Claim OwnershipLarry The Golf Guy
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I’ve been playing golf since I was 9. I played junior golf extensively at the local and state level as a teenager growing up in West Hartford, Connecticut, and played on both my high school and college teams. That was about as far as my playing career went, but I never lost my love for the game. I am an avid reader and collector of golf book and enjoy the history of the game and golf architecture. I especially enjoy talking with folks in the golf industry generally – be they club pros, teaching pros, players, golf association executives, architects or industry folks – and that is what we do on this podcast.
124 Episodes
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Chuck White grew up in Long Beach and was a star member of the UCLA Golf Team in the late 70's, with folks like Corey Pavin and Steve Pate as teammates. Chuck has gone on to use another skill -- his distinctive voice -- to have a stellar career as the voice of UCLA football and basketball for over three decades as well as other notable assignments. We talk with Chuck about his journey in the game, from how he got his start playing the public courses in Long Beach to his junior career and his experiences at UCLA. We also get Chuck's thoughts on some of the issues facing the game today.
Derek Duncan is one of the most knowledgeable people today on golf course architecture. We talk with Derek about how he developed his interest in golf course architecture and got his start in the field, how the bi-annual Top 100 ratings are conducted at Golf Digest and how those rankings have changed over time, and more broadly how golf course architecture has evolved over the past 30 years. We also touch on the dramatic changes in the accessibility of golf course architectural knowledge and discuss the impact of technology.
Bob Ford is one of golf's greatest ambassadors, having served as the head pro at Oakmont for 37 years and at Seminole for 21 years (and serving both clubs concurrently for 17 of those years). Bob's accomplishments as a head pro (with some 50+ assistants having gone on to notable head pro positions at other clubs) and as a player (having played in 10 PGA's and 3 US Open's in addition to winning multiple Pennsylvania Open and Pennsylvania PGA championships) are legendary. We talk with Bob about how he got started in the game, his time as an assistant at Oakmont under Lew Worsham, his becoming the head pro at Oakmont at age 25, making the cut as the host pro at the 1983 US Open, the famous tree removal project at Oakmont which became the model for other clubs across the country, and his time at Seminole and how he and his wife Nancy managed those two jobs with three children. We also get Bob's views on the life of the club pro today, the role of technology in the game, and the state of the game today.
Joe Passov, a/k/a “Travelin’ Joe,” has been writing about golf since 1991, with a specialty in travel, history and golf course architecture. We talk with Joe about how he went from being a young lawyer to a golf writer, how he came to focus on golf travel and golf course architecture, and the major developments he has seen in those areas during his long career.
Greg Nathan, after having been a competitive tennis player as a junior, decided in his early 20's that he wanted to have a career in golf. We talk with Greg about the remarkable journey he then pursued to reach this goal, and how through a combination of impressive persistence and some good fortune, he eventually got a job at the SI Golf Group and then subsequently joined the National Golf Foundation where he ultimately rose to being President & CEO. We then discuss what the NGF does and how it serves as the umbrella trade association for the entire golf industry, and cover various topics including the current state of the game, the role of non-green grass facilities in being an on-ramp for new golfers, the importance of the pro game and his thoughts on the future of the game.
Kyle Phillips is one of the leading golf architects working today. We talk with Kyle about how he became interested in golf architecture, what he learned from his 16 years at RTJ II Golf Course Design, his decision to go out on his own in 1997, and his stellar work at Kingsbarns in Scotland and the Cal Club in San Francisco. We also discuss his approach to design, why golden age architecture is having a moment in golf, how he grapples with the great increase in distances at the elite level in his restoration/renovation work, and what architects have influenced him the most.
Lanny Wadkins had a tremendous career on the PGA Tour, with 21 wins over a 21 year period. Lanny also had a stellar Ryder Cup record, playing in 8 Ryder Cups from 1977 to 1993 and compiling a remarkable record of 20-11-3. We talk with Lanny about taking up the game as a youngster in Richmond, VA, his college golf experiences at Wake Forest, his stellar amateur record which included the US Amateur and playing on two Walker Cup teams, his victory at the 1977 PGA in the first sudden-death playoff in major championship history, his experiences at the Ryder Cup including his 4-0 record against Seve Ballesteros and what it was like to play against Seve, his experiences with Ben Hogan and his broadcast career as the lead golf analyst at both CBS Sports and The Golf Channel. We also get Lanny's thoughts on regulating equipment at the touring pro level.
David Bonsall has served in many roles at the R&A, including on the Rules Committee (which he chaired from 2015-2019), the Championship Committee and the General Committee. Notably, David led the R&A team on the Rules Modernization Project from 2012-2019, and has refereed 25 major championships, several Walker Cups and amateur championships and numerous pro tour events. He has also had a wide-ranging commercial career, leading the Capital Markets practice at the international law firm of Freshfields before becoming an investment banker. We talk with David about his start in the game, his playing career in college, how he got involved with the R&A, the process of modernizing the rules of golf, and his views on equipment regulation. We also discuss his remarkable experience of being the chief referee for the final group of Jordan Spieth and Matt Kuchar at The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in 2017 when David had to grapple with the remarkable complexity of rulings triggered by Jordan's wayward drive on the 13th hole.
Tommy Armour III has had a long career in professional golf, playing in more than 600 events on the PGA Tour (with two wins, including setting the PGA Tour 72 hole scoring record) and more than 200 events on the Champions Tour. We talk with Tommy about his life on Tour, his experiences with various folks including Ben Hogan and Mac O'Grady and his memories of his two wins on Tour. We also get Tommy's thoughts on the LIV-PGA Tour divide as well as the evolution of golf equipment and whether or not those advances should be rolled back.
If it's time for the Masters, then it's time for us to have another chat with Top 100 teacher Brady Riggs. We preview the upcoming tournament and who Brady thinks may slip on the green jacket, but before we talk about this year's Masters, we discuss various issues with the pro game (including equipment regulation, slow play and LIV) as well as what has taken place during the first three months of the 2025 PGA Tour season.
Derek Sprague was recently named CEO of the PGA of America, and is the first PGA pro to occupy that position in nearly 20 years. We talk with Derek about becoming both head pro and club manager at the Malone CC in upstate NY at the age of 21, and what that experience was like during his ensuing 27 years at the club. We also discuss how he became involved with the PGA, first at the section level in upstate NY and then at the national level which culminated in his becoming President of the PGA of America in 2014. We then cover some of the issues he grapples with as head of the PGA of America, including equipment regulation and the life of the club pro, and what his priorities are for the organization going forward.
Matt Pringle joined the USGA nearly 25 years ago after getting his doctorate in mechanical engineering. He spent 19+ years in the technical/equipment regulation area, and for the last 5+ years he has been the managing director of the USGA Green Section. We talk with Matt about the various equipment issues he has grappled with, the USGA's general approach to equipment regulation, and the important and extensive work that the USGA Green Section does to foster better playing conditions for better golf. We also take a look ahead and get Matt's thoughts on the challenges facing the game.
Stephen Johnston founded the KPMG North American Golf Practice in 1992, and then bought the practice and formed GGA Partners in 2006. His firm does work not only for private clubs, resorts and residential communities, but also organizations such as the USGA. We talk with Steve about growing up as a hockey player in Canada, how he migrated to golf, how he went from being an audit partner to creating the golf practice for KPMG, how the type of work his firm does has changed over time, and his thoughts on a variety of issues impacting his clients and the game generally. We also explore how Steve has managed to have over 50 hole-in-one's.
As a developer of golf communities, as a trusted board member and as a principal partner at GGA Partners, Henry DeLozier has been one of golf’s and private clubs’ most respected leaders and sought-after voices. Befitting that status, Henry has been recognized by Golf Inc. magazine as one of the “Most Influential People in Golf”. We talk with Henry about his start in the game as a young boy growing up in Oklahoma, his achievements as a player, his takeaways from his time at Oklahoma State under the legendary Labron Harris, Sr. and his various club pro positions, his pivot into business, his great success at Del Webb/Pulte Homes and his consulting practice at GGA Partners. We discuss what the pitfalls are that he sees at private clubs and what the best private clubs get right, and get his thoughts on where private clubs are headed.
Todd Graves was a skilled golfer who was playing various mini tours when he first met Moe Norman in 1994, and that meeting started a friendship which changed the trajectory of Todd's game and life. We talk to Todd about growing up in Oklahoma and his introduction to the game, making the team at the University of Oklahoma as a walk on, his friendship with his teammate (and future Open champion) Todd Hamilton, his experiences playing on the Asian, Dakota and Hooters tours, and how his meeting Moe Norman led Todd (along with his brother Tim) to start a golf school dedicated to teaching Moe's single-plane golf swing. We discuss how Todd teaches the single-plan swing to students, how Graves Golf has grown and where it stands today.
Kyle Porter is a golf writer and one of the keenest observers of the golf scene today. After a dozen years at CBS Sports where he covered 47 majors and 5 Ryder Cups, Kyle is now focused full-time on Normal Sport, which is his terrific golf newsletter. We talk with Kyle about how he got started in sports journalism, his experience at CBS Sports and some of the more notable events he covered, and what he is trying to achieve with his Normal Sport newsletter. We also discuss various aspects of equipment regulation at the elite level, the state of pro golf generally, where the PGA Tour and LIV are at and what needs to happen for the two tours to come together, his thoughts on the LPGA Tour, and his expectations for some of the more notable PGA Tour players.
Don Rea, Jr., was recently elected president of the PGA of America. We talk with Don about his journey from being a AAA baseball umpire to becoming a PGA member, a golf course owner and operator and ultimately a national officer of the PGA of America. We also discuss the new headquarters at Frisco in North Texas, the importance of public advocacy in golf, the PGA's role and interaction with the other governing bodies in the game, and the biggest challenges facing the game and the profession.
Chris Biggins was born with cerebral palsy, had braces on both legs until 10th grade, and has had numerous medical procedures to deal with his condition. Notwithstanding these physical challenges, Chris has persevered to become one of the best adaptive golfers in the country and a PGA teaching professional at the Country Club of Birmingham in Alabama. We talk with Chris about his prowess in sports growing up, his experiences with both the professional golf management program and the college golf team at Methodist University, his summer internships, his professional ski racing career, and his staff role overseeing the incredible junior golf program at the Country Club of Birmingham.
Ed Holmes has had a long and distinguished career as a Board member and leader for various golf associations in Southern California, including the SCGA, the SCGA Junior Foundation and the SCPGA, and has also done television and rules work for the USGA. We talk with Ed about his journey in the game and the many contributions he has made to golf in Southern California and beyond.
Lizette Salas has come a long way in golf, from her first day going with her dad to the local course in Azusa here in Southern California (where he worked as a mechanic) to being a two-time winner on the LPGA Tour and a five-time member of the US Solheim Cup team. We talk about how she got started in the game, her junior career, earning a golf scholarship to USC, winning the NCAA team championship as a freshman and becoming a four-time All-American, surviving a 9-for-1 playoff to earn her LPGA Tour card, what life on Tour is like, coping with her recent medical challenges, and her thoughts on the women's game today.
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