Sandbagger Sessions

Live from the Home of Golf: one week in Scotland, a run of legendary links courses, and one host still fighting the Old Course ballot.Recorded on foot through the streets of St Andrews, Episode 34 of Sandbagger Sessions is our unfiltered recap of an October golf trip to Scotland. No studio, no script, and a few interruptions. Cole and Stefan break down what it’s actually like to play St Andrews and the courses around it: which ones are worth the money, which ones aren’t, what everything costs, and what we’d tell anyone planning their own trip.In this episode:The course we’d play for the rest of our lives, and the one we’d tell you to skipHow the Old Course ballot works, and the morning it beat usWhy St Andrews is basically a ski town for golfersThe Open returns to St Andrews in 2027: new tees and what the wind could doA lost bet, a razor, and a members-only clubhouse in East LothianShould you base your Scotland golf trip in St Andrews or East Lothian?TIMESTAMPS0:00 Live from the streets of St Andrews2:45 First impressions: golf’s ski town4:00 The cost of being here (brace yourself)6:30 Merch, markups, and the local workaround8:30 Course by course: the opener11:30 The quirkiest round of the trip13:20 Old Tom, Young Tom, and a walk to the castle ruins14:30 An honest verdict on the resort course17:30 Carnoustie in near-perfect conditions20:00 Campus walk: reading week chaos22:45 The Castle Course24:35 Round two on the Old Course26:00 The Jubilee: strategy, wind, and a self-imposed timeout28:00 Open 2027 prep: new back tees29:45 How to actually get on the Old Course31:20 Storm Austin and tomorrow’s plan32:00 First tee nerves, live33:20 Gullane No. 136:15 Stay in St Andrews or East Lothian?39:50 Final thoughts from the first tee---Sandbagger Sessions is a comedic golf podcast hosted by Cole and Stefan, a PGA of Canada professional. We cover golf news, events, and everything in between, with equal parts knowledge and chaos. Follow, subscribe, and leave a review if you’re enjoying it.#StAndrews #OldCourse #ScotlandGolf #GolfPodcast #GolfTrip #LinksGolf #TheOpen2027 #Carnoustie #Gullane #SandbaggerSessions

What would you build if someone handed you a lakefront property in Prince Edward County and a blank cheque? Stefan and Cole set out to answer that live, with no script and no notes.The rules: ten minutes each to pitch an imaginary room of investors on the course, the experience, and why two guys from Kingston, Ontario should be trusted with their money. And since it’s improv, neither of them is allowed to say “no.”Along the way you’ll hear:- A links-style layout with a few things nobody’s done before- A plan for the 18th hole that turns finishing your round into a spectator sport- Why this resort is “sparing no expense,” and where the ask ends up- A drink deal that definitely doesn’t make money- Who gets to be the Steve Jobs, and who has to settle for WozniakPlus, our Scotland trip is eight days out, and the St. Andrews forecast has Cole checking the weather hourly.If you’ve ever argued about the perfect golf trip, the perfect tee box, or what a golf resort should be, this one is for you.🎧 New episodes every week. Subscribe, like, and tell a buddy.---⛳️ TIMESTAMPS1:20 The setup: a piece of land, a lake, and one rule3:35 The pitch format: three categories, a ten-minute clock each5:45 Category 1: the course, and why the loops aren’t what you’d expect7:36 Who’s paying the power bill?9:01 Two modes, one course11:00 How the 18th hole ends12:38 The Jurassic Park of golf14:32 Architects, practice facilities, and a very specific shopping list16:10 “Three for me, three for you”16:40 Category 2: who gets to be here, and who doesn’t18:26 Two restaurants and an unreasonable amount of entertainment21:06 Why you’ll never pull out your wallet22:02 The pro shop, the partners, and the cart situation24:30 The Airbnb problem, solved25:11 Category 3: why you should back us (Jobs vs. Wozniak)30:31 The ask32:09 Legacy, benches, and one very large fund33:14 The lifetime membership offer35:00 Ideas that came too late for the pitch36:48 Scotland countdown

Ten rounds. Ten ridiculous categories. Two guys with zero notes and very strong opinions. Welcome to the Sandbagger Draft.This week Cole and Stefan throw out the news cycle and draft professional golfers (men's and women's) for the scenarios that actually matter. Who do you want next to you when a drunk member corners you in the parking lot? Who gets the 10-footer when your life is on the line? Which pro would name a boat after themselves? And who could break 80 at your home course, with your clubs, after twelve beers, with $10 million on the line?Along the way: a putting stat so absurd it sounds made up, a 15-hour private jet story you have to hear to believe, a caddie confession involving a banana, one pick so bad it had to be bleeped, and a draft that goes right down to the 18th hole.Plus, Stefan's road-rage run-in after a rough round, why ugly swings keep producing good scores, how much YouTube golfers are really making, and the countdown to Scotland is officially on.Who won the draft? You decide. Drop your picks in the comments and tell us who got robbed.⛳ CHAPTERS00:00 Welcome to Episode 3201:30 Stefan's rough day at Cataraqui (and a road-rage run-in)06:20 Why ugly swings keep producing good scores08:30 Scotland countdown: three weeks out09:30 The Sandbagger Draft explained11:30 Round 1: Who you want for six beers17:00 Round 2: Mixed Ryder Cup partner, 2 down with 3 to play19:40 Round 3: A 10-footer to save your life24:40 Round 4: Your backup in a parking lot fight27:50 Round 5: The one pro you'd punch in the face33:00 Round 6: The leaked DM that ends a career37:40 Round 7: Last-minute fourth for the buddies trip42:20 Round 8: The golfer who names the boat after himself46:00 Round 9: Two hours, off the record, they must tell the truth52:00 Round 10: $10M, 12 beers, your clubs – break 8055:40 Bonus round: we tried something… it did not go well59:30 Scotland plans1:00:15 Final recap: who won the draft?🎙️ Sandbagger Sessions is a golf podcast that's equal parts comedy and genuine golf knowledge, hosted by Cole Atkinson and PGA of Canada professional Stefan Thedorf. New episodes weekly.👍 Like, subscribe, and tell us your picks below.#golf #golfpodcast #pgatour #lpga #livgolf #golfhumor #sandbaggersessions

LIV Golf just filed for Chapter 11 — and somehow that's not even the wildest turn this week.In Episode 31 we flip the format: Cole puts Stefan, our PGA of Canada professional, in the hot seat for a no-notes AMA where the questions range from dead serious to completely unhinged.Before the hot seat, we run the tables on the biggest stories in golf right now: LIV's messy "next era," the purest weekend of the year at the Walker Cup, the blurred line between amateur and pro, and previews of both the Presidents Cup and the Solheim Cup. Then the AMA gets into the questions every golfer actually argues about — what a healthy, distraction-free Tiger Woods really could have done, what genuinely makes someone a "good golfer," and whether today's speed-and-distance obsession is quietly ruining the game for beginners. Plus the two most ridiculous hypotheticals we've ever put on the show.Grab a beer (or, like Stefan, a water sponsored by nobody) and settle in.Chapters:05:55 — Today's format: putting the pro in the hot seat06:30 — LIV Golf files for Chapter 11 (and the most hopeful bankruptcy email ever written)12:00 — The Walker Cup and the purest form of golf16:00 — When should a pro lose amateur status? The Colt Knost problem22:30 — Why a round in Ireland now costs what it costs23:15 — Presidents Cup preview: is there any hope for the internationals?28:00 — Solheim Cup & giving the women centre stage30:45 — Ryder Cup vs Presidents Cup: the format, explained33:40 — The PGA Tour's baffling rebrand36:20 — AMA: Did LIV actually change golf for the better?42:00 — AMA: How many more majors does a healthy Tiger win?48:15 — AMA: What actually makes someone a "good golfer"?56:10 — AMA: Save the planet — pick your 4-player golf team1:00:15 — AMA: Is speed-and-distance culture ruining new golfers?1:08:10 — AMA: You wake up as the best golfer on Earth. Now what?1:16:30 — Wrap-up & what's coming next weekNew episodes every week. If you're enjoying the show, follow/subscribe and leave a rating — it genuinely helps.#golf #LIVGolf #TigerWoods #PresidentsCup #SolheimCup #WalkerCup #PGATour #golfpodcast #golftips #breakingeighty

Golf is sick - and we listed out everything we are IN on.Before that... The Good Good and Callaway situation: the ad, the fallout, the sponsors, and whether the response actually fit the crime. We don't all agree, and one of us is definitely going to catch some strays for it.The season-long money bet finally comes to an end (someone's buying dinner, and they're not happy about it), we talk about the looming end to another outdoor season up here in Canada, and then we flip last week on its head with a brand-new list: everything that's SICK about golf. First tee times, wild pars, playing a course for the second time, Ireland, hitting cups, beating that guy… we go back and forth until we both agree — or send it to the jury.Grab a beer (it's allowed, there are only two places where time doesn't matter) and settle in.⛳ New episodes every week. Hit LIKE & SUBSCRIBE — we need all the help we can get.Timestamps00:00 – Cold open: setting the lineup07:30 – The season-long bet: someone lost…13:45 – The Good Good & Callaway fallout (our honest takes)21:50 – Saying goodbye to the season & what fall golf really means25:30 – "Stuff That's SICK About Golf" — the list begins27:24 – First tee times, frost delays & fall golf35:00 – The magic of playing a course for the second time44:37 – A hot take on music on the course47:37 – Hitting cups & the sweetest sound in golf49:40 – Why the 18th hole hits different56:10 – Old clubhouses, questionable showers & a peanut incident59:19 – Beating "that guy" + the best 2v2 game you've never played01:02:28 – The quiet moments (and a sign-off you won't expect)Sandbagger Sessions: a golf podcast that's equal parts knowledgeable and unserious, hosted by a PGA of Canada professional and a guy who just really loves the game.#golf #golfpodcast #GoodGood #Callaway #PGATour #fantasygolf #golftrip #Ireland #matchplay #golftok