This episode is particularly important. We heard in the previous episode (042 with Scott Reeves) how one of the biggest issues faced in the greenkeeping industry is recruitment.

Well, fortunately Bledge's much better half Jenny Bledge is out there working on a solution. First Green is a wonderful initiative that BIGGA has brought over the Atlantic from the GCSAA.

It's all about introducing golf, and particularly careers in this part of the golf industry, to school kids of different ages. It might not help recruitment today, but it could make an enormous difference for tomorrow.

Additionally, after literal years of people asking, I am delighted to report we now have Badger Merch!!

There's only a week or so to get orders in that'll definitely land before Christmas, so to help some impulsive stocking filling you can enter the code BADGER10 at checkout to get 10% off anything/everything.

I'll keep adding bits and pieces to the store over the weekend, so keep checking back!

Thanks again for listening and we'll be back with another episode soon,

Sam (and Bledge)

Link to survey 👇👇👇

Last week we heard from Royal Birkdale's Course Manager Sean McClean. This week he's back to talk in some detail over the course changes that many of us watched develop over social media.

It was an extraordinary amount of work, especially for a course hosting the world's oldest Major Championship in 2026. This year, Sean and his indefatigable team and back at it - completing Phase 2 of an ambitious project.

We hope you enjoy the second half of this conversation and, as ever, please do share with anyone else who might too.

Guest from episode 6 of this podcast (December 2022!) joins us again to discuss first his preparation for Royal Birkdale's Open Championship in 2026, but also the extraordinary suite of changes to the famous links last winter and next.

I also give a shameless plug for Volume 1 of my Links from the Road series. It's been a labour of love (and sometimes despair) over the past couple of years, but today is publication day. Fortunately a lot of talented people have been working on the series, and I have them all to thank.

If you like this podcast, I think you'll like the series. You can get a Golf Badgers discount on ordering Volume 1 by following the link here: https://linksfromtheroad.com/discount/BADGER10?redirect=%2Fproducts%2Fvolume-1 Or else, linksfromtheroad.com and enter the code BADGER10 for 10% off Volume 1.

Thanks for listening!

Sam & Bledge

Our loyal Badgers, you might have wondered where the promised second half of Episode 36 ended up.

After a few weeks on the road, travelling up to the Arctic Circle in our camper van, I must admit to the grievous crime of forgetting to post it. Logging into the podcast dashboard, there it was - ready to entertain and educate our legions of Badgers.

So I can only apologise for the oversight. Even with the delay, I hope it doesn't reduce your enjoyment of Graeme's experience. It was so interesting to compare the set up of an Open Championship with a US Open, and Graeme was the perfect person to discuss the similarities and differences between the two events.

We happen to have another couple of podcasts in the chamber, so as an autumnal chill returns to the golf courses of Great Britain, we hope you'll all find some warmth in these upcoming conversations.

Thanks, as ever, for listening.

Sam & Bledge

I think most of you are aware that over the past 3 weeks I (Sam Cooper) have been on a trip in my campervan to the Arctic.

You'll remember the previous episode with Jerry Mulvihill about Lofoten Links, but perhaps you've also seen the YouTube Vlog series that Bledge and I discuss in the pod.

If not, you can find the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PKP4wyE1K8&list=PLm3MFP6NZX3DsZbWVhJE-WI1rZLv_ETL0

In the pod, Bledge and I also discuss the exciting Norvangr project I've been working on alongside Joe McDonnell, Will Eagar and James Day. It's a rather different style of architecture to the one I'm usually involved in, but I find it incredibly interesting. You should go and listen to the Cookie Jar Pod with Joe McDonnell on it - essential listening (after you've finished here, of course).

Cookie Jar podcast episode with Joe McDonnell.

Hopefully our Swedish interlude won't be permanent and Bledge and I can meet up again in the real world soon.

Thanks for listening,

Sam

Badgers,

It's been a little while since our last conversation, but I've been a bit preoccupied.

I think most of you will be aware that poor Producer Harriet has been persuaded to go on another adventure in our trusty campervan. This time, we've gone north.

About as far north as you can go really. It took almost 2 weeks but we finally drove from our home in Hoylake to the Arctic Circle, and then on to the famous course of Lofoten Links.

I've been doing daily vlogs on my YouTube Channel, so please subscribe here to catch up on the vlogs to date and to see the rest of the journey. We've still got a long way before we're back in Blighty!

But while up there I was delighted when Jerry Mulvihill, the course manager of Lofoten, agreed to sit down and record an episode of the podcast.

I hope you enjoy listening to our conversation about one of golf's most extraordinary places. Jerry is such a terrific bloke, so passionate about the course and his beautiful corner of the world. I think his passion comes through so clearly and hopefully it'll inspire you to put Lofoten on your golfing bucket list.

Thanks as ever for listening, sharing, subscribing to and supporting the podcast in every way you do.

We've got some good episodes lined up for when I'm back off the adventures so keep tuned in.

Speak soon!

Sam

We are delighted to welcome Graeme back to the podcast for the third time. We discuss the challenges he faces with the weather at Hayling Golf Club and the trade-off between meeting membership expectations and managing the golf course ecosystem.

Stay tuned for Part 2, where we talk more about his experience on the voluntary support team for the US Open at Pinehurst.

As always, thanks for listening!

Sam and Bledge

Sam's video of Hayling Golf Club