Australian Golf Passport

A few little snippets to discuss before we focus on the headline act for this episode. Scott and Matt discuss the imminent opening of some new holes at Newcastle Golf Club, with the work by Scott Champion and Bob Harrison looking really good.Lovedale Farm comes in for some discussion – specifically the ongoing issue of who is actually at the helm from a design perspective. Read the Planet Golf article addressing this. And most importantly – we discuss Barwon Heads, in all its old school glory. Situated in a gorgeous seaside village, the course is close to the beach and enjoys wonderful terrain. An enjoyable mix of short and long holes, the course is so reminiscent of so much high calibre UK golf. The closest thing to an East Coast English or Scottish links in the southern hemisphere.As promised in the episode – the link to enquire about stay and play packages in the glorious and recently refurbished Barwon Heads clubhouse.Australian Golf Passport is supported by:⁠Currents Golf⁠ golf booking software⁠Angus and Grace Go Golfing⁠ apparel⁠Seed Golf⁠ ballsImages related to this episode can be found on our ⁠Instagram⁠.Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

This week's episode is a chat between Scott and our guest Mark Panopoulos. We cover his pursuit to play every golf course in Australia - inspired by an epiphany in Kakadu National Park, sand greens golf, his upbringing on the NSW South Coast and life as a professional golfer in Australia.Australian Golf Passport is supported by:Currents Golf golf booking softwareAngus and Grace Go Golfing apparelSeed Golf ballsImages related to this episode can be found on our Instagram.Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A few topics covered on this episode – ranging from Royal Park Golf Course, social media activity of golf clubs, and hickory golf. Firstly we touch on the community consultation process and impending change in the Royal Park precinct of Melbourne, which may have ramifications for the golf course. We touch on a couple of examples of social media activity from local golf clubs and discuss how badly it is so often done, and how social media activity by golf clubs could be done better. We round out the episode with a discussion of hickory golf. The clubs, the history, the makers, and the mode of play. Courses suited to hickory and more. This stems from Matt’s recent participation in the 2026 Victorian Hickory Shaft Championships, staged at Barwon Heads, and is the springboard into our next episode in which we focus exclusively on Barwon Heads Golf Club. As discussed in the episode –  The State Government & Melbourne City Council’s plans for the Royal Park precinct here - https://participate.melbourne.vic.gov.au/royal-park-master-plan-review/project-overview Erik Anders Lang returns to Melbourne in October and will berevisiting Royal Park – the site of the first ever Random Golf Club event. For those interested in participating in the event scheduled for late October a link is here. https://randomgolfclub.com/en-au/products/royal-park-melbourne-mad-scramble?utm_source=copyToPasteBoard&utm_medium=product-links&utm_content=web&fbclid=PAdGRleAUZUb5mdHNoBP4LvXBkb2YCZmRpZBZQ1TG-bcZtrWeM36ZSP_u5X3m38uV4ZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPMTI0MDI0NTc0Mjg3NDE0AAGnU1zCrAG-aLuG9cn_k7H0ELfFmvDnQjS9_FJ8H00FHg0zCxMp0sPq6fG40tA_aem_OY-MjUM1IE6i6ms6c4JRIQ The link to follow for the 2027 Australian Hickory Shaft championships (including multi-day sandbelt play) is belowhttps://australianhickory.golfsocietyaust.comThe Australian Golf Heritage Society - http://www.australiangolfheritage.org.au/index.html Golf Society of Australia – https://golfsocietyaust.com/ You can follow GSA on Facebook too…Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. It's shorts season already in Sydney - but still time for sweaters and trousers in Melbourne. Grab what you need and look stylish on the course. We thank Matt – our OG partner. Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – doyour wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf. Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagrampage (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt.Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop PlayingWith Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A long-awaited chat with an under the radar figure in golfarchitecture in Australia. And a sensational, humble guy on top of that! Mic spends an hour with us, chatting about his start in the design and construction business, and the many projects he’s been a part of over the last two decades. From his beginnings when submitting competition entries to Tom Doak and Tony Cashmore, to working on master plans, course routings and more. We talk about Mic’s time on the ground at Tara Iti, National (Gunnamatta), Mallacoota, Flinders, 7 Mile Beach and others. He shares his love for understated countrygolf courses, particularly those down in the south east of Victoria. He sheds a little light on some hidden gems such as Loch Sport and Tambo Valley too! Construction, lessons learned from working with some wonderful colleagues and great projects and more. Thanks so much to Mic for chatting with us – a really fun and illuminating discussion. Mic’s site for those who want to know more – https://holesintheground.com/ The website for the golf course & club at Tambo Valley -https://www.tambovalleygc.com/course.htm And a link to Loch Sport too - https://lochsportgolfclub.com.au/ Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their insta page and website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Some warmer layers are on the shelves now, ensuring you will b stylish and warm during your round – and after! We thank Matt – our OG partner. Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf. Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt. Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com

A review of the All-Australian Composite Courses we unveiled in Episode 100. We tackle audience feedback, some reflections on each of our courses two weeks on and some holes that were unlucky to miss out.We mull over the process of compiling such a course and touch on a range of issues related to the eclectic layouts. Do people tend to favour photogenic holes? Are our courses full of our favourite holes ? Do they layouts work as balanced and playable (albeit in an imaginary sense) courses?We then go on to look at a different kind of 18, selecting an Anti-All-Australian 18 featuring weak holes from the top 18 courses in the land (according to our inaugural AGP course rankings). We discuss why some of these holes are less memorable than their colleagues and highlight the fact that even stellar courses have low spots.Bryson's fescue stomping rules snafu during The Open comes in for a little discussion, as does Ryan Fox's win and the upcoming Aussie Open at Kingston Heath, which Corey Connors is confirmed for... We briefly mentioned an old book written by Peter Thomson titled "Classic Golf Holes of Australia" It features some great old images of some of our best holes. There's a copy or two on eBay currently - going cheap.Our Podcast is published with support from Angus And Grace Go Golfing. Check their William St Paddington store if you’re in Sydney, or visit their insta page or website for some of the best golf apparel on the planet. Splurge on yourself and be the best dressed golfer at your club – grab an AAGGG cashmere sweater while they’re still available. You can thank us later.Thanks to Dean and everyone at Seed Golf – they continue to provide 20% off for Australian Golf Passport listeners via the code AGP at checkout. Get your hands on some premium golf balls at a super low price. Once you’ve tried them you will be so thankful. And if you’re a dedicated Seed player – do your wallet a favour and buy a box of loosies. It’s one of the best bargains in golf.Images related to this episode can be found on our Instagram page (@AustralianGolfPassport) and on Twitter / X (@AusGolfPassport). Images accompanied by attribution to their owners / creators when photos or video is not captured by Scott or Matt.Podcast intro music - Nbhd Nick / Stop Playing With Me-Instrumental / courtesy of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.epidemicsound.com