After over 2,000 miles in 15 days, 12 courses, 50 Guinness, two goats, one trophy, a car ferry, spectacular cliffs, a dire wolf, a giant's causeway and lobstering in a mini wooden skiff, several members of the Fire Pit Collective get together to reflect on Covid, camaraderie, culture and the craic on the island of Ireland. You'll hear from dignitaries, tournament directors, directors of golf, course owners, and we talk architects, value and the two new shiny pennies in the North, which are going...
Sep 09, 2021•1 hr 16 min•Season 2Ep. 34
The U.S. Amateur or the Walker Cup were always the Holy Grails,” says Josh Lesnik, President of Kemper Sports, who manages Bandon Dunes. Lesnik was also the first General Manager of the resort, where he started in his late-20s, and was literally in on the sand floor. “But to be honest, we never really thought about hosting anything like that until Mike Davis took a look and liked it. That’s a big part of this,” says Lesnik. “Mike Davis came out early, and the fact that he liked what he saw, that...
Jul 21, 2021•53 min•Season 2Ep. 33
One more time around the block as we get reflections and observations on what was one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the Amateur Championship. Both competitors, their dads and a girlfriend, we heard from two announcers and Tom Bailey, who, over a chance encounter in December, set Laird Shepherd on a path to a life-altering adventure. But then there’s Monty Scowsill, who taught us all about sportsmanship and class as he set his own anguish aside and consoled the champion. This is a s...
Jul 15, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 32
If you’re just joining us, we’re about to tee off on the first tee at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. It’s a Saturday afternoon in mid-June, it’s the finals of the 126th playing of the British Amateur Championship in which two underdogs, who’ve both overcome adversity and physical issues getting here, are about to finish things off. Monty Scowsill, who made six birdies in the morning, is 7-up on Laird Shepherd, who didn’t make any birdies and didn’t win his first hole of the day until the last hole...
Jul 15, 2021•48 min•Season 2Ep. 31
We collected over nine voices and 12 hours of interviews on the twists and turns of the 2021 Amateur Championship at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland. We track the path of Laird Shepherd and Monty Scowsill as they chase their dream of winning one of the most storied championships in golf. At halftime of the 36-hole final, Shepherd is 7-down. Is there still hope? It would take a miracle. Special thanks to the R&A for their help from across the pond. Visit the The Fire Pit Collective to check out e...
Jul 14, 2021•55 min•Season 2Ep. 30
The British Amateur Championship is one of the oldest and greatest events in golf. The first, in 1885, was played at Hoylake in England. Bobby Jones won the British Amateur in 1930 in what was then considered a part of his Grand Slam of championships. Other notable winners include Sir Michael Bonallack, who won it five times, Joe Carr, the great Irish Amateur, who won it three times, Jose Maria Olazabal in 1984, and Sergio Garcia in 1998. Runner-ups include Colin Montgomerie, Trevor Immelman and...
Jul 14, 2021•34 min•Season 2Ep. 29
So, by now, if you’re listening to this particular podcast, I’m going to assume you’ve either read or watched the Hayden Springer story on TheFirePitCollective.com . If you haven’t, I strongly suggest you read the story , which was written by Ryan French , and then watch the story, which was produced by Ben Van Hook, shot by Henry Lynk, and edited by Adam Showen. As you all probably know by now, The Fire Pit Collective’s first hire was Ryan French and I’m not shocked by his relentless delivery o...
Jun 16, 2021•32 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Alan Shipnuck has covered Phil Mickelson for the entirety of their careers. He was there every step of the way at the PGA Championship, including when Alan and Phil were both almost trampled in the 72nd fairway. Shipnuck brings to life an unforgettable moment in golf history with probing questions by host Matt Ginella and further thoughts from Laz Versalles, the newest member of the Fire Pit Collective. Their deep reflections on Mickelson is the perfect way to relive his thrilling victory and be...
May 26, 2021•44 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Here we are, almost exactly a week after Brad Hurlbut, the athletic director at Fairleigh Dickinson and member of the local NCAA Championship committee who walked down the stairs of The University Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, put his hand on his chest and stomped on the hearts of the assembled crowd. In Part 1, we told the story of what happened last week. In Part 2, we covered what happened after they cancelled the championship. And in Part 3, I turn to Jay Bilas, the college basketball anal...
May 20, 2021•24 min•Season 2Ep. 26
Sam Bozoian, also known as Barstool Riggs, is the white knight who socially rode into Baton Rouge on a horse named Twitter, scooped up an assembled group of female golfers and their coaches out of the puddles of tears and broken dreams and is giving them an opportunity to finish their seasons, and in some cases, their college careers, ON the golf course. What a concept! Throughout this podcast, you’ll be hearing more from all of the players and coaches I spoke to last week to report Part 1. Most...
May 19, 2021•33 min•Season 2Ep. 25
So, I can assume you’ve seen it by now; the video of a guy, walking down some stairs, puts his hand on his chest, and like a fire-breathing dragon, torches the hopes and dreams of an innocent gathering of female athletes. Then he turns around and disappears. The dragon is the NCAA, in this case, in the form of Brad Hurlbut, an athletic director at Fairleigh Dickinson, who, from what I’m told, volunteers for this particular NCAA Committee, which was running a five-day Regional tournament at The U...
May 18, 2021•50 min•Season 2Ep. 24
In this episode of The Fire Pit, Matt Ginella interviews Alan Shipnuck about his recent story on Saudi Arabia's attempt to buy some good global PR through golf and a few of the world's best players and architects, which includes Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and Jack Nicklaus. With more than a billion dollars to spend, Saudi leadership is breaking away from the concept of the Premier Golf League and trying to lure away top players into what is now being called the Super Golf League. Meanwhile, ...
May 08, 2021•30 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Ryan French of “Monday Q Info” on Twitter joins The Fire Pit Collective, a modern media network. From a TV on fire to the Fire Pit, we welcome Ryan French to the Collective. A Robin Hood of golf and media, the humble and thoughtful stay-at-home dad found a platform and a purpose while tending to the responsibilities of a daughter and a son, who, at the age of 18 months, was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, a rare brain condition that required surgery. With a supportive family and friends who ...
May 03, 2021•47 min•Season 2Ep. 22
As we kick off Season 2 of The Fire Pit Podcast, just a short reflection on where we’ve been since March, 2020, which is when, while in quarantine, we hatched the idea of this podcast. Our first, which aired on what would’ve been Masters Sunday of last year, was the story of how and why John Ashworth caddied at the ’86 Masters for his childhood friend, Mark Wiebe. One interview led to the next, Zoom calling with Nicklaus, Griffey Jr., Walter Iooss, Fred Couples, Jim Nantz, Ben Crenshaw, Bill Coo...
Apr 09, 2021•43 min•Season 2Ep. 21
We’re back at The Fire Pit dropping a podcast, which always feels good. We’ve been busy interviewing and editing season 2, which will start going live in a few weeks. Among other things, you’ll be hearing tributes to Charlie Sifford, Tony Gwynn and longtime colleague and friend, Tim Rosaforte. We’ll also be hearing from Jack Nicklaus, Nancy Lopez, Arnold Palmer and Lanny Wadkins on a $4-check from Ben Hogan. In the meantime, we’re supporting our friends at Linksoul as they honor and celebrate th...
Feb 03, 2021•23 min
We started this podcast in April, not long after the country went into quarantine. And on April 18, we dropped episode two , a roundtable with industry leaders who provided perspective on the state of the game in the midst of a global pandemic. I was joined by the Presidents of Pinehurst and Kemper Sports , the owner of Forest Dunes , the manager of Goat Hill Park , and the CEO of an Irish-based travel company that customizes buddies trips. If you go back and listen to it, it’s somber. It’s as i...
Sep 01, 2020•31 min
We’re back, and as we continue a short hiatus between seasons one and two of The Fire Pit, we continue to go through our first season of recordings and extract some relevant nuggets or unpublished stories from our distinguished list of guests. With all that’s happening this week at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, most notably the U.S. Amateur, we’ve created another mini pod serving as a short tribute to owner Mike Keiser and all that he has done to golf in America and for golfers all over the world. We ...
Aug 16, 2020•19 min
Well, that was a blur and a blast. We produced 15 episodes (and a bonus) of this podcast, which wraps up Season 1. For the next few weeks, as a link to the start of Season 2, we’ll be dropping mini-pods, short stories or great golf jokes by the best storytellers I’ve met at fire pits all over the world. Thank you for all of your support, kind words and thoughtful reviews. It has been a true team effort from the start, and I couldn’t have done any of it without Alex Upegui and Rex Lint, who’ve sp...
Jul 26, 2020•13 min
Every song is a story. This episode of The Fire Pit is a story about the making of a song, which happens to be the anthem we’ve adopted for this podcast. We listen in as Jacquire King , a Grammy Award winning producer works with Joe Horowitz on developing a song he started writing in 2016 at Matt GInella's wedding reception at Goat Hill Park. The inspiration: What has now become Horowitz's favorite fire pit. Check out the The Fire Pit shop for our new hats! More items in the works! Use promo Mat...
Jul 19, 2020•54 min
At this fire pit, we get the second half of Sam "Riggs" Bozoian's 99-day quarantine at Pinehurst, which includes a scramble match against Kevin Kisner on Pinehurst No. 2. The four boys of the ForePlay podcast take on a PGA Tour player on a U.S. Open venue. Plus, we get details on an emotional goodbye. Check out the The Fire Pit shop for our new hats! More items in the works! Use promo MattyG25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order. Got a comment about this story or a tip on a stor...
Jul 12, 2020•44 min
Welcome back to a special production of The Fire Pit. A mini mid-week episode, put together after my recent interview with Kevin Kisner, who’s coming off a third-place finish at the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit. Bryson DeChambeau (-23) won the tournament, Matthew Wolff (-20) finished second and Kisner (-18) made a run on Sunday. But to say Bryson “won” is to say he overpowered the course and the competition. I had Kisner on to talk about his match with Riggs and the boys of the Fore Play P...
Jul 09, 2020•25 min
The story we tell today is that of Sam “Riggs” Bozoian escaping New York City to quarantine at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina. He stayed there, playing an assortment of Pinehurst’s 10 courses and others in the area for 99 days. At this Fire Pit we hear about Riggs' start in life and at Barstool, his ace on The Cradle, a heated match against a 12 year old and a moral compass. Sir Nick Faldo is just one of the voices providing some perspective. Check out the The Fire Pit shop for our new h...
Jul 06, 2020•43 min
The story we tell today, sitting around an actual fire pit, is how and why Lew Thompson bought Forest Dunes in Roscommon, Michigan, the ridiculous deal he got, and then how he has made this remote location a legitimate destination. As Forest Dunes is setting record-breaking business days and gets set to open yet another golf course, we hear from Lew and Josh Thompson, Tom Weiskopf, Keith Rhebb and Riley Johns. Check out the The Fire Pit shop for our new hats! More items in the works! Use promo M...
Jun 28, 2020•35 min
On this Father’s Day, a tribute to Joe Carr, who, along with his wife, Dorothy, raised six kids in a house overlooking the second green of Sutton Golf Club in Dublin, Ireland. Carr won three British Amateur Championships and was a semi-finalist at the 1961 U.S. Amateur at Pebble Beach. He won six Irish Amateurs, 12 West of Irelands, 12 East of Irelands, three South of Irelands, played in 10 Walker Cups, and in 1991, was the first Irishman to become captain of the R&A. In 2007, Carr was induc...
Jun 21, 2020•34 min
We’re telling the story about John Ashworth, the man and the brand. From the trunk of a car to the No. 1 golf apparel company in the world, we hear from Ashy, Jim Nantz, Fred Couples, John Cook, Gerry Montiel and Hank Ashworth.✌🏼 The Fire Pit shop is here! Use promo MattyG25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order. Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down? You can reach me on Twitter ( @mattginella ) or on Instagram ( @matt_ginella ). For bonus visual...
Jun 14, 2020•1 hr 1 min
Part 2 picks up on May 1st, 1999 on the eve of Bandon Dunes opening for business. I’m not even sure Mike Keiser could’ve dreamed something as big as what Bandon has become. We hear from Bandon's original caddy master, Shoe, and the local barber, Mick Peters, who has hit the first tee shot on every course at Bandon, as well as reflections from Mike Keiser, David Kidd, Josh Lesnik, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw as we also celebrate the opening of the Sheep Ranch, their third course on property. The ...
Jun 07, 2020•33 min
Today you’ll hear part 1 of the building of Bandon Dunes, as told by Mike Keiser, the owner, David McLay Kidd and his father, Jimmy, the architects, and Josh Lesnik and his father, Steve, who won the bid to manage it. Bandon Dunes, the original course at what is now the best pure golf destination in America, and arguably the world, was an outlier that opened in 1999. Like Sand Hills in Mullen, Nebraska, which opened in 1995, to build a golf course in a remote location using a minimalist architec...
May 31, 2020•48 min
Part 1 leaves off in 1985, when Ben Crenshaw convinces Bill Coore to partner up. In part 2, we get them through some lean years, making a name for themselves in Maui, and tell the story of striking pay dirt and pink flags in the sand hills of Nebraska. Use promo MattyG25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order. The Fire Pit shop is here! Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down? You can reach me on Twitter ( @mattginella ) or on Instagram ( @matt_ginel...
May 24, 2020•51 min
Part 1 of the people, places and things that had an influence on what Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have become as architects, how and when they met, who was involved and why it works. Use promo MattyG25 at Linksoul.com for 25% off your next Linksoul order. The Fire Pit shop is here! Got a comment about this story or a tip on a story we should track down? You can reach me on Twitter ( @mattginella ) or on Instagram ( @matt_ginella ). For bonus visuals and some behind the scenes of The Fire Pit pod...
May 17, 2020•31 min
Walter Iooss Jr . shares several stories about his special relationship with NBA legend Michael Jordan, chasing Tiger Woods at a golf tournament, almost botching a portrait session with Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, and how he captured arguably the most famous image in NFL history . Iooss has been taking pictures professionally for 59 years. He has shot every Super Bowl. He has over 300 covers of Sports Illustrated, which includes action, portrait and swimsuit. His versatility, personality an...
May 10, 2020•34 min
