Michele Watts is a surprise world champion in more ways than one. She never expected to lose most of her sight at the age of 56 and she certainly never expected to go on and win the International Blind Golf Association World Championship three years later. Add a couple of Australian Opens and several state titles and the achievement seems more remarkable, even to her. 

Michele’s story is equal parts harrowing and uplifting and while golf is central to it, it’s a story about much more than golf. It’s a compelling conversation and once again bears testimony to the belief that golf is the greatest game of them all. 

If you or someone you know is interested in blind golf, either as player or caddie, head to the Blind Golf Australia website (https://blindgolf.com.au/) for more information.

Jennifer Lucas won the first Women’s British Open in 1976, but it is what happened later in life, when she discovered a twin sister she never knew she had at the age of 55, that has dominated the last 20 years. 

In this engrossing chat with John Huggan, Jenny talks not only about being a pioneer of the women’s game and the Ladies European Tour, but the impact such a major life discovery has when it comes so late in life.

The 38-year-old Floridian has gathered some wisdom and perspective on both life and the game in his 16-year professional career and he’s not afraid to share what he’s learnt. 

Forthright and thoughtful, Horschel gives his take on everything from the LIV Golf/PGA Tour divide, to why he thinks young American golfers should consider starting their careers in Europe. 

It’s a compelling chat with John Huggan, which is as revealing as it is entertaining.

On episode 142, we meet one of those people and he’s one of the best in the business. 

Bill Fields is a multi-award-winning golf writer and photographer who has been covering golf at every conceivable level for more than 40 years. 

He shares a wealth of knowledge - and wisdom - in this in depth and fascinating chat with host Rod Morri.

A two-time Australian PGA champion alongside two European Tour wins is testament to a well-rounded game and a mind sited to golf’s multitude challenges. 

Coltart reveals a keen intellect and a willingness to share his opinions in this engrossing chat with John Huggan.

Charles was the first left-handed player to win one of golf’s big four, but was also the first player from New Zealand to do so and one of the last two players to take part in a 36-hole playoff for the title. 

Sir Bob sat down with Rod Morri to reminisce on a career in which he won more than 70 times as a professional, yet came about having only ever had two golf lessons in his entire life.

When a playing career eluded him in the 1980s, he turned his mind and energies to coaching and from humble beginnings, has built one of the most recognisable golf instruction "brands" in the world. 

But along the way, Leadbetter’s profile - and that of his successful clients - helped reshape the way golfers think about taking lessons, a change remaining in effect to this day. John Huggan sits down with Leadbetter to talk everything from his transformation of Nick Faldo’s swing, to the one player he never got to work with but wanted to.

In this wide ranging chat with John Huggan, Kjeldsen reveals not only a keen sense of humour, but a deep love, appreciation for and - perhaps most importantly for many - knowledge about how to play the game. 

A four-time European Tour winner (as well as a World Cup victory with Thorbjorn Olsen in our own backyard at Kingston Heath in 2016), Kjeldsen is thought-provoking and articulate and can now add "excellent podcast guest" to his Wikipedia.

Colin Dalgleish is not only a long-time friend of our correspondent John Huggan, but a decorated amateur who chose not to pursue a professional career, despite winning the 1981 Scottish amateur championship and representing GB&I in that same year’s Walker Cup. He later captained the team twice, in 2007 and 2009. 

Don’t miss John Huggan’s fascinating chat with one of golf’s “lifers” and greatest contributors to the game.

But there is much more to Turner than just golf. The long-time touring professional turned course architect and commentator sits down with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan to talk all things golf and life in a compelling discussion which covers everything from his “just by chance” start in the game, to the current state of professional play.

However, Stupples was never guaranteed to get to the LPGA, nor even play golf for a living. 

In fact, if she didn't hate washing dishes so much, she might have ended up doing something else entirely.

Stupples talks about that and much more in this delightful chat with John Huggan.

John Huggan sat down with Beam recently to learn about where he came from, what it’s like to win a major, Team USA’s best chance of winning the Ryder Cup away from home and plenty more. 

Beem is engaging, thoughtful and eloquent and knows how to tell a good story, which all makes for an excellent listen. 

Few golfers have made an impact on the game comparable to Seve. The Spanish magician entertained and thrilled crowds worldwide with his extraordinary skill and matador-like personality. He remains to this day one of the most popular players in history. 

John’s chat with Javier for episode 129 offers a fascinating and compelling insight into events and people, past and present, from a perspective we rarely get to see.

In this candid chat with John Huggan, Nantz reveals his journey from humble beginnings in the game to his start in broadcasting and a career so successful, he now owns a home (with its own golf hole) at the iconic Pebble Beach. 

Nantz is charming, funny and articulate and has a knack for telling a good story, of which he has plenty.

A lifetime spent in the game has taught Baker much about both life and golf. In a fascinating episode 127, he sits down with John Huggan to reflect on a 37-year career playing the game for a living.

However, there is more to the 2008 Masters champion than a pretty golf swing. 

The 2022 International Presidents Cup captain sits down with John Huggan to talk about his beginnings in the game, his thoughts on the Presidents Cup, the LIV/PGA Tour negotiations, where TV commentators get it wrong and much more. 

Immelman is one of the game’s best ambassadors and after listening to this chat, you’ll gain an insight into why.

There is no shortage of underdog stories in Hollywood, but in real life - in the day to day news media - those narratives are harder to find. 

Media has changed, though, and with social media eliminating almost all barriers to entry, there are new players finding their voice - and an audience - in the space formerly occupied by legacy media. 

This is as true in golf as any other section of the media and Ryan French is one of the players in this space, although it is more by accident than by design.

An almost-25-year playing career has been followed by an almost equal number of years behind the microphone as an in court and booth reporter at events worldwide. 

Born into a golfing family, Crafter’s journey in the game is unique and compelling, as you’ll discover in this wide-ranging discussion with Rod Mori. 

John Huggan recently caught up with the Englishman to talk about a lifetime in the game, highlighted by playing with Tiger Woods at his peak in the third round of the 2007 U.S Open. 

Dougherty also talks openly about the impact of losing his mother suddenly in 2008 and his struggles in the aftermath before finding a second career as a TV broadcaster.

Yarrawonga Mulwala Golf Club Resort’s Head Professional, Evan Droop, is one such golfer. Evan’s father was the head professional at Yarrawonga before him and he has two sons, both PGA of Australia members, who may well take the job after him. 

In between, he managed five years on the Australasian Tour including a life and career-changing near miss at the 1992 Malaysian Masters. Droop recalls all that and more in this insightful and wide-ranging conversation with host Rod Morri.

Popular wherever he went, Rafferty has a particular fondness for Australia — where he won five times between 1987 and 1992 — and credits his years spent Down Under as a crucial element in his international success. 

In this delightful chat with John Huggan, Rafferty reflects on his amateur career, what it was like on the European Tour in the halcyon days and how the game has changed over his lifetime.

Nadene Gole has, not surprisingly, risen to the top of the Senior Women’s Amateur world ranking and the former touring professional says she still has improvements to make. 

But the journey hasn’t all been about golf for Nadene, who went almost two decades barely touching a club before accidentally falling back into the competitive game. 

It's a decision that’s paid dividends as a new and improved Nadene Gole, at the age of 55, is finally living up to her potential.

In this revealing chat with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, the Englishman looks back on his remarkable U.S Amateur/U.S Open double at Brookline, shares thoughts on the Ryder and Walker Cups, explains how he added 20 yards to his game off the tee and also why he switched to cross-handed chipping. 

The recent winner of the Dunhill Links at St Andrews, alongside his mum, has had quite the journey so far and the likeable 29-year-old looks far from done yet.

From hanging with Tiger Woods to advocating for halving field sizes in Australia, he has been an integral — and active — part of the local professional scene for almost 35 years. 

As his career winds down ‘Langers’ sat down with Rod Morri to reflect on an extraordinary life in the game.

Gary Koch, the 2023 Payne Stewart Award recipient, will likely be best remembered for his iconic ’better than most’ line at the 2001 Players’ Championship. But there is much more to his story than that shot, or even his more than 30-year TV career. 

A standout amateur and six-time PGA Tour winner, Koch sits down for a chat with John Huggan to reflect on a life intertwined with the game and some of its greatest players.

The Scot is the son of one of the game’s greatest coaches. Bob, but also a pivotal figure in both the Ryder Cup as we know it today and the European Tour. 

On the eve of the 44th matches between Europe and the United States, Torrance sits down for a fascinating conversation with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, to talk all things Ryder Cup as he reflects on a career spanning more than 40 years.

Eight times a player and three times a Captain, Gallacher oversaw a time of great change in the matches from before European players became part of the team to the height of hostilities at Kiawah Island in 1991. 

His chat here with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan is as compelling as you would expect and the understated Gallacher reveals more than one story that has never been told before.

In this wide-ranging chat with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan, the 2010 U.S Open champion talks Ryder Cup, Pebble Beach, the move to LIV and why he doesn't think he deserves a voice on the DP World Tour. 

Agree with him or not there is one thing guaranteed with McDowell: you’ll be entertained (and he’ll make you think).

A world class player, major champion, and passionate advocate for all forms of the game, Pepper is an intelligent, articulate speaker and thinker about the game. 

These attributes are on full display in this broad ranging discussion with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, which covers everything from the Solheim Cup to the possibilities of Saudi Arabia increasing its involvement in the women’s game.

Age, gender and even disability can all be accounted for in golf and in that last category one of the best in the world is recent inaugural G4D Open winner Brendan Lawlor.

The Irishman captured the title at Woburn in May and in this wide ranging chat with Rod Morri delves into the fascinating — and frankly underrated world — of disability golf.

From Jack Nicklaus and Lee Trevino to Greg Norman and Nick Faldo, Begg had a front row seat for some of golf’s most memorable moments.

An accomplished and highly regarded scientist, Hannah found the game later in life and brings a perspective that we in golf rarely get to hear.

From what makes the game so addictive to the things we do that look so silly to the outside world, Hannah has some fascinating takes on what golf gets right — and wrong.

The 26-time LPGA Tour winner and former Solheim Cup Captain is universally regarded as one of the best to ever pick up a microphone and in this broad ranging chat with John Huggan she covers everything from her beginnings in the game to the future of the LPGA Tour.

Without the profile and attention of the likes of Tiger or Phil or Rory, he more than comfortably held his own in that company for the best part of 20 years.

A Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup stalwart, Furyk has some fascinating insights into the game and the people who play it as you will hear in this compelling chat with John Huggan.

Mezera spent most of his life as a professional car racer including winning Australia’s prestigious Bathurst 1000 in 1988. But at 50, his career took a different turn when he signed up for — and succeeded — at the Legends Tour Q-School.

Mezera's is a remarkable story about much more than just golf and in this wide ranging chat with Rod Morri he talks about escaping communism in Czechoslovakia at 20, discovering golf at the age of 30, playing with Greg Norman as an amateur and now life on the over 50s circuit.

From growing up in Melbourne where being a caddie at Royal Melbourne gave him access to the course to playing and winning on the biggest stages in world golf alongside the likes of Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros, Ogilvy has done it all with a critical eye and an active mind.

In this chat we find out where his love of golf architecture was born and how three months at the start of the century set up an entire career.

Unlike the rest of the commentary team or the viewers on TV, those who walk with the players get to see everything, not just what the director chooses. For many years in Australia that voice belonged to Chanel 7’s Pat Welsh, a Brisbane sports TV icon and one of the industry’s most likeable characters.

Welsh had a front row seat to some of Australian golf’s greatest moments and relives many of them in this wide ranging chat with Rod Morri.

Appointed Secretary of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1999 it was Dawson who oversaw the creation of The R&A in 2004 to take care of the club’s commercial operations, including The Open, through one of its biggest growth periods.

Among the highlights of his tenure were announcing Tiger Woods four times as the Champion Golfer of the Year and several years refereeing at The Masters.

Dawson and John Huggan have known each other many years and while they share a love of the game there is much they don’t agree on which makes for a fascinating discussion.

In a special Masters week edition of The Thing About Golf the former World No.1 sits down with John Huggan to reflect on his career.

From starting in the shadow of fellow Masters winner Sandy Lyle to eventually going all the way to the very top echelons of the game.

In this sit down chat for a Masters week special of The Thing About Golf with John Huggan the two time major winner (and Australian Masters champion) reflects not only on that week and but a rich, full life in golf.

He touches on Augusta, Tiger and so much more.

He’s best known for his work with Greg Norman and Wayne Grady early in their careers but his influence on the game reaches far wider than just the professional ranks.

The Head Professional at Royal Queensland for 45 years, Earp was also a dedicated PGA administrator and has worked with countless club members along the way.

He is of an era and generation we hear too little from as will become clear in this chat with Rod Morri.

Elaine Farquharson-Black is just such a player.

In the latest episode of The Thing About Golf podcast, the two time Curtis Cup captain and standout Scottish amateur talks to fellow Scot John Huggan about her life in – and out of – golf.

Unquestionably one of Britain’s greatest amateur players he has also been a long-time administrator of the game serving as both Secretary of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and later Captain of the R&A.

As a player, he enjoyed great success but few years were as glorious as the summer of 1968 when the then 33-year-old won the third of his five Amateur championships, his fifth English Amateur, the Brabazon Trophy and was the leading amateur at The Open Championship.

In this lengthy chat with The Thing About Golf host John Huggan, Bonallack reflects on that wonderful summer and his extraordinary life and career in the game.

In this wide-ranging interview with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan, he looks back on his playing career on the European Tour, the putting yips, how he got into television, his fallout with Tiger Woods and what he thinks of the current LIV Golf controversy. 

It’s a broad and rambling discussion from a man whose life has been immersed in the game and it’s well worth a listen.

From humble beginnings growing up on a family-owned driving range and miniature golf course in a tough part of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Lerner fell in love with the game. A by-product of his time working the range, is a single figure handicap and a couple of club championship trophies from the 1980s.

After years of working in the media, he finally achieved his dream job – one of the most sought-after seats in golf television. Here, Lerner shares some fabulous stories with John Huggan in another excellent episode of The Thing About Golf.

Allan joins The Thing About Golf host Rod Morri to look back on what was not only one of the most controversial tournaments in recent memory but also the highlight of the Victorian’s lengthy career.

Tony Blackburn is the founder of Golf in Society UK, an organisation whose goal is to help – through golf – those afflicted by dementia, Parkinson’s Disease and other chronic illnesses.

Tony joins host Rod Morri for a fascinating and powerful discussion on the therapeutic power of the game for patients and carers alike.

But Colsaerts is also well aware there is much more to life than golf and his thoughts on both the game and topics beyond make for fascinating listening in this chat with The Thing About Golf host, John Huggan.

Earlier this year both lost their golfing icon husbands, Bob in January and Jack in April. 

In this episode, The Thing About Golf host Rod Morri sits down with Kathie and Jackie to get an insight into what life was like with two of Australia’s favourite — and most successful — golfing sons.

The Thing About Golf's John Huggan sits down with lifelong friend, mixed foursomes partner, former European Tour caddie and now one of the first women members at Scotland's Muirfield, Lindsey Garden. 

Lindsey caddied for Wayne Riley in his memorable 1991 Australian Open win at Royal Melbourne and that’s just one of many great tales in this chat.

Isiaih found golf in 2003 through caddying and has since made it his life’s work to introduce as many Ugandan children as possible to the sport.

The AFRIEYA Golf Academy provides opportunities not only in golf but also education and thanks to the dedication (and money) put up by Isaiah, continues to grow across the African nation.

That injury saw the Irishman turn to golf and he went on to become a European Tour stalwart, hole a Ryder Cup winning putt and later Captain the Europeans to victory over the Americans. But McGinley has much more to offer the game beyond his fine playing credentials. 

In this extensive chat with host John Huggan, McGinley covers everything from his unusual start in the game to the impact of LIV on professional golf.

A good player in his own right before a back injury early in his career, Mercer turned to coaching and having worked with the likes of David Graham, Steve Elkington, Brendan Jones and Michael Campbell (among others) successful doesn't begin to describe his career.

His deep love of the game, keen mind and gift for communicating complex concepts in a simple way are all on show in this wide ranging interview with Rod Morri.

But he’s also one of golf’s most interesting thinkers on matters both golf and more broadly.

He has opinions on topics as diverse as world economics and market forces to how LIV Golf fits in Saudi Arabia’s bigger geopolitical strategy. He touches on all of it in this fascinating chat with The Thing About Golf podcast host John Huggan.

But it is for his legendary pairing with Seve Ballesteros at multiple Ryder Cups — and his own heroics as captain in the 2012 ‘Miracle at Medinah’ —that he will be best remembered.

John Huggan caught up with Olazabal during The Open Championship at St. Andrews for a wide-ranging interview on all things golf, and what it is about this game that he is so passionate about.

Golf aside, Percy is an engaging personality and interesting thinker whose political views often see him at odds with his peers. Yet he remains both popular and likeable as you’ll hear in this wide-ranging interview with Rod Morri.

The Victorian discusses representing his state and country before earning a spot in his club pennant team, bringing a shoe shine kit on Tour during his rookie year and covers armlock putting and Will Zalatoris.

Jaime Diaz is one of those gifted people, a giant of the golf writing fraternity who somehow remains as genuinely humble today as the day he started in the business.

From his work with Tiger Woods and Seve Ballesteros to the drama of the 1999 Ryder Cup at Brookline, Diaz is at his best in this expansive conversation with John Huggan.

What was once a behind the scenes job, now often comes with a dash of celebrity and the names of those who work with the game’s best are easily recognisable. But not Denis McDade. 

McDade is the very definition of humble, quietly guiding the games of some of Australia’s best players of the past 20 years – including Marc Leishman, Todd Sinnott, Marcus Fraser and Matt Griffin to name a few – while simultaneously helping those who struggle to break 90. 

He’s also part owner of Yarra Bend golf course in Melbourne and a passionate advocate for junior golf as we find out in this broad ranging discussion with the Thing About Golf podcast host, Rod Morri.

At Whistling Straits last year, he matched Sir Nick Faldo’s record for most Ryder Cup appearances with 11 and was one of only three players to win his singles match in an otherwise heavy defeat. 

Westwood has played — and won — all over the world and including the 1997 Australian Open in a play-off over Greg Norman, and been one of the game’s best international ambassadors. 

In this candid and length chat with John Huggan, the Englishman talks about all that as well as perhaps his most controversial career decision to date: playing in the much-maligned Saudi Golf League.

Never one to overpower golf courses, the left-hander nonetheless spent a lot of time near the top of leaderboards at the highest levels of the game. In this in-depth chat with host Rod Morri, O’Hern talks about how he went from a handicap of four when he turned professional to being a top-20 ranked player in the world.

He also expands on his work with some of the game’s rising stars and his somewhat unexpected second career as an author and his latest book, Play Your Best Golf.

Links mentioned in this episode:

Order his books, Play Your Best Golf or Tour Mentality, on Booktopia

To work with Nick, you can get in touch him via his website

But there is much more to the Peter Kostis story than his TV work, from his own playing background to his coaching work with Tour players, like Paul Casey. 

Find out all this and more in this engrossing chat between Kostis and long-time friend, John Huggan.

In this Masters week Thing About Golf bonus episode, John Huggan sat down with the Northern Irishman at Augusta National to find out about his connections to golf, the modern media and —most importantly — The Masters and what might unfold this week.

Somers played the European Tour for 11 years in an era many believe was the circuit’s Golden Age. From 1977 to 1988 he saw and played with Seve Ballesteros, Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, Sandy Lyle and Bernhard Langer, and still counts Nick Price among his closest friends. 

Listen in as Vaughan, who is today a highly regarded coach in Melbourne, talks all things golf with host Rod Morri – from why modern Tour players are sooks to why you should never cut your fingernails during a tournament.

But as our guest on episode 60 will attest, that is a narrow view of the role public golf plays in communities. 

PGA professional Sandy Jamieson is a champion for public golf and in this wide-ranging chat with host Rod Morri he explains why he prefers the grassroots of the game to his days coaching stars on the PGA Tour.

The comical scenes of Jean van de Velde wading in the burn beside the 18th green dominate most people’s memories of that event but that does Lawrie a disservice. 

To win, despite starting the final round 10 shots behind was rightfully the highlight of his career but there is much more to Paul Lawrie than his lone major triumph, as you’ll hear in this revealing interview with John Huggan.

A one-marker, who plays pennant for Melbourne’s Southern Golf Club and holds a pilot’s licence in her spare time, Gerri was recently appointed to the top job at the recently redesigned Sandringham Golf Links.

With Sandringham being managed by neighbour Royal Melbourne Golf Club, that means Gerri is in the pecking order to perhaps one day be course super at one of the world’s most revered clubs. It’s been a remarkable journey for the Cohuna native whose other life ambition was to fly jumbo jets as a commercial pilot. Gerri chats with Rod Morri about the journey that brought her here.

Struck down by injury long before his prime, the New Zealander has built a second — and almost as impressive — career in the commentary booth. A deep thinker with a naturally analytical mind, Nobilo gives great insight into every facet of the game in this candid and detailed chat with John Huggan. 

From his early days on the European Tour to his relationship with former Golf Channel colleague Brandel Chamblee, Nobilo is equal parts forthright and reflective about the game he clearly still loves.

One of the best of his generation, McEvoy was a stalwart of UK amateur golf for decades from a successful amateur playing career through to captaining two winning Walker Cup teams. Over that time, he has collected his fair share of wisdom about the game in all aspects and he shares some of that with host John Huggan in this fascinating episode of The Thing About Golf.

Enter Dr Karl Morris and co-author Gary Nicol and their ‘Lost Art’ series of books. 

As you’ll hear in this in-depth chat with Karl Morris – a sports psychologist who has helped some of the world's best players win major championships – there is an awful lot involved in playing good golf and focussing solely on technique isn’t always the best way to do it. 

If you do nothing more than take on board some of Karl’s ideas in this interview your golf will improve. But if you really listen, you’ll find nuggets of wisdom that offer rewards well beyond just improving your score.

But not only is the Nordic country golf mad (the game is second only to football in participation) but it is home to some of the world’s most interesting courses. 

Icelandic course architect Edwin Roald is one of the industry’s most thoughtful and eloquent speakers and in this wide-ranging chat with host Rod Morri, he introduces us to golf in Iceland as well as offering thought provoking takes on topics as broad as golf as a vehicle for carbon capture as well as social harmony.

To read some of Roald’s articles and view some of the his design work, visit https://www.eureka.golf/