WEBVTT - Richie Ramsay Geeks Out About Golf Architecture 0:00:00.120 --> 0:00:02.840 I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset. When 0:00:02.880 --> 0:00:05.000 I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. 0:00:05.080 --> 0:00:07.040 And when I find my ball in a bride egg 0:00:07.280 --> 0:00:09.880 Frida egg the dread and Frida egg, Frida egg, Frida 0:00:09.880 --> 0:00:12.639 egg egg, Frida egg, bride egg Lie, I'm about ready 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:35.440 to run off the golf course. Welcome to the Frida 0:00:35.440 --> 0:00:38.800 Egg Podcast. I'm Garrett Morrison, and today I'm talking about 0:00:38.800 --> 0:00:43.479 golf course architecture with a US Amateur winner. Given that concept, 0:00:43.560 --> 0:00:46.680 my guest could pretty much be no one except for 0:00:46.760 --> 0:00:50.960 Richie Ramsey. Richie is a Scottish pro who won the 0:00:51.000 --> 0:00:53.880 two thousand and six US Amateur at Hazel Team. He's 0:00:53.920 --> 0:00:56.640 also a four time winner on the DP World Tour, 0:00:56.760 --> 0:01:00.960 most recently at the Kazoo Classic last September at Hillside 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:05.520 Golf Club. He's also super passionate about golf architecture, makes 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:08.280 a point to go out and see courses wherever he 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:11.560 might be, and he always has compelling things to say 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:15.200 about those experiences. It's pretty rare in his profession. Super 0:01:15.200 --> 0:01:17.920 thoughtful guy, and I thought it was just time to 0:01:17.920 --> 0:01:20.520 get him on the podcast and have a wide ranging 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:24.120 chat about whatever he's interested in the Last time Richie 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:27.000 was on The Frida Egg it was January twenty eighteen, 0:01:27.240 --> 0:01:31.360 way back on episode seventy with Andy Johnson, so it's 0:01:31.400 --> 0:01:34.080 been a while. There's a lot to talk about. We're 0:01:34.080 --> 0:01:36.959 going to cover Richie's recent trip to Minnesota, where he 0:01:37.040 --> 0:01:40.600 saw a bunch of cool courses and stopped by hazelteen, 0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:44.560 which will soon be undergoing a quote reimagining by Davis 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:48.440 Love's architecture firm. We'll also address the recent changes in 0:01:48.480 --> 0:01:51.920 the world of professional golf and how Richie thinks all 0:01:51.960 --> 0:01:55.360 of that will affect the DP World Tour. And finally 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:58.080 we'll touch on Walton Heath, which is the venue of 0:01:58.120 --> 0:02:03.240 this week's women's open. Totally fascinating course that Richie has 0:02:03.280 --> 0:02:05.720 a ton of experience with. All Right, that's what we 0:02:05.760 --> 0:02:08.359 have in store for you. After this break, you'll hear 0:02:08.400 --> 0:02:18.760 from Ritchie Ramsey. 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One thing that ag 0:02:51.800 --> 0:02:55.680 one does is provide these travel packs, and basically, when 0:02:55.720 --> 0:02:58.160 I'm on the road, which I often am, i bring 0:02:58.200 --> 0:03:02.359 the travel packs with me and I'm able to adhere 0:03:02.400 --> 0:03:06.400 to my routine even though I'm out of all of 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:09.560 my normal routines. That's normally a time when you know, 0:03:09.680 --> 0:03:12.000 vitamins and stuff like that that I know I should 0:03:12.040 --> 0:03:15.040 be doing every day, exercise, eating, well, that's when that 0:03:15.080 --> 0:03:17.200 all goes out the window when I'm away from home. 0:03:17.800 --> 0:03:20.240 But with ag one, it's just so simple. You take 0:03:20.240 --> 0:03:23.160 a travel pack, you add it to some water, you 0:03:23.200 --> 0:03:25.839 shake it up a little bit, you drink it, and 0:03:26.080 --> 0:03:29.080 you start your day feeling really confident that you've covered 0:03:29.080 --> 0:03:33.400 your nutritional bases. So if a comprehensive solution is what 0:03:33.480 --> 0:03:37.280 you need from your supplement routine, then try ag one 0:03:37.480 --> 0:03:40.280 and get a free one year supply of Vitamin D 0:03:40.920 --> 0:03:44.600 and five free ag one travel packs with your first purchase. 0:03:45.160 --> 0:03:49.560 Go to drink ag one dot com slash the Fried Egg. 0:03:49.920 --> 0:04:00.600 That's drink ag one dot com slash the Fried Egg. Ramsey, 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:04.000 Welcome back to the Friday Podcast. I understand that you're 0:04:04.040 --> 0:04:07.200 in Minneapolis at the moment. What are you up to there? 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:11.000 Yeah, I just kind of found my whole day. My 0:04:11.040 --> 0:04:15.320 wife from Chaska, which is five ten minutes I don't know, 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:20.359 from Hazelteam National. So yeah, just just out here enjoying 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.560 the heat, which is good to be on too much 0:04:22.560 --> 0:04:24.400 heat in the UK or that you saw that at 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:28.280 the Open, and then imagine to play a few raunge 0:04:28.320 --> 0:04:30.960 of golf, which is nice, but the first sort of 0:04:31.080 --> 0:04:35.440 ten twelve days of clubs away, chill, just go to 0:04:35.440 --> 0:04:37.840 the gym, spend a bit of time, spend a time 0:04:37.880 --> 0:04:38.239 at home. 0:04:38.839 --> 0:04:44.159 Nice. So you actually won the US Amateur at Hazeltem 0:04:44.200 --> 0:04:47.479 back in two thousand and six, So you know when 0:04:47.480 --> 0:04:49.920 you think of that experience, when you remember that experience, 0:04:49.960 --> 0:04:50.920 what comes to mind? 0:04:52.960 --> 0:04:56.200 Yeah, a lot of emotions. I'll say incredible week for me, 0:04:57.480 --> 0:04:59.080 very cool week because there was a lot of boys 0:04:59.080 --> 0:05:02.840 from the Walk Cup squad GB and I guys are 0:05:02.839 --> 0:05:08.800 out there and yeah, just remember like sixteen at the end, 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:11.680 just like sort of a bit of a shock, you know. 0:05:11.760 --> 0:05:14.520 It's kind of sometimes things hit you, and it hits 0:05:14.560 --> 0:05:17.880 you pretty hits you pretty quickly. And then of course 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.480 when you get the trophy, when you get a minute 0:05:20.560 --> 0:05:24.120 just to look at it and you see the names, 0:05:24.160 --> 0:05:29.000 particularly the names hit you and it's like, wow, this 0:05:29.200 --> 0:05:31.400 is like once my name goes on it, like you 0:05:31.440 --> 0:05:35.320 cannot take this off. And you know, I'm not saying 0:05:35.360 --> 0:05:39.240 I'm a world beer, but just the fact that you 0:05:39.240 --> 0:05:43.040 know Tiger Michaelson and then you go further back when 0:05:43.080 --> 0:05:45.960 you've got people like Jones and stuff on there, that's 0:05:46.240 --> 0:05:51.120 your your kind of very honored and probably humbled to 0:05:51.440 --> 0:05:56.280 have your name put in history with the same names 0:05:56.320 --> 0:05:59.400 as that. Really, so it was it was very very cool. 0:06:00.000 --> 0:06:03.360 I know, Hazelteene is planning on a what they're calling 0:06:03.400 --> 0:06:06.719 a reimagining of the course. Davis Love is going to 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:09.159 oversee that work. I'm not sure if you have any 0:06:09.160 --> 0:06:11.440 insight into what's going on there, but I just wanted 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.720 to let people know that that's happening. That's I guess 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:16.800 that's sort of a big story. It's a it's a 0:06:16.839 --> 0:06:21.240 major championship course, and I guess they're going to kind 0:06:21.240 --> 0:06:23.960 of go a different direction there. Have you Have you 0:06:24.040 --> 0:06:27.760 seen anything about that or gotten any insight into that. 0:06:28.360 --> 0:06:29.920 Yeah, I mean I was at the club the other 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:37.599 day and Hazelteine video just announcing Davis was on board. 0:06:39.520 --> 0:06:41.960 I think that you know, he's got the US Amateur. 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:47.360 I believe next year Rader Cup in twenty nine, So 0:06:47.760 --> 0:06:51.640 I think they're looking at obviously US Amateur is a 0:06:51.760 --> 0:06:57.360 nice maybe data collection to see where people are hitting it, 0:06:57.520 --> 0:06:59.760 especially you know, all these young kids in this so far, 0:07:00.640 --> 0:07:06.480 and then just bringing the course. I would like to think, 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:10.720 you know, touching up in places. Not a massive overhaul 0:07:10.920 --> 0:07:14.880 I don't expect from a routing perspective, but things like, 0:07:15.080 --> 0:07:18.000 you know, looking position of bunkers, maybe character of bunkers, 0:07:18.040 --> 0:07:22.720 maybe edges of bunkers, you know, green complexes, have they 0:07:23.000 --> 0:07:26.240 come in pinnable areas, places where you could maybe just 0:07:27.840 --> 0:07:30.680 I would like to think push push it out a 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:34.200 little bit to create some harder pimp positions and really 0:07:35.000 --> 0:07:37.880 bring the bunkers more into play. But yeah, I haven't 0:07:37.880 --> 0:07:41.640 really seen any solid plans. But yeah, it's a big 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:47.200 championship golf course. They're very very lucky or lucky they're 0:07:47.240 --> 0:07:51.120 smart that they've got land around the last few holes 0:07:51.200 --> 0:07:53.480 with regards to the hospitality, so it really fits in 0:07:53.640 --> 0:07:58.240 very well for a major championship. And I wasn't at 0:07:58.240 --> 0:08:00.960 the last round of Cup, but I believe you know, 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:03.240 so many people come out because they have such a 0:08:03.240 --> 0:08:06.720 short window, right, It's like so many people come out 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:10.680 and support the event, and any really sporting event during 0:08:10.720 --> 0:08:14.840 the summer is well received and well supported. So it's 0:08:14.840 --> 0:08:17.520 a big thing for anything that comes into the town. 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:22.200 Yeah, at Ryder Cup venues, the space considerations are always 0:08:22.360 --> 0:08:25.480 a huge deal. You know. There are so many courses 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:29.800 out there that have hosted Ryder Cups before that probably 0:08:29.840 --> 0:08:33.160 couldn't anymore, you know, like that Kiowa for instance, which 0:08:33.400 --> 0:08:36.240 obviously just hosted a PGA Championship, so it's no slouch 0:08:36.320 --> 0:08:40.559 in terms of space and infrastructure. But you know, they 0:08:40.600 --> 0:08:43.280 hosted a Ryder Cup in nineteen ninety two and I'm 0:08:43.320 --> 0:08:45.960 not sure that they could do it again. So I 0:08:45.960 --> 0:08:48.720 guess that must be a big consideration for Hazel team, 0:08:48.760 --> 0:08:50.520 like we've got to be able to get all these 0:08:50.559 --> 0:08:52.240 people in here all at once. 0:08:53.040 --> 0:08:55.839 Yeah, it's like you've got to get them in and 0:08:55.880 --> 0:08:59.920 you've got to get them out, you know. It was interesting. 0:09:00.200 --> 0:09:04.600 I went to the Road Cup at Glen Eagles and like, 0:09:04.679 --> 0:09:09.360 Glen Eagles has huge banks on the side, and I 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:11.960 was like, oh, this is going to be brilliant viewing. 0:09:12.440 --> 0:09:16.959 But when you get four games and you've got you know, 0:09:17.280 --> 0:09:19.640 you know, thousands of people in there, you really need 0:09:19.679 --> 0:09:23.560 those banks to fill. It creates a cool atmosphere, but 0:09:23.640 --> 0:09:28.360 you need those high viewpoints to see what's going on. 0:09:28.920 --> 0:09:31.400 And it was amazing. Just I mean, Glen Eagles from 0:09:31.440 --> 0:09:36.720 an infrastructure perspective was ideal train station, motorway, you know, 0:09:36.760 --> 0:09:39.000 getting people in and out, the player stay on site. 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:42.720 But yeah, that's quite interesting. How you you build something 0:09:42.760 --> 0:09:44.880 so there's a flow that you can get people around 0:09:44.920 --> 0:09:48.560 the course. Viewing is a huge issue and obviously you 0:09:48.600 --> 0:09:51.359 want to create an element of drama, you know, particularly 0:09:51.400 --> 0:09:55.080 on those putting on the probably the back nine. So 0:09:55.360 --> 0:09:57.800 I'm sure all those things are considerations that are taken 0:09:57.840 --> 0:10:02.400 the play in and uh, maybe less pins in the 0:10:02.400 --> 0:10:04.040 middle of the greens, more on the site. 0:10:06.240 --> 0:10:09.360 That's always a hope. Yeah, I mean, yeah, for the 0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:11.679 love of God, you know, please please please expand out 0:10:11.679 --> 0:10:14.600 the greens so you can you can get the pins 0:10:14.600 --> 0:10:17.559 out there and actually, uh, you know, present some challenges 0:10:17.600 --> 0:10:21.320 that way. So you've been in the States for a 0:10:21.320 --> 0:10:24.480 few days, as I understand it, a little while. What 0:10:24.640 --> 0:10:27.000 other courses have have you seen? You know, you're a 0:10:27.000 --> 0:10:30.280 guy who's who's interested in architecture, as anybody who who 0:10:30.360 --> 0:10:33.679 follows you on social media knows, you like to go 0:10:33.720 --> 0:10:37.120 see interesting courses. What have you seen and what have 0:10:37.240 --> 0:10:39.160 been some of your thoughts on what you've seen. 0:10:39.720 --> 0:10:43.880 Yeah, So, like randomly drove went for dinner the night, 0:10:43.960 --> 0:10:48.760 drove past a Dina country club which is not is 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:52.160 not far as, just sort of southwest of the center 0:10:52.200 --> 0:10:56.240 of Minneapolis, just for a little luke, and I was 0:10:56.280 --> 0:11:01.400 quite interested. So googled that found out randomly that Tom Bendolo, 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:06.680 who I think people refer to him as like the 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:10.560 Johnny Appleseed or something of golf. 0:11:10.679 --> 0:11:13.920 Yeah, because he just like went around the country, you know, 0:11:15.040 --> 0:11:17.760 staking out golf courses in the early days, Like he's 0:11:17.840 --> 0:11:21.280 responsible for so many, you know, of the initial iterations 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:22.079 of golf courses. 0:11:22.600 --> 0:11:25.199 Yeah, I believe he was the person who built the 0:11:25.240 --> 0:11:29.800 first public course in the Bronx so he was a 0:11:29.880 --> 0:11:33.800 Royal Aberdeen member, immigrated over to America and it kind 0:11:33.800 --> 0:11:35.200 of came from there. So I was like, oh, this 0:11:35.240 --> 0:11:38.800 would be cool. Went there that the guys there were 0:11:38.840 --> 0:11:42.360 really really welcome and played with two junior members like 0:11:42.520 --> 0:11:47.160 thirteen fourteen and one of the assistants for a nice 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:51.240 game at them. But some really cool features. I think 0:11:51.360 --> 0:11:53.520 Layman came in Tom Lam and someone else came in 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:57.839 and changed a few things, but the routing is the same, 0:11:58.720 --> 0:12:00.640 and I just thought like the way he works it 0:12:00.679 --> 0:12:05.840 through through the there's a little kind of valley and 0:12:05.840 --> 0:12:08.520 then he goes up into the high points some really 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:12.920 cool movement in the land. Love like the it's got 0:12:12.960 --> 0:12:17.760 these long sort of angled bunkers squared off that are 0:12:17.800 --> 0:12:22.880 really cool. A brilliant favorite hole that the course was 0:12:23.880 --> 0:12:26.200 was number eleven. He played this part five into the 0:12:26.240 --> 0:12:29.720 corner green is pitched up and then it sweeps off. 0:12:29.920 --> 0:12:32.120 There's a big drop off back right and then it's 0:12:32.160 --> 0:12:34.520 all short grass going into the tea. On eleven, they 0:12:34.640 --> 0:12:39.080 turn around in this fantastic green that sits up at 0:12:39.080 --> 0:12:41.960 you with two bunkers into the right and sort of 0:12:42.880 --> 0:12:46.080 very difficult to judge. Depths, perception because there's a there's 0:12:46.080 --> 0:12:49.400 there's nothing behind it and then run off down the 0:12:49.520 --> 0:12:51.480 left and it was and it's just angled at you 0:12:51.800 --> 0:12:54.720 for a right hand or just a nightmare thinking, you know, 0:12:54.800 --> 0:12:57.679 thinking really on the angle at twelve is at Augusta 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:00.760 where you know, if you just don't, if you leak it, 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:03.000 it's in the bunker difficult. Now if you pull it, 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:07.440 it's going down the runoff and away quick greens. That 0:13:07.600 --> 0:13:12.920 was really cool. Played Whiteberry Yacht Club, which like blew 0:13:12.960 --> 0:13:16.080 me away. Asked like, just stood in the first hole 0:13:16.120 --> 0:13:19.240 and I was like, the scale is off the charts. 0:13:20.160 --> 0:13:23.640 I was thinking, the thing place a good picture of it. 0:13:23.720 --> 0:13:27.800 I've never been there is Yale Golf Course compare. 0:13:28.840 --> 0:13:31.520 The lands are kind of similar in some ways. 0:13:31.600 --> 0:13:34.640 Yeah, if anybody's out there, listen to this. If you 0:13:34.800 --> 0:13:37.560 ever get the chance, please go and play it, because 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:39.959 it just will not disappoint you. I think it's the 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:43.079 best course. I mean, I did some research before it 0:13:43.160 --> 0:13:46.160 came out here and found out about it, but it's 0:13:46.200 --> 0:13:49.719 the best course I've never heard of prior to come 0:13:49.760 --> 0:13:52.720 out here. Just this, The scales off the charts. The 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:56.720 movement in the land is incredible. Some of the greens 0:13:56.760 --> 0:14:00.880 are wild, you know, even the first green and I 0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:02.680 hit like a wedge in there, got up there and 0:14:02.720 --> 0:14:06.040 I'm like fifteen foot and I'm like, how do I 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:08.480 stop this? There's a huge bank at the back, it's 0:14:08.559 --> 0:14:12.160 kind of blind at the front, massive valley that falls 0:14:12.160 --> 0:14:17.679 away into like a flatbed. Bunker nine is an incredible 0:14:17.720 --> 0:14:22.400 hole up high part five. You hit to this sort 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:26.800 of down into this plateau and then the fairway falls 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:28.960 away from you. You kind of hit over that, over 0:14:29.000 --> 0:14:31.920 another hell and you can run it in from fifty 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:37.080 sixty yard short and then twelve was absolutely off the charts. 0:14:37.080 --> 0:14:39.880 But then you start so looking at it and seeing stuff. 0:14:39.920 --> 0:14:43.880 I'm like, right, okay, I see Scotland in it a bit. 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:49.520 I see it's feeding in like some of the holes 0:14:49.560 --> 0:14:52.720 with you know, very much a lot of the holes 0:14:53.000 --> 0:14:54.920 you're blind coming in. You can see the top of 0:14:54.960 --> 0:14:56.440 the flag. And then you get up there and then 0:14:56.440 --> 0:14:58.800 there's all these slopes and you're you're thinking, well, I 0:14:58.800 --> 0:15:01.080 could go straight the pin back, you'd hit it twelve 0:15:01.160 --> 0:15:03.280 yards right and it will bank and of the off 0:15:03.280 --> 0:15:08.240 the slope that was that was really cool. And then 0:15:09.320 --> 0:15:12.160 another highlighted trip. I got to go and see Andrew 0:15:12.200 --> 0:15:17.000 Green at Interlack and he was really kind. He obviously 0:15:17.240 --> 0:15:21.400 very busy. Guy connected with him on social and I said, 0:15:21.440 --> 0:15:23.320 you know, I'm in town. I would just love to 0:15:23.360 --> 0:15:25.080 come out and see it. But to see the site 0:15:25.120 --> 0:15:28.480 and progress was brilliant. Some of his ideas, his passion 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:32.520 was incredible, his knowledge, you know, was off the charts, 0:15:33.600 --> 0:15:36.560 and I think I can only imagine good things will 0:15:36.600 --> 0:15:37.080 come from that. 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:41.040 Yeah, Andrew Green's one of the best. And yeah he's 0:15:41.080 --> 0:15:43.840 out there at interlock In, you know, doing his things. 0:15:43.880 --> 0:15:47.520 He's one of the leading restoration architects in America right now. 0:15:47.560 --> 0:15:51.720 And interlock In is going to be pretty cool. It's 0:15:51.760 --> 0:15:55.080 been out of the championship rotation for a while. I'm 0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:57.840 not sure if the club has you know, ambitions or 0:15:57.880 --> 0:16:01.360 plans to kind of get back in to that mix 0:16:01.440 --> 0:16:05.000 of courses. But you know, certainly bringing in Andrew Green 0:16:05.080 --> 0:16:07.680 tends to be one of the first steps that clubs 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:12.480 take in moving that direction. So we'll see. But it's 0:16:12.480 --> 0:16:15.040 a pretty cool piece of land, right It's like, you know, 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:16.760 a fantastic piece of land. 0:16:16.760 --> 0:16:20.680 In fact, Minneapolis is funny me from from us from 0:16:20.720 --> 0:16:25.680 our scott Normally, when you look at land. There's normally 0:16:25.760 --> 0:16:28.840 quite a lot of let's say, hills slash slot, small 0:16:28.920 --> 0:16:33.640 monros mountains that you can see. Minneapolis looks on the 0:16:33.680 --> 0:16:36.480 face of it quite flat when you look into the 0:16:36.480 --> 0:16:39.160 sort of skyline you look away. It's relatively fact but 0:16:39.200 --> 0:16:41.120 there is quite a bit of movement in the ground. 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:44.400 And you see that attend to Lack and you see 0:16:44.400 --> 0:16:47.920 that a Dina that's rolling Hazel team. I didn't get 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:51.280 to play Woodhill, which was on the list. Brian Schneider 0:16:52.120 --> 0:16:55.280 was very kind and I think you're doing some restoration 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:58.320 work there men the Cada as well up the road 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:02.080 that's nor Donald Ross, but Interlack and have some cool movement, 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:04.919 you know. I just think I'm not going to go 0:17:04.960 --> 0:17:07.239 into too much detail give away a secrets, but I 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:09.720 just thought there was a there was a few bunkers 0:17:09.720 --> 0:17:12.879 that I was just like, wow, this is this is 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:18.200 brilliant and just it's taking all that history, all that 0:17:18.240 --> 0:17:21.080 research that he I think he spent nearly a year 0:17:21.200 --> 0:17:26.080 doing and just bringing it to life. And probably the 0:17:26.080 --> 0:17:29.639 other thing. As much as I enjoy the golf course architecture, 0:17:29.640 --> 0:17:33.400 I do love the buildings and living in Edinburgh, I'm 0:17:33.520 --> 0:17:38.119 very fortunate to see that all the time. But the clubhouse, 0:17:39.680 --> 0:17:41.639 a diner, the restoration they'd done in some of the 0:17:41.680 --> 0:17:49.600 rooms upstairs and interlacking was absolutely first class. Just a beautiful, 0:17:49.920 --> 0:17:54.320 beautiful setting and and nice golf courses school with it. 0:17:55.160 --> 0:17:58.040 I think Minneapolis is one of the most interesting golf 0:17:58.080 --> 0:18:00.879 cities in America for sure, and a lot of the 0:18:00.880 --> 0:18:04.439 work that they've been doing recently is sort of raising 0:18:04.440 --> 0:18:08.040 its status, I think even more. You know, in in 0:18:08.119 --> 0:18:11.760 Shaska where where where you technically are right now, I 0:18:11.760 --> 0:18:16.080 believe in Shaska they're they're doing a really cool short 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:20.359 course project called the Loop at Shaska. Ben Warren and 0:18:20.840 --> 0:18:23.960 Young architect is is sort of overseeing that work, and 0:18:24.520 --> 0:18:26.840 I think it's going to be really fun when they're 0:18:26.920 --> 0:18:29.520 able to open that course. So that's another thing to 0:18:29.760 --> 0:18:33.720 keep an eye on in in that area, all right. So, 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:37.040 so shifting gears a little bit talking about you know, 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:40.639 how your play has been recently. You've been You've had 0:18:40.640 --> 0:18:43.919 a lot of really good performances recently. You know, there's 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:46.320 a there's there's a bit of a resurgence going on 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:48.320 in your career, which has been really good to see. So, 0:18:48.840 --> 0:18:51.760 you know, last year you won on the DP World 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:54.320 Tour for the first time in a few years, and 0:18:54.359 --> 0:18:56.600 I thought it was very appropriate that the win came 0:18:56.680 --> 0:19:01.720 at an architecturally interesting golf course, which was Hillside Golf Club. 0:19:02.400 --> 0:19:04.240 So tell me, like, what what do you like about 0:19:04.320 --> 0:19:06.640 Hillside and why do you think you play well there? 0:19:07.359 --> 0:19:12.280 Hillside That it's right side royal Bertdale in Southport, and 0:19:12.880 --> 0:19:14.919 first played there when I was sixteen and was kind 0:19:14.960 --> 0:19:19.120 of like growing up at Rualverdeen. It's very much you're 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:22.440 hitting through valleys and you've got the dunes that come in, 0:19:22.480 --> 0:19:26.400 particularly on the back nine at Hillside. That's that's very 0:19:26.560 --> 0:19:30.040 very similar. You know. There's again we're talking about scale. 0:19:31.000 --> 0:19:33.359 The scale of the of the dunes at the side 0:19:33.440 --> 0:19:37.280 is really really impressive. The club is very very welcome, 0:19:37.359 --> 0:19:40.160 The members were great. They've put on a futurements over 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:42.680 the last few years and I think all the players 0:19:43.840 --> 0:19:48.280 enjoyed the challenge. It moves. It's not traditional link, so 0:19:48.320 --> 0:19:51.159 it goes out and back, so a lot of the 0:19:51.200 --> 0:19:53.960 holes move in different directions and it kind of makes 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:57.600 you feel uncomfortable, you know. The best example of that 0:19:58.560 --> 0:20:02.760 is like Mirrorfield with the the clockwise and anti clockwise loops. 0:20:03.760 --> 0:20:06.679 It never lets you settle, which I think is quite good. 0:20:06.760 --> 0:20:09.480 There's a few holes playing similar directions, particularly in the 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:12.359 back nine. It's every different direction. I had that in 0:20:12.400 --> 0:20:15.760 my mind because I'm quite I'm not the longest player 0:20:15.760 --> 0:20:18.720 in the world, but when we played the back nine 0:20:19.760 --> 0:20:21.480 on the final day, I knew that was straight and 0:20:21.520 --> 0:20:24.880 I could shape it, holding it into the wind right 0:20:24.880 --> 0:20:27.400 to left, or you know, holding the win to left 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:29.240 or right. So I was fine moving the ball either 0:20:29.240 --> 0:20:33.840 way and that knowing that, having that that was coming 0:20:33.880 --> 0:20:40.200 at me, I was more happy or more comfortable doing 0:20:40.240 --> 0:20:43.520 it then probably maybe some other players in the field, 0:20:43.600 --> 0:20:47.080 but just I just enjoy the movement in the ground. 0:20:47.160 --> 0:20:51.040 It's very natural. The greens are relatively flat, so the 0:20:51.080 --> 0:20:54.000 internal contour is relatively flat, which makes it very playable 0:20:54.040 --> 0:20:57.040 for members, particularly when it gets windy, but there's a 0:20:57.080 --> 0:21:01.439 lot of external contours. That's something that I learned a 0:21:01.480 --> 0:21:04.480 little bit about whether we're building Castle Stuart about that idea, 0:21:04.560 --> 0:21:07.400 and I like that idea because it makes it very 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:11.960 playable for everybody. But there's also roots to get into 0:21:11.960 --> 0:21:16.560 the green and it's still a challenge for the best players, 0:21:17.000 --> 0:21:18.560 which it turned out to be. I think the winning 0:21:18.560 --> 0:21:22.480 score was fourteen under. It's just a fun course to play, 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:26.040 and you play pretty much through that your bag. The 0:21:26.080 --> 0:21:30.480 other thing you would say is that with technology, the 0:21:30.520 --> 0:21:33.520 fours that were more of a challenge, and maybe some 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:36.040 of the corners the guys can cut. You know, it'd 0:21:36.040 --> 0:21:39.680 be great to see, you know, maybe five four rons 0:21:39.680 --> 0:21:42.160 come in. Some of those greens which can take four 0:21:42.160 --> 0:21:43.880 and five irons you can land them short and run 0:21:43.920 --> 0:21:48.680 them in. But definitely a place where there's options off 0:21:48.680 --> 0:21:51.280 the tee. You can play aggressive if you want, but 0:21:51.359 --> 0:21:54.720 you're going to have an elmt of risk coupled with 0:21:54.760 --> 0:21:59.919 that aggressive nature. So a thinker's course, and when it 0:22:00.080 --> 0:22:03.480 played relatively firm and fast, that's why that's why I 0:22:03.600 --> 0:22:07.399 enjoy Because everything becomes smaller, you've got to be tighter 0:22:07.440 --> 0:22:09.480 with your dispersion, you've got to be tighter with your 0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:14.640 approach play and makes missing greens a lot harder. 0:22:15.440 --> 0:22:18.359 Was it that win that qualified you for for the 0:22:18.359 --> 0:22:19.320 Open Championship? 0:22:20.400 --> 0:22:24.479 It was so it kind of part of it. It 0:22:24.520 --> 0:22:26.840 was finishing top thirty and raced by It gives you 0:22:27.480 --> 0:22:30.600 gives you a spot in the Open. That's something that 0:22:31.000 --> 0:22:35.120 obviously is quite special to me. Again, I always look 0:22:35.160 --> 0:22:37.640 forward to links golf, particularly in courses that I kind 0:22:37.640 --> 0:22:42.359 of enjoy. There's definitely something a relationship between courses where 0:22:43.000 --> 0:22:45.080 I stand on the first tee and I'm like, I'm 0:22:45.119 --> 0:22:50.000 looking forward to the walk and how I play definitely 0:22:50.040 --> 0:22:54.520 sort of is elevated because of that. And I just 0:22:54.640 --> 0:22:57.640 you know, like Whiteberry yesterday, you know, the front nine, 0:22:57.640 --> 0:23:00.320 I didn't play that great, but I was just looking 0:23:00.359 --> 0:23:02.160 around and I was like, this is this is very 0:23:02.280 --> 0:23:06.440 very cool. And it's all those courses that make sense 0:23:06.520 --> 0:23:09.320 the mas from a strategic viewpoint, you know, like where 0:23:09.359 --> 0:23:14.000 the bunkers are, I say, different different routes into the whole, 0:23:14.200 --> 0:23:20.920 how we play holes differently from one day to the other, options, land, 0:23:20.960 --> 0:23:24.600 movement scale, all those things that kind of if you're 0:23:24.640 --> 0:23:27.439 soaking up and getting hit by them all the time, 0:23:28.080 --> 0:23:31.960 it elevates the experience for me. And when things make 0:23:32.119 --> 0:23:37.000 sense from a strategic point of view, that really that 0:23:37.080 --> 0:23:41.080 really helps me. Because everybody knows that if you put 0:23:41.119 --> 0:23:42.800 a bunker and the left a bunker and the right, 0:23:43.320 --> 0:23:45.280 well where'd you hit it? Well, you hit it between 0:23:45.280 --> 0:23:47.919 the two. Whereas if you if you stagger them and 0:23:48.000 --> 0:23:51.840 change it and you have slopes attacked and sort of 0:23:52.200 --> 0:23:54.000