Talking Golfgetaways: Your Golf Getaways Podcast

Sweetens Cove golf course designer Rob Collins returns to “Talking GolfGetaways” to take the Emergency 9 golf-travel quiz, discussing everything from his love for the Old Course at St. Andrews and staying overnight in the Donald Ross Cottage at Pineurst to memorable Tokyo sushi from a master chef and the work of another master at the National Custom Works golf-club company.

Golf course designer Rob Collins joins Mitch and Darin to talk about the nine-hole Sweetens Cove, including recent news about its star-studded investment group, possible improvements to the facilities (and more golf on the property), how Mike Strantz inspires Rob’s course architecture and his partnership with professional golfer Zac Blair on the forthcoming Buck Club being developed in Utah.

Hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch talk about the growth of the Topgolf brand as a lead-in to Mitch’s interview with two key team members at Topgolf’s newest location in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Plus, updates on California’s Rams Hill Golf Club and the Golf Trip Experts’ Sweetens Cove Shootout in August 2019.

Looking to make a big trip to golf’s homeland? VisitScotland’s David Connor joins “Talking GolfGetaways” with advice on various ways to map out a links-golf vacation — including looking past the bucket-listers to find memorable hidden gems, plus getaway ideas for women, thoughts on traversing the country by train and a few a tips on other off-course activities.

Golf photographer and RGV Tour road warrior Patrick Koenig returns to “Talking GolfGetaways” for a fun “Emergency 9” golf-travel quiz discussing everything from the beauty of Cabot Cliffs and the cabins at Ballyhack to the scallop roll at Seminole and his encounters with two different U.S. presidents.

He did the unthinkable. And now that he’s wrapped up a yearlong 47-state golf journey across the country behind the wheel of his recreational (golf) vehicle, Patrick Koenig stops by “Talking GolfGetaways” to unpack the highlights from his great American adventure.

Golf traveler Tom Coyne, author of “A Course Called Ireland” and “A Course Called Scotland,” discusses the monumental task of planning for his latest book-in-progress, “A Course Called America,” which will take him to the country’s four corners and all 50 states in search of the “Great American Golf Course.”

Co-host Darin Bunch welcomes golf writer Eric Hart back to “Talking GolfGetaways” for a rundown of nine reasons why travelers should add the beautiful and rocky Muskoka region of Ontario, Canada to their summertime vacation plans.

“Talking GolfGetaways” co-host Darin Bunch welcomes back golf-course architect David McLay Kidd for a hole-by-hole “playing lesson” at Gamble Sands, complete with the designer’s own strategy tips on how he plays the golf course when visiting the Eastern Washington resort for his own leisure time.

Wrapping up our three-episode Year in Review, hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch detail the favorite courses they played for the first time over the past 12 months, including a few in Scotland plus loads of community golf in Florida, New Mexico, Tennessee and North Dakota, among other memorable rounds.

Hosts Darin Bunch and Mitch Laurance offer up a Top 9 (actually, a Top 11) list of the best lodging experiences they encountered over the past 12 months, including memorable overnight accommodations in Scotland, Canada, Mexico, Montana and Michigan, among others.

Hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch recount their favorite eats from while traveling across the United States (and beyond) during the past 12 months including a Sticky Toffee Pudding-a-thon through Scotland; best burgers and breakfast burritos in the Southwest; and favorite lobster dishes from the Bahamas to Canada’s Cape Breton Island.

Photographer Christian Hafer returns to the podcast for his Emergency 9 golf-travel quiz, with mentions of everything from The Old Course and dreams of C.B. MacDonald and Seth Raynor to the joys of playing golf in an eight-some on a 9-holer in Pennsylvania. And he closes the episode with a truly memorable retelling of how a crowd at Cape Breton Island’s Cabot Links cheered him on during one of the defining moments of his life.

Bringing a classic photojournalist’s mindset to golf in the age of social media, Christian Hafer joins the “Talking GolfGetaways” podcast to discuss everything from his unique visual style to a few of the magical moments he encountered on a recent trip to Scotland, including the events leading up to his now-iconic “cross” shot of the directional sign behind the 17th green at Western Gailes Golf Club.

Covering everything from Kapalua Plantation on Maui to a perfect day playing the Cal Club in San Francisco, Re-Gripped.com golf-travel blogger Peter Flanigan returns to the podcast for a wide-ranging (and supersized) discussion about his favorite places to play, stay, eat and more in the latest installment of our Emergency 9 golf-travel quiz.

Canada-based golf architect Keith Cutten returns to “Talking GolfGetaways” to discuss his labor of love, “The Evolution of Golf Course Design,” a wide-ranging book that explores the origins of the game’s great venues and how they have changed over years, decades and even centuries.

Darin and Mitch take a trip to the desert with Re-Gripped.com golf-travel blogger Pete Flanigan as the threesome discuss the interesting history of Rams Hill in Southern California and the pristine golf experience that has emerged at the home of this once-private Tom Fazio course design now available for all to play.

Mitch and Darin talk all things Pinehurst after two separate visits (at roughly the same time) to the North Carolina Sandhills to experience, among the resort’s other new improvements, Gil Hanse’s latest twist on the Pinehurst No. 4 golf course as well as The Cradle concept — his fun, friendly and sometimes surprisingly fierce short course.

Darin and Mitch recap a visit to the Central California Coast, from Santa Barbara up to Pismo Beach, including stops at oceanfront Sandpiper, foothill hidden gem Rancho San Marcos and the 1-2 punch of residential courses at Cypress Ridge and Monarch Dunes. Plus, where to stay for a casino getaway in Central Coast wine country and, of course, a nod to the unmatched Cracked Crab seafood experience.

What’s the best hard-case golf travel bag? Which golf-club shipping service is better: LuggageForward or ShipSticks? Who makes the best carry-on luggage for your next golf getaway? What are Darin and Mitch’s favorite golf bags, shoes and socks? And where can you find perfect custom-made raingear? All these questions are answered, plus a shoutout to a memorable Alabama par-3 course and a quick recap of Darin’s recent visit to one of his new favorite clubs — Devil’s Paintbrush in Ontario, Canada — in our first-ever “GolfGetaways Travel Tips Episode.”