Kingston Heath Golf Club is co hosting the Australian Open this year. I recently travelled to Melbourne and was fortunate to be given an opportunity to play a round at Kingston Heath.

In this episode of Walking the Fairways I want to give you an insight into just what I experienced and saw out on the golf course at Kingston Heath, along with giving you some things to look for if you're at the tournament walking the fairways, or watching it on TV.

I hope you enjoy this walk of a different kind.

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Kingston Heath Golf Club

Royal Queensland Golf Club

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Cape Wickham Golf Links

Golf Australia Magazine Top 100

Australian Golf Digest Top 100

top100golfcourses.com World Top 100

Massey Ferguson 35x

Keeper Of The Greens segment of The Golfing Greenkeeper Podcast is brought to you by John Deere Golf. Check out the brand new ⁠⁠185 E-Cut⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠225 E-Cut⁠⁠ fully electric walk behind greens mowers from John Deere. Find your nearest ⁠⁠⁠⁠J⁠ohn Deere dealer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠deere.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ask for a demo.

Sophie Warren is a young upcoming female greenkeeper! Having recently received the Turf Management South Australia (TMSA) Graduate of the Year award Sophie has got the greenkeeping world at her fingertips.

Sophie is currently a 4th year apprentice and very soon to become a fully qualified greenkeeper at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide, South Australia. With a full course rebuild of Glenelg GC being conducted throughout her entire apprenticeship, Sophie is learning not only her trade, but she is being exposed to and learning many techniques and skills that few apprentices are afforded.

Having been the first ever apprentice I've interviewed on the podcast, I wanted to see how Sophie got into the trade of greenkeeping and find out what it is about greenkeeping that she enjoys so much. We dive into what she's experienced in the industry, not only at Glenelg Golf Club, but also being invited to be part of the John Deere Women in Turf Program, and volunteering at the Australian Open.

Sophie is a bright star of the future of greenkeeping and at the same time, a very down to earth individual. Come with us as we have a bit of fun and a laugh along the way and see just why this apprentice greenkeeper is enjoying her career so much!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Glenelg Golf Club

Glenelg Golf Club Course Enhancement Plan

Royal Adelaide Golf Club

John Deere Women in Turf Program

Cobram Barooga Golf Club

Webex Players Series Murray River

St Andrews Beach Golf Course

TMSA

St Vincent Gulf, South Australia

EP.75 Keeper Of The Greens - Tim Warren (Glenelg Golf Club)

Walking the Fairways is back in 2024 and what better way to do it than to give you an update as to just what is happening in Hobart, Tasmania after my recent trip there.

Come with me as I give you a glimpse into some of the newest golf course projects happening in Australia, along with a couple of local stalwart courses of Hobart that are worth visiting when you're in town!

You hit 'em clean and we'll keep 'em green!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

7 Mile Beach Golf Course

Royal Hobart Golf Club

Llanherne Golf Club

Arm End Golf Course

Mat Goggin on The Golfing Greenkeeper Podcast

Clayton Devries Pont

OCM Golf Design

Keeper Of The Greens segment of The Golfing Greenkeeper Podcast is brought to you by John Deere Golf. Check out the brand new ⁠185 E-Cut⁠ and ⁠225 E-Cut⁠ fully electric walk behind greens mowers from John Deere. Find your nearest ⁠⁠⁠J⁠ohn Deere dealer⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠deere.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ask for a demo.

Richard Forsyth leads the team that maintain one of the greatest golf facilities on Earth, The Royal Melbourne Golf Club!

From a farming background on the outskirts of Melbourne, a young Richard took an opportunity as a apprentice greenkeeper at Riversdale Golf Club in Melbourne. He quickly acquired the taste for golf greenkeeping which included the overall landscape of the site and not just the turf.

A couple of appointments at golf resorts along the Murray River, including his first posting as a Superintendent, would set Richard up for the appointment as Superintendent at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Melbourne's famed Sandbelt region.

Richard's experience gained thus far in his career was becoming extensive and he was at home leading the team at Metro. However, when the seat was vacated at Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Richard threw his hat in the ring and ultimately was bestowed the responsibility to hold the keys and lead the team of maintaining the hallowed MacKenzie/Russell designed 36 hole facility just as the 2011 Presidents Cup was knocking on the door!

Join with me as we ride with Richard throughout his greenkeeping journey before things get detailed and interesting as we talk about the inner workings of maintaining the Royal Melbourne golf courses. We discuss history, architecture, green firmness, the art and majesty of non uniform turf surfaces, philosophy of turf maintenance, and vegetation. We also discuss how Royal Melbourne is the sum of greater than its parts, and how, like that famous line out of the great Aussie movie The Castle, sometimes "it's the vibe" that is the indefinable quality of Royal Melbourne!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

⁠The Royal Melbourne Golf Club⁠

⁠Riversdale Golf Club⁠

⁠Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort⁠

⁠Murray Downs Golf & Country Club⁠

⁠The Metropolitan Golf Club⁠

⁠Alister MacKenzie⁠

⁠Mick Morcom & Claude Crockford

Killara Golf Club is celebrating 125 years in 2024!

We pick up the Killara Golf Club story in 1932. This second part of the podcast sees the club navigate their way through the challenging time after the clubhouse has been gutted by fire. The Second World War has an impact on both the club and Australia, and moving into the 1960's the club was looking to upgrade the golf course with architect Commander John Harris.

Along with learning about the continued history of the golf club, this second part of the episode brings in a number of personal insights from the recent history of the golf club with a number of guests joining me throughout the story. These guests allow us to understand and see what goes on deep inside the golf club and just how Killara is functioning as a club and looking to move forward and plan for the future.

As we come to the completion of Killara Golf Club's story, I am also joined by Golf Course Architect Harley Kruse. Harley details his thoughts on just what his recent redesign of the golf course has delivered to the club and how it is setting the club and course up for the future.

Come and join me on this final part of this history podcast journey as I continue the deep dive to complete this amazing story of just what makes Killara Golf Club not only one of Sydney's greatest golf treasures, but also one of Australia's!

You hit 'em clean and we'll keep 'em green!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Killara Golf Club

NSW Golf Club

Prosper Ellis

Commander John Harris

Harley Kruse

Peter's Ice Cream clubhouse model

This two part podcast episode was a paid project in partnership with Killara Golf Club.

Killara Golf Club is celebrating 125 years in 2024!

As one of the oldest golf clubs in Australia, Killara began its life in 1899 as Lindfield Golf Club and was also located on a different site than it is today. Only some details are known of the golf club's earliest history and I have set out to try and find some of those missing pieces during this podcast project.

Working with Killara Golf Club on this project, some of what we have been able to discover includes the previously unknown first designers of the original Killara golf course, the beginning of the golf career of one of Australia's greatest ever amateur players, and never before heard details of Dr Alister MacKenzie's course report from 1926.

Add to all of this, I along with you the audience, hear about the evolution of Killara's unique golf course through the various architects that have been involved, learn a bit about the early history of golf in Sydney, and get a broad understanding of just where Killara Golf Club sits within the golf landscape of Sydney.

Come and join me on this two part podcast journey as I deep dive and tell the amazing and previously unknown story of just what makes Killara Golf Club not only one of Sydney's greatest golf treasures, but also one of Australia's!

You hit 'em clean and we'll keep 'em green!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Killara Golf Club

Royal Sydney Golf Club

The Australian Golf Club

Newcastle Golf Club

Bondi Golf & Diggers Club

Avondale Golf Club

Carnegie Clark

Dan Soutar

Dr Alister MacKenzie

Keeper Of The Greens segment of The Golfing Greenkeeper Podcast is brought to you by John Deere Golf. When you work where others play, you need a partner you can trust to keep your course in perfect condition. Find your nearest ⁠J⁠ohn Deere dealer⁠⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠deere.com.au⁠⁠

Ryan Stores comes from humble beginnings growing up on a farm in the Snowy Mountains region of NSW.

After getting a start and completing a greenkeeping apprenticeship on a city golf course in Canberra, Ryan quickly found himself wanting more. A trip to the USA as part of the Ohio State Program gave Ryan everything he was looking for with vast experience in tournament preparation on some of the biggest stages in golf!

Returning to Australia for a period, it wasn't long before Ryan found himself back in the USA after a phone call for a project few could've asked for at the one and only Quail Hollow!

Following his epic adventures to and from the USA, Ryan came back to the bush capital of Australia where he settled into a new position at Royal Canberra Golf Club before the Superintendent's seat became available and he was appointed the role. With a great deal of new work under their belt and on the horizon at Royal Canberra Golf Club, Ryan and his team are well positioned to bring the course to a whole new and exciting standard.

Ryan's career is a steep one and one that shows what you can achieve if you are dedicated and committed at what you do! Come with us on this exciting ride as we hear about Ryan's incredible career, what it's like maintaining a golf course is such a challenging environment, and just where Royal Canberra Golf Club is set to go in the future.

You hit 'em clean and we'll keep 'em green!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Royal Canberra Golf Club

Yowani Country Club

Ohio State Program

Quail Hollow Club

The Australian Golf Club

Liberty National Golf Club

Walter Burley Griffin

Keeper Of The Greens segment of The Golfing Greenkeeper Podcast is brought to you by John Deere Golf. When you work where others play, you need a partner you can trust to keep your course in perfect condition. Find your nearest J⁠ohn Deere dealer⁠⁠ at ⁠deere.com.au⁠ Graeme Andrews is Superintendent of the beautiful Tamborine Mountain Golf Club in the Gold Coast Hinterland of Queensland.

Originally from New Zealand, Graeme learned his greenkeeping trade on cool season grasses on some well known courses. Upon a holiday trip to Queensland, Graeme soon found his new "home" in the warm Queensland temperatures.

After moving to Queensland and few years working outside the industry learning new skills, it wasn't long before greenkeeping was back in his mind and Graeme was back working on a golf course.

Tamborine Mountain Golf Club has a unique golf course, very different from the resort and high quality warm season turf surfaces the Golf Coast region is known for.

Along with detailing his career, Graeme gives us an insight into the golf course at Tamborine Mountain, some of the challenges they've faced recently, along with some course upgrades and Koalas all in his own jovial and light hearted way.

Come and enjoy a fun ride on the Scenic Rim!

You hit 'em clean and we'll keep 'em green!

People and places mentioned in this podcast:

Tamborine Mountain Golf Club

Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club

Kooralbyn Valley Golf Course

Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary

Elanora Country Club