The Cookie Jar Golf Podcast

We speak with Eliot Baker about his recent Walker Cup victory and his transition from amateur golf to the professional ranks. He is set to begin his professional career in Australia through the R&A Global Amateur Pathway, with early events in Sydney, Melbourne and Mauritius. Baker describes himself as a late bloomer who did not compete in major junior events or England’s boys’ teams. After joining Hartpury at 18, he improved through university golf and began to build confidence in his ab...

The interview is presented in two parts: historian and Sunningdale member Adrian Pepper discusses the club’s history, particularly the New Course, followed by golf-course architect Gil Hanse on the ongoing restoration work. Pepper describes joining Sunningdale around 2000 and explains how he brought together earlier books, pamphlets, newspaper reports and archival material for his history of the club. Digitized newspaper archives, he says, made it easier to find historical details, including...

In part two of our conversation with Dean Robertson, we discuss the build-up to the Walker Cup at Lahinch, including player selection, communication with the team, and preparations at Ballybunion. Robertson explains how the coaching staff used deliberate disruptions—such as removing phones, rangefinders and pin sheets—to prepare players for uncertainty and reinforce a focus on hitting the center of the green. We hear how the team’s support staff and players were given specific roles, from tr...

Dean Robertson discusses his golf career, coaching work and experience captaining the Great Britain and Ireland Walker Cup team. He has worked at the University of Stirling for 17 years, where he directs golf and develops a structured, performance-focused program for student athletes. Robertson grew up in Paisley and began playing golf with his father. After studying civil engineering, he took a golf scholarship in the United States and later played professionally for ten years. He recalls h...

This weeks episode is a fascinating interview with broadcaster and commentator, distinguished amateur player, and son of Diana and Alfred Critchley who shares with us his story in the game of golf. Bruce's voice will be familiar to many as the voice of golf for several decades. We talk about Bruce's long connection with Sunningdale Golf Club where he has been a member for 70 years next year. He describes how both of his parents were closely involved with the club before and after the wa...