Podcast: Plus Four Podcast

Roger McStravick: Golf Historian

Roger McStravick is a golf historian, writer, editor and speaker, specializing in St Andrews, Old Tom Morris, and golfing legends from 1800 to 1920. His book, St Andrews-In The Footsteps of Old Tom Morris won the USGA’s Herbert Warren Wind Book Award in 2015. The author’s book, St Andrews – The Road War Papers won […]

Clark Willard: Hickory Revival

Wisonsinites are known for their kindness, right? Think Bon Iver, Steve Stricker, Gene Wilder—you get the idea. Well, Clark Willard, now the head golf professional at The Lido Golf Club, part of Sand Valley Resort in Wisconsin, has that positive vibe. Though not native, it makes him a great fit for the State. Willard found […]

Gillian Kirkwood: Ladies Golf History

Gillian Kirkwood possesses a wealth of golf knowledge and business experience and is a past Ladies Golf Union (LGU) Councilor and past Chairman of the Scottish Ladies’ Golfing Association. She is also a highly experienced rules official and, reflecting her keen interest in the history of ladies’ golf, chaired the Board of Trustees of the […]

Alex Bruce: Japan Hickory Golf

Since 2013, the Happy Hickory Golfers in Japan have been a force in hickory golf. We’ve seen them represented with great joy at the World Hickory Open, for instance, and marvel at their event photos from countless outings in their home country. Alex Bruce— a native Scotsman— is one of the founders of the group, and a […]

Bert Coghill: Chicago Golf

One of the great things about national and international hickory golf events, is that one never knows whom one might meet along the way. In 2021, I flew out to Wisconsin to play in the Wisconsin Hickory Golfers Whistling Straights Hickory Challenge, as I had always wanted to see the course. Well, one of the […]

Jim McCormick: Collecting Golf History

When I contacted Jim McCormick to see if he would allow me to view his heralded private collection in Chicago, he was explicit. “Budget three hours for the tour,” he warned, “four to five, tops.” I’m embarrassed to say that I stayed seven-and-one-half hours— taking him away from his charming wife, Laura, for far too […]

The Ladies Golf Union with Lauren Beatty

The Ladies’ Golf Union (LGU) was the original governing body for women’s and girls’ amateur golf in Great Britain and Ireland. It was founded in 1893 and was based in St. Andrews, Scotland until merging with The R&A in 2017. In this episode, Lauren Beatty, a Collaborative Doctorate Partnership student enrolled at Glasgow Caledonian University […]

Kevin McGimpsey: The Story of the Golf Ball

Kevin McGimpsey is the British Golf Collectors Society’s Murdock Medal winner of 2004 for his seminal book, The Story of the Golf Ball. A former Captain in the Parachute Regiment, Kevin traded his red beret for a career in antique and collectible golfing memorabilia.In May 2003, Kevin was appointed the lead golf expert at Bonhams1793 […]