Talking GolfGetaways: Your Golf Getaways Podcast

“Talking GolfGetaways” hosts Darin Bunch and Mitch Laurance dive into all things Coronavirus, in a supersized episode that talks about companies and individuals who are making a different in troubling times, plus commiserates with travelers about how the pandemic has put our golf plans on hold (rightly so) for now.

Podcast host Mitch Laurance and his wife, Hall of Fame pool legend Ewa, recap a recent visit to Alabama’s Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area, full of golf, food and other fun (glass-blowing, anyone?) in a supersized episode highlighting everything from Kiva Dunes to the Safari Club at the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.

Friend of the podcast Bruce Sitka joins Mitch and Darin for a golf-travel conversation about a few of our favorite Florida and Wisconsin hotspots, plus a rundown of where to golf when you’re headed to Long Island, home to some of the premier private clubs in the country (and a public gem you don’t want to miss).

Hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch take a detour from their beloved single-malt Scotch whisky to talk beer — lots of beer — with travel journalist Tom Bedell, who specializes in hops and barley along with fairways and greens. In this episode, Bedell travels everywhere from the Craft Beer Trail of Northern Alabama to the sunny shores of San Diego with suggestions for the best spots to mix his two favorite pastimes.

“Talking GolfGetaways” podcast hosts Darin Bunch and Mitch Laurance dive into everything from dramatic-drop 3-pars to the South’s best milkshakes with David Pursell, CEO of the Pursell Farms boutique resort and FarmLinks golf course in Central Alabama — plus shooting pool on Gomer Pyle’s table, which boasts a rich heritage of American celebrities.

Hickories at Belvedere Golf Club, Tom Doak’s reversible Loop at Forest Dunes and the otherworldly wonders and history of Mackinac Island highlight an episode recapping host Mitch Laurance’s visit to Michigan.

Continuing our love affair with one of Scotland’s true links gems (not so hidden anymore), hosts Mitch Laurance and Darin Bunch welcome Brora Golf Club secretary Tony Gill onto the podcast to discuss why this little spot in the northern Scottish Highlands should be a must-play on any itinerary.

In the first of two episodes with Dan Hixson, the “Talking GolfGetaways” podcast takes a look at the golf designer’s childhood motivations to get into the business, as well as his first original design at Bandon Crossings and a peek into his latest project reclaiming an Oregon quarry for golf.

For a true behind-the-scenes discussion of how Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail came to exists and continues to thrive in an ever-competitive market, company president John Cannon joins “Talking GolfGetaways” with thoughts on the legendary golf-course designer, future expansion and what make the Trail a perfect destination for golfers across the country.

What happens when the Golf Trip Experts team gets to meet up with Ben Crenshaw, one of the legends of the game? A conversation that spans everything from Tiger’s historic Masters win to Ben and Bill Coore’s latest creation at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. Associate Editor Eric Hart joins “Talking GolfGetaways” to recount a truly memorable day on Maui.

One of the most successful real estate developers of the past couple decades, David Southworth joins the podcast to discuss his hospitality philosophy and why The Abaco Club in the Bahamas ranks among the best destination clubs in the world.

Looking for some coastal golf? Chad Leonard, regional manager for Honours Golf in the Gulf Shores region of Alabama, joins the podcast to discuss why golf travelers should put this Southern combination of sand, surf and swinging on their next itinerary.

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.”

It’s “The Summer Golf Capital” and co-host Mitch Laurance dives into his visit to the Great Lakes region to explore the many golf and resort options Boyne Golf has to offer, from the four courses at Boyne Highlands to the acclaimed Inn at Bay Harbor and 27-hole Bay Harbor Golf Club and ending up on Boyne Mountain, home to 36 more holes and family activities galore.

In a Northern California trifecta, co-host Darin Bunch recaps a recent visit to three very different (but all very interesting) properties on the outskirts of the San Francisco Bay Area — Wente Vineyards designed by Greg Norman, the private Silver Creek Valley redesigned by Mike Strantz, and iconic Pasatiempo designed by Alister MacKenzie and later restored by Tom Doak and Jim Urbina.

Co-host Darin Bunch heads to South Carolina to visit Mitch Laurance in person and play three courses designed by the late Mike Strantz — Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and True Blue Golf Club on Pawleys Island, and the private Bulls Bay Golf Club outside Charleston — as part of Darin’s quest to play all the Strantz-designed tracks across the United States.

Avid golf traveler Joe Sas returns to the podcast to discuss the ultimate weeklong Arizona buddy trip he has been organizing for more than 20 years, with tips about things he’s learned, things to avoid and why his group chooses the desert year after year. Plus, Joe’s mini-Emergency 9 with a decidedly Scottsdale bent.

Looking for a place to stay while you play in the Scottsdale-Phoenix area? Hotel Valley Ho and Mountain Shadows are two of the coolest resort properties you’ll find in the West — and the latter has an unforgettable golf course that is 18 (or actually 18 and a half) holes of pure fun.

Ken Jowdy, founder of Diamante Cabo San Lucas, joins co-host Darin Bunch to discuss working with PGA Tour legends Tiger Woods and Davis Love III in building the two golf courses (with a third on the way) at the destination resort, which also impresses guest with dazzling accommodations, mouthwatering food-and-beverage options and one of the coolest lagoon-style pool complexes you’ll ever see (so big, in fact, you can see it from the plane when flying into Cabo) — all in the year-round weather that makes the tip of Baja California, Mexico, so enticing.

Golf architect David McLay Kidd (Bandon Dunes, Gamble Sands, Mammoth Dunes) and his senior design associate Nick Schaan join host Darin Bunch for a conversation about Southern California’s Rolling Hills Country Club, where despite many logistical challenges the team recently completed a full-scale redesign that should serve as a model for modern private-club golf.

From Monterey to Mexico, plus stories about a ball-topping Ryder Cup captain and a man who switched (by choice) from right-handed to left-handed golf, ESPN’s Lon McEachern shuffles up and deals more than few interesting hands in our “Talking GolfGetaways” Emergency 9 golf-travel questionnaire.

The longtime “Voice of Poker” for ESPN, Lon McEachern, joins “Talking GolfGetaways” for a conversation about everything from Missouri’s Top of the Rock to a “driving range lake” in Northern California (with his golfing dog) and, of course, the phenomenal televised rise of the World Series of Poker.

Darin and Mitch reflect on a recent return trip to Florida’s Streamsong Resort, not only to experience the new Gil Hanse-designed Black Course but also to luxuriate in the Lodge, Spa and restaurants while eating (and drinking) ourselves silly — resulting in our 5 Things We Love About Streamsong episode.

In this supersized episode of the “Talking GolfGetaways” podcast, Darin and Mitch detail the nine reasons why they love the resort at Cabot Links on Cape Breton Island, plus “dare to dream” with five suggestions that could make the amazing Cabot Cliffs course an ever better experience for the average golfer.

Sure, most golf travelers head to Nova Scotia to experience Cape Breton or Prince Edward islands, but the Canadian province’s mainland has some interesting spots worthy of your itinerary as well, all within a few hours of the airport in Halifax — including the Stanley Thompson gem at Digby Pines, the lakeside beauty of Glen Arbour, the creative Links at Brunello and the high-end golfing enclave at Fox Harb’r.

Two stories about golfing legends (Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus) at The Memorial highlight our latest Emergency 9 episode as professional golfer Zac Blair dives into our favorite golf-travel questions — including his No. 1 course (Pine Valley), his bucket-listers (Myopia Hunt Club, Crystal Downs and Mid-Pines) and a memorable trip to play Alister MacKenzie’s nine-hole gem, Northwood Golf Club, in the tall trees of Northern California.

Zac Blair may play golf for a living, but his interests in the game extend much further beyond the ropes of PGA Tour events. As a casual player, he tees it up with buddies around the country, often with hickory clubs, while exploring some of golf’s greatest places the play. And as an aspiring course architect and developer, he continues to pursue his dream of building The Buck Club in Utah, a destination club for those who truly love the game. Hosts Darin Bunch and Mitch Laurance catch up with Zac on the road to talk all things golf, including a recent trip to Florida’s Streamsong.

From a South Africa bucket-list dream to a two-hole golf course in Marrakesh to a fantastic Phil Mickelson par, Golf Channel’s Matt Ginella doesn’t disappoint with his Emergency 9 golf-travel answers. Along with old favorites such as Bandon Dunes, Matt also highlights the amazing service at Sea Island, history at Ireland’s Ashford Castle, his “new life” playing Linksoul persimmon woods and eating Burger Dogs at Napa’s Silverado … possibly until he dies.

We’ve spent much of our previous 99 episodes talking about the “Golden Age of Bucket List Golf,” so it seems appropriate to take some time in our milestone 100th episode with special guest Matt Ginella of Golf Channel and GolfAdvisor.com to discuss how and where you can find true value in golf travel — from municipal and community courses to options that won’t necessarily hammer your wallet at some of our favorite resorts and destinations across the country and around the world.

When your job with the Augusta Chronicle takes you all over the world in search of cover stories on former Masters champs, you get to see some pretty great parts of the golfing universe. Scott Michaux returns to the podcast to discuss everything from Irish Stew at the European Club to a once-in-a-lifetime crazy story about the 6th hole at Pebble Beach, plus thoughts on Scotland’s North Berwick, Australia’s Victoria Golf Club and unforgettable lodging at Tasmania’s Barnbougle Dunes.

As the golf world prepares for the first major championship of the year, Scott Michaux of the Augusta Chronicle joins “Talking GolfGetaways” to discuss how the local newspaper’s coverage is a year-round process that begins (literally) the day after The Masters concludes — and how Scott’s writing about past champions has taken him to “every continent where golf is played.” Plus, Augusta National viewing tips and whether the azaleas will make an appearance at this year’s tournament.