It’s not easy to design a golf course that challenges elite players without making average golfers want to quit the game. That was the task OCM Golf faced in its 2023-24 redesign of Course 3 at Medinah Country Club. In this episode, OCM partner Mike Cocking sits down with Garrett Morrison to talk about how he helped reimagine Medinah No. 3 as a course simultaneously capable of hosting both the 2026 Presidents Cup and an ordinary Saturday four-ball.

It’s not easy to design a golf course that challenges elite players without making average golfers want to quit the game. That was the task OCM Golf faced in its 2023-24 redesign of Course 3 at Medinah Country Club. In this episode, OCM partner Mike Cocking sits down with Garrett Morrison to talk about how he helped reimagine Medinah No. 3 as a course simultaneously capable of hosting both the 2026 Presidents Cup and an ordinary Saturday four-ball.

Designing Golf is a show about golf courses: how they’re built, who builds them, and which ones are worth playing. Hosted by Fried Egg Golf’s Garrett Morrison, Designing Golf will explore all facets of golf architecture, from its basic principles to its history to its practitioners to its best examples in the United States and abroad. Each episode will investigate a different topic in a fun, concise way. Whether you’re a longtime aficionado or a beginner in the subject, Designing Golf will deepen your knowledge about and fascination with golf courses and golf course design.

Designing Golf

How to Design for Elite and Average Golfers Simultaneously

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/dfc7c6e8-adc0-478f-a0bd-b43700405ec4/transcript

Many golfers don’t like seeing out-of-bounds stakes anywhere near a playing corridor; they object on principle. Yet some of the most famous, revered holes in golf use out-of-bounds as a strategic hazard — so there must be something to it. In this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett takes his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark through the ways OB has been, and should be, deployed in golf course design. Garrett also brings in Craig Winter, the USGA’s Senior Director of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status, for a quick lesson on the history of the OB penalty. Toward the end of the episode, Garrett and PJ discuss several famous, OB-centric holes, including Nos. 16 and 17 at St. Andrews and the sixth hole at upcoming Presidents Cup venue Medinah No. 3.

Many golfers don&rsquo;t like seeing out-of-bounds stakes anywhere near a playing corridor; they object on principle. Yet some of the most famous, revered holes in golf use out-of-bounds as a strategic hazard &mdash; so there must be something to it. In this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett takes his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark through the ways OB has been, and should be, deployed in golf course design. Garrett also brings in Craig Winter, the USGA&rsquo;s Senior Director of the Rules of Golf and Amateur Status, for a quick lesson on the history of the OB penalty. Toward the end of the episode, Garrett and PJ discuss several famous, OB-centric holes, including Nos. 16 and 17 at St. Andrews and the sixth hole at upcoming Presidents Cup venue Medinah No. 3.

Golf Architecture 101: The Uses of Out-of-Bounds

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/24485d5c-a873-4fa6-a9fa-b4c70189d6ec/transcript

On September 1, East Potomac Golf Links, a popular municipal golf facility in Washington, D.C., was supposed to shut down for a massive renovation led by the Trump administration and architect Tom Fazio. But then... it didn’t. So what’s going on here? And what’s the backstory? Garrett is joined by his Fried Egg Golf colleague (and DMV resident) Brendan Porath to go through the full history of East Potomac, from its beginnings as an innovative reversible golf course to its current status as a political football.

On September 1, East Potomac Golf Links, a popular municipal golf facility in Washington, D.C., was supposed to shut down for a massive renovation led by the Trump administration and architect Tom Fazio. But then... it didn&rsquo;t. So what&rsquo;s going on here? And what&rsquo;s the backstory? Garrett is joined by his Fried Egg Golf colleague (and DMV resident) Brendan Porath to go through the full history of East Potomac, from its beginnings as an innovative reversible golf course to its current status as a political football.

The Story of East Potomac Golf Links

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/83392fa5-ad6b-4748-a5db-b4b9018655bf/transcript

When Mike Keiser opened Bandon Dunes in 1999, his son Michael was 18 years old. Michael Jr. went on to play a key role in the expansion of the Keiser family’s Dream Golf empire. Along with his brother Chris, he oversaw the development of Wisconsin’s Sand Valley, one of the most architecturally experimental golf resorts in the country. Now, Michael is creating three new resorts of his own, all opening within the next year and a half. There’s Wild Spring Dunes in East Texas, Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, and Old Shores in the Florida Panhandle. He and his wife are also supporting a handful of municipal golf projects. In this episode, Garrett sits down with Michael to explore this fascinating new phase of Keiser golf — what Michael is borrowing from the past, and how he’s trying to innovate.

When Mike Keiser opened Bandon Dunes in 1999, his son Michael was 18 years old. Michael Jr. went on to play a key role in the expansion of the Keiser family&rsquo;s Dream Golf empire. Along with his brother Chris, he oversaw the development of Wisconsin&rsquo;s Sand Valley, one of the most architecturally experimental golf resorts in the country. Now, Michael is creating three new resorts of his own, all opening within the next year and a half. There&rsquo;s Wild Spring Dunes in East Texas, Rodeo Dunes in Colorado, and Old Shores in the Florida Panhandle. He and his wife are also supporting a handful of municipal golf projects. In this episode, Garrett sits down with Michael to explore this fascinating new phase of Keiser golf &mdash; what Michael is borrowing from the past, and how he&rsquo;s trying to innovate.

Michael Keiser’s Second Act

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/236e6e42-d7dc-494e-804c-b4ac00060504/transcript

How to Design for Elite and Average Golfers Simultaneously

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