This Golfing Life

This Golfing Life is a series of conversations about life, golf and the relationship between the two. Join host Dan Davies as he gets to the heart of the game with an eclectic range of guests - some famous, some less so; but all of them hopelessly besotted with the most engaging, infuriating and enjoyable game ever created.

This Golfing Life is a sports podcast hosted by Dan Davies, with 28 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Dan Davies hosts This Golfing Life, a sports show with 28 episodes published.

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  This Golfing Life

  28: Rosie Bailey & Karen Crum: The Game Belongs to Everyone

  Sep 26, 20261h 16m

  Rosie Bailey and Karen Crum arrived at golf from almost opposite directions. Rosie was a reluctant junior who became an elite player, represented Scotland and earned a scholarship to the University of California, Berkeley, where the late Nancy McDaniel and Anne Walker, who now coaches the all-conquering Stanford women's golf programme, became hugely influential figures in her life.  Karen grew up immersed in sport and music in Northern Ireland, played competitive football and didn't seriously discover golf until her thirties. Nine years later, she plays off seven and describes it as the greatest sport on earth. Their paths crossed through Tuesday Links, the golf travel company Rosie founded with broadcaster Iona Stephen to create experiences designed around women rather than simply adapting the traditional golf trip. Karen joined its inaugural Scottish adventure as one of eight women aged between 36 and 70. What followed – culminating in an emotional walk up the 18th on the Old Course – reinforced something both women believe: golf's greatest gifts aren't necessarily found on the scorecard. In this episode, Rosie and Karen join Dan to talk about golf as friendship, adventure, meditation and belonging; why walking alongside someone for four hours can create extraordinary conversations; and why golf still struggles to make women feel that the game belongs to them. They discuss motherhood and the women golf loses, badly designed clubhouses, women's golf clothing – and the scandal of inadequate pockets – and whether golf has a branding problem or a product problem. Plus, Karen discusses her other obsession, music, and her forthcoming album Fault Lines, recorded under the name Von Burl. Chapters  00:00 – Introducing Rosie Bailey and Karen Crum  02:19 – Rosie: from reluctant junior to Scotland golfer 04:01 – California dreaming: college golf at Berkeley 06:00 – “How you do anything is how you do everything” 08:31 – Karen's unlikely route into golf 11:18 – Illness, Wanstead and becoming obsessed 14:56 – Why are there still so few women? 17:15 – Rosie builds a career in golf 23:01 – Karen's other obsession: music 28:27 – The birth of Tuesday Links 32:38 – What do women actually want from a golf trip? 35:08 – Why four hours of golf creates friendships 38:13 – Golf as meditation 40:59 – The magic of St Andrews 42:09 – Eight women, eight stories 45:11 – Where does golf lose women? 49:08 – The stranger on a plane who inspired Tuesday Links 51:00 – Why does golf still feel uncool? 52:57 – Does golf have a branding problem or a product problem? 59:37 – Being allowed in isn't the same as belonging 1:03:25 – The unexpected power of belonging 1:05:43 – Tears on the 18th at St Andrews 1:07:58 – Walking in the footsteps of your heroes 1:09:29 – What is golf actually for? 1:12:25 – A golfing life Links Get 20% off you next Sounder Golf purchase with the code Pod20 Find out more about Tuesday Links, the women's golf travel company founded by Rosie Bailey and Iona Stephen Read Karen Crum on Substack at Von Burl Read Dan Davies on Substack at The Sacred Acre Follow RNGC, Dan's backyard golf course, on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  This Golfing Life

  27. Padraig Harrington: Links, Chunks & Chipping Cures

  Sep 21, 202629 min

  In this special archive edition of This Golfing Life, we travel back to the spring of 2014 and Royal Liverpool Golf Club, where I sat down with three-time major champion Padraig Harrington ahead of that summer’s Open Championship at Hoylake. Harrington had already established himself as one of the great links players of his generation, winning consecutive Opens at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale in 2007 and 2008 before adding the PGA Championship just weeks after his second Claret Jug. Our conversation became a fascinating exploration of what links golf really demands: imagination, strategy, ball flight and the ability to manufacture shots rather than simply make technically perfect swings. Harrington explains why growing up on links courses teaches you to become a player, recalls the extraordinary way Tiger Woods conquered a baked-out Hoylake in 2006, and explains why even the world’s best golfers can take years to understand how links golf should be played. We also revisit Harrington’s own major championship career: the moment he realised he really could win one; the extraordinary 48-yard pitch at Carnoustie after twice finding the Barry Burn; getting himself back into “the zone” when he thought he had thrown the Open away; the famous five-wood at Birkdale; and the strange experience of trying to defeat Greg Norman while almost everyone around him was willing the great Australian towards one final triumph.  And then the conversation turns to my own notoriously fragile short game. Padraig makes me a promise: if I do exactly what he tells me, he guarantees he can teach me to chip. So we head outside, surrounded by around 100 spectators, for a chipping lesson with a three-time major champion. It does not go according to plan. Chapters / timestamps 00:00 — Introducing a 2014 encounter with Padraig Harrington at Royal Liverpool — and one of Dan’s more embarrassing experiences in golf .02:15 — 2006: when Hoylake became almost unplayably fast02:45 — The genius of Tiger Woods at Hoylake 04:30 — Harrington's perfect links conditions 05:59 — Growing up on links golf 06:39 — What makes a golfer a “player”? 08:06 — Why great American golfers can still play links golf 10:05 — How Phil Mickelson learned links golf 11:04 — Harrington's first Open Championship 11:38 — Nothing like the 18th at The Open 12:09 — The major that changed Harrington's thinking 14:00 — The Carnoustie wedge shot in 2007 14:18 — “I think I've choked” - disasters in Barry Burn 15:05 — Getting back into the zone 15:35 — “Watch this” - Harrington’s gutsy up and down at Carnoustie to make the playoff17:25 — Why Harrington doesn't regard his 2008 5-wood at Birkdale as his greatest shot  19:12 — Trying to spoil the Greg Norman fairytale at Birkdale in 2008 20:26 — Padraig guarantees he can fix Dan's chipping 21:04 — The Harrington cure for bad chipping22:00 — Time to put the theory to the test... Follow RNGC, Dan's backyard golf course, on Instagram Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  This Golfing Life

  26. Richard Finch: Just don't shank it!

  Sep 13, 20261h 5m

  From Walker Cup heartbreak and Q-School pressure to European Tour glory, Richard Finch reflects on the highs, lows and near-misses of a life in elite amateur and professional golf. Plus the famous Irish Open plunge, Rory McIlroy at 15, Chubby Chandler, and rediscovering the fun of the game at RNGC. Richard Finch’s route to the European Tour began on a municipal course in Hull, where an obsession with getting better once led him to spend the night in the junior room practising his putting. He became one of England’s leading amateurs, winning the Spanish Amateur, English Amateur and St Andrews Links Trophy, but his amateur career ended with the bitter disappointment of missing out on a Walker Cup place at Ganton. Turning professional at 25, Finch initially came under the wing of a young Eddie Hearn before earning his European Tour card in dramatic fashion at Q-School. But by 2007 his career was in serious danger. In this episode, Richard revisits the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship where he first met Dan, the extraordinary final round in Mallorca that saved his card, and the remarkable transformation that followed when he won in New Zealand just weeks later. Five months after that first victory came the moment for which he may always be best remembered: winning the Irish Open at Adare Manor despite falling waist-deep into the water beside the 18th fairway. Richard also recalls playing with a 15-year-old Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods renaming him “Robert Finch”, the difficulties that eventually brought his Tour career to an end, and the joy of rediscovering uncomplicated, competitive golf at this summer’s RNGC Invitational. 00:00 — Introducing Richard Finch 01:49 — Growing up in Hull 03:52 — The junior who slept at the golf club 06:48 — Scratch golf and Yorkshire county days 08:16 — Deciding to become a Tour professional 09:26 — Family, expectation and Richard’s mum 11:17 — Dave Jagger, Pete Cowen and golfing mentors 14:01 — England golf and winning the Spanish Amateur 16:18 — English Amateur glory and Walker Cup heartbreak 20:00 — Turning professional with Eddie Hearn 22:26 — An 81 at Q-School — and somehow earning a card 25:52 — Discovering he belonged on the European Tour 28:58 — Characters, Chubby Chandler and life inside ISM 32:02 — Losing confidence in 2007 36:09 — The 2007 Dunhill Links 38:27 — Mallorca: “Just don’t shank it” 42:09 — From survival to victory in New Zealand 44:25 — Winning the Irish Open — from inside the river 48:35 — Wet shoes, police outriders and a Ryanair queue 52:14 — Rory McIlroy at 15 and “Robert Finch” 53:52 — Winning twice, Ryder Cup talk and trying to improve 56:55 — Injury and the end of Tour life 1:00:36 — Rediscovering the fun at RNGC 1:02:16 — Why golf remains a great game Links Follow Richard Finch on Instagram Follow RNGC, Dan's backyard golf club, on Instagram at @rngc2021 Read Dan Davies on Substack at The Sacred Acre Get 20% of your next purchase from soundergolf.com with the code Pod20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  This Golfing Life

  25: Gordon Simpson: Ryder Cups to Murder at Wentworth

  Sep 3, 20261h 11m

  Few people have enjoyed a better seat from which to watch the story of modern professional golf unfold than Gordon Simpson. A sports journalist from the age of 17, Gordon became golf correspondent of the Press & Journal in Aberdeen aged 21 — and promptly found himself walking every yard of the final two rounds of legendary 1977 Open at Turnberry as Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus fought out the Duel in the Sun. From there came football World Cups, Masters Tournaments, Ryder Cups and encounters with many of sport's biggest personalities. In this episode of This Golfing Life, Gordon recalls the old newspaper world of hot metal, being desperately ill on his first morning at Augusta in 1996, watching Nick Faldo dismantle Norman six days later and then winning the press ballot to play Augusta National himself the following morning. A year later he watched Tiger transform the sport — and heard Earl Woods make predictions about his son that initially seemed preposterous. Gordon later crossed what he calls the "Great Divide", becoming Director of Communications for the European Tour and seeing professional golf from the inside looking out. He shares memories of flying over North America on 9/11, Darren Clarke's emotional Ryder Cup at the K Club, Paul McGinley's obsessive attention to detail — and the excruciating moment Gordon invited Hunter Mahan to speak after the 2010 defeat at Celtic Manor, only for Mahan to burst into tears. Finally, Gordon explains how a story told to him by a European Tour colleague provided the ending for his debut crime novel, Four Deadly Swings, which is set around a professional golf tournament at Wentworth, Gordon's professional home for many years. Chapters 00:00 — Introducing this week’s guest and his connection to Wentworth 03:21 — Growing up surrounded by sport 05:43 — From junior reporter to golf correspondent at 21 10:13 — Drinking, smoking and hot metal: a different time for newspapers 17:52 — Turnberry 1977 and The Duel in the Sun 19:59 — Tom Watson: triumph, heartbreak and enduring class 25:00 — World Cups, Kenny Dalglish and an airport security scare 30:06 — Gordon's unforgettable first Masters34:24 — Playing Augusta National 38:39 — 1997: Tiger Woods changes everything 42:16 — Crossing the Great Divide 47:03 — The golfers behind the public personas 50:48 — Seve destroys Gordon's interview in two questions 54:36 — Flying over America on 9/11 and getting stranded in Canada 57:48 — The Ryder Cup press conference from hell01:00:47 — Darren Clarke and the K Club 01:06:06 — What makes a great Ryder Cup captain? 01:09:10 — ‘Four Deadly Swings’, Gordon’s new crime thriller set at Wentworth 01:15:13 — What golf has given Gordon Simpson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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  This Golfing Life

  24. John E Morgan (Pt.2): "I had a Ryder Cup in me"

  Aug 27, 202654 min

  In Part Two of our extended conversation with John E Morgan, we pick up one of golf's most extraordinary career trajectories. Within months of turning professional, Morgan wins on the Challenge Tour, earns his European Tour card and then heads to America, where — inspired by watching Tiger Woods at close quarters — he emerges from PGA Tour Q School with a second Tour card. Suddenly the docker's son from Bristol is sharing ranges with Ernie Els and meeting his childhood heroes, while still sufficiently starstruck to sprint across a golf course for Adam Sandler's autograph. We hear about life in America, electric-blue hair, meeting Seve Ballesteros and the loneliness behind Morgan's relentlessly exuberant exterior. Then comes the extraordinary final round of the 2004 John Deere Classic: a back-nine charge, increasingly wild fist pumps and a 30-foot birdie putt at the last to force a playoff that could have changed his life. Morgan reflects candidly on what victory might have meant — and whether his personality could actually have coped with everything that would have followed. But just a week later Morgan suffered a serious seizure on a plane, and epilepsy became an increasingly destructive presence in his career. He tells us why he eventually had to walk away from professional golf, how broadcasting gave him another way into the game he loves, and why, despite everything he achieved, he remains convinced there was a Ryder Cup player inside him. It's a story of talent and what-ifs, but also enormous gratitude: as Morgan puts it, “At least I had a piece of the pie.” Key quotes “I definitely felt there was a Ryder Cup in me.” “I was more starstruck than I was intimidated.” “Whatever cloud I was on, I was on it and I felt like Monkey Magic.” “It’s not just about me, it’s about everyone else.” “At least I had a piece of the pie. At least I tasted it.” “Do I think I'd be alive to tell this tale if that putt would have gone in? That's the truth.” Chapters 00:00 — Coming Up: The John E Morgan Story Continues 01:12 — Turning pro and tearing up the EuroPro Tour 04:01 — Bowood: The tournament that changed everything 06:37 — The 40-footer that became “absolute fruit bat” 09:29 — From Challenge Tour winner to European Tour Player 11:04 — Taking a wild shot at PGA Tour Q School 11:50 — A seizure with four holes to play 13:20 — Watching Tiger and finding his swing 17:44 — Two tour cards in eight extraordinary months 20:42 — Hawaii, the PGA Tour and chasing Adam Sandler 22:28 — Starstruck but never intimidated 24:16 — Meeting Seve Ballesteros 26:13 — Why John dyed his hair electric blue 28:15 — Money, Miami and loneliness  in America 29:42 — The 2004 John Deere Classic 31:57 — Going mental on the back nine 33:25 — Fist pumps and a clutch 30-footer at 18 35:11 — The playoff that could have changed everything 39:33 — “Would I be alive if that putt had gone in?” 41:03 — When epilepsy took control 45:22 — Finding a second life in broadcasting 46:00 — What's been lost from modern pro golf? 47:55 — The happiest days of his golfing life 49:19 — “I had a Ryder Cup in me” 50:48 — No regrets, gratitude and treating people well Links ⁠John E Morgan on Instagram⁠ ⁠RNGC, Dan Davies' backyard golf course⁠ ⁠Dan Davies on Substack⁠ ⁠Get 20% of your next Sounder Golf purchase⁠ with code POD20 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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