michael Keiser’s Second Act

Designing Golf ·

2026/08/20

When Mike Keiser opened Bandon Dunes in 1999, his son Michael was 18 years old. Michael Jr. went on to play a key role in the expansion of the Keiser family’s Dream Golf empire. Along with his brother Chris, he oversaw the development of Wisconsin’s Sand Valley, one of the most architecturally experimental golf resorts in the country. Now, Michael is creating three new resorts of his own, all opening within the next year and a half. There’s Wild Spring Dunes in East Texas, Rodeo

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76:57

Great Courses: Merion

Designing Golf ·

2026/08/06

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

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82:54

Golf Architecture 101: Greens

Designing Golf ·

2026/07/27

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

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86:31

A Royal Birkdale Deep Dive

Designing Golf ·

2026/07/09

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

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84:59

What’s New in Public Destination Golf?

Designing Golf ·

2026/06/25

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

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78:17

Great Architects: William Flynn

Designing Golf ·

2026/06/11

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.

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112:26

Great Courses: Shinnecock Hills

Designing Golf ·

2026/06/04

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

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64:40

Golf Architecture 101: The Championship Setup Wars

Designing Golf ·

2026/05/21

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

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91:09

Great Architects: Donald Ross (feat Bradley Klein)

Designing Golf ·

2026/04/30

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

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85:12

The Economics of Golf Course Construction (feat....

Designing Golf ·

2026/04/16

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.

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72:09

The Original Augusta National (feat. Brian Schneider...

Designing Golf ·

2026/04/02

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

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68:50

Golf Architecture 101: Routing

Designing Golf ·

2026/03/19

Most golf architects will tell you that the most important step in designing a golf course is routing — that is, locating greens, fairways, and tees, and linking them together into a full sequence of holes. And yet routing is also probably the hardest aspect of golf course design to discuss. So in this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett sits down with PJ Clark to demystify the art of routing.

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77:20

Pete Dye’s Design Legacy (feat. Scot Sherman)

Designing Golf ·

2026/03/05

With the Players Championship approaching, we take a close look at the philosophy and influence of Pete Dye, the architect behind the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town Golf Links, and many other great courses. First, Garrett explains why golf architecture nerds tend to admire Dye even though Dye violated a lot of currently fashionable principles of design. Then, Garrett brings on Scot Sherman, lead designer at Love Golf Design, to discuss his history with the Dye family as well as his

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59:24

Great Courses: Riviera (feat. Zac Blair)

Designing Golf ·

2026/02/19

With the Genesis Invitational returning to Riviera Country Club this week, Garrett digs into the masterful 1927 design by George Thomas and Billy Bell. First, he outlines what makes Riviera great and how he thinks it could be improved. Then he brings on Zac Blair, professional golfer and founder of The Tree Farm, to talk about the finer details of the course.

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70:41

How to Appreciate Golf Courses (feat. Geoff Shackelford)

Designing Golf ·

2026/02/05

How can you properly appreciate a golf course while you’re playing it? In this episode, Garrett talks about a couple of techniques he uses to understand golf architecture in the midst of a round. Then he brings on Geoff Shackelford (18:12), author of the book "Golf Architecture for Normal People" and the Substack newsletter The Quadrilateral, to discuss the “RED” system of appreciating and evaluating golf courses.

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61:28

Why Aren’t There More Stadium Golf Courses?

Designing Golf ·

2026/01/22

In the 1980s, the concept of a stadium golf course seemed poised to take off. The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and the PGA West Stadium Course, both designed by Pete Dye, made high-profile debuts on the PGA Tour in 1982 and 1987, respectively. But then the trend ended before it really became a trend. In this episode, Garrett explains the idea of a stadium course and offers some theories as to why it didn’t catch on. He then talks to architect Tim Liddy about his recent renovation work at PGA

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64:17

2026 Golf Course Openings We're Excited About

Designing Golf ·

2026/01/08

It’s a new year, so we’re looking ahead. First, Garrett talks about whether modern golf architecture is running low on fresh ideas. Then he is joined by his Fried Egg Golf colleague Matt Rouches to discuss six (or, by the end of their conversation, seven) course openings they’re excited about in 2026.

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