Episode 9: 2015 In Review

Episode 9: 2015 In Review

Author: Golf Digest December 23, 2015 Duration: 37:30

Golf Digest editors Sam Weinman, Alex Myers, and Matt Rudy discuss the biggest stories in golf in 2015, the biggest surprises, and what to expect in the year to come.


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Hosted by Shane Ryan and Jamie Kennedy, 50 Things That Changed Golf is less a straightforward history lesson and more a series of conversations about the pivotal moments that truly reshaped the game. This Golf Digest podcast operates on a simple but compelling premise: identifying the fifty people, innovations, rules, and cultural shifts that redirected golf's trajectory. Every other week, Ryan and Kennedy select one of these transformative elements and unpack its story, exploring not just the "what" but the lasting "why." You'll hear about everything from equipment breakthroughs and iconic tournaments to the influence of particular players and unexpected pop culture intersections. The tone is engaging and accessible, blending deep knowledge with a relaxed rapport that includes a good dose of humour and their own invented, often witty awards. Tuning in feels like joining a thoughtful yet lively discussion between two well-informed fans, one that connects the sport's past directly to the way it's played and perceived today. For anyone curious about how golf became what it is now, this podcast provides a thoroughly entertaining and insightful guided tour through the milestones that mattered.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 482

50 Things That Changed Golf
Podcast Episodes
Revolutions Part 1: Arnold Palmer, IMG, and the early disruptors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:57
This three-part podcast series attempts the big task of summarizing how the world of golf, from the professional to the recreational, has evolved over Golf Digest's existence. As it happens, 1950 is a decent starting poi…
The Terrible, Wonderful History of Q School [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:10
Since its introduction in 1963, the PGA Tour's Q School has routinely been one of the most dramatic, heart-wrenching golf tournaments on the planet. This is where careers are made, and where just as often they're broken…
What we knew about Chi Chi Rodriguez, and what we didn't [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:52
On Aug. 8, Chi Chi Rodriguez passed away at age 88 and left behind him a legacy of a player whose reputation and personality exceeded his relatively modest success. That's how he would have wanted it: Rodriguez was an en…
The Bizarre Early Days of Olympic Golf, 1900-1904 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:14
Long before Scottie Scheffler took gold in Paris, and more than a century before Justin Rose won in Rio, Olympic golf existed in the very early history of the Olympic games. This is the incredibly strange story of Olympi…
Early Golf History Part 2: The Rise of the Clubs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:21
In the second part of our early history series, we hone in on Scotland, and take you from the 1400s all the way to the rise of the first clubs—including the ascendancy of St. Andrews—that transformed the sport entirely a…
Early Golf History Part 1: Is Golf Really Scottish? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:22
Where did golf come from? The easy answer to that question is "Scotland," but the historical record isn't quite so clear. Going back to the 1300s, surviving documents and drawings suggest the story is more complicated th…
The Charming Choke: Jean Van de Velde's collapse, 25 years later [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:43
July marks the 25th anniversary of one of the two most notorious collapses in major championship history when Jean Van de Velde lost a three-shot lead on the final hole at Carnoustie. In the wake of Rory McIlroy's loss a…
The US Open champ who died in a jail cell [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:38
Cyril Walker put together the four rounds of his life in 1924 at the U.S. Open in Oakland Hills, defeating Bobby Jones in the final round and etching his name in golf history. So why don't more of us know him? The sad re…
The Real Payne Stewart, 25 Years Later [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:03
This summer marks the 25th anniversary of Payne Stewart's triumph at Pinehurst in the 1999 U.S. Open, and as fate would have it, the National Open is back in at no. 2. In this podcast, we examine the life of Payne Stewar…
The last triumph of Vintage Rory: Valhalla, 2014 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:00
We've spent a decade wondering when Rory McIlroy will win his next major, but as the PGA Championship heads to Valhalla, we turned our eyes backward, to the last time he pulled it off. On that hot, humid Sunday in Kentuc…