Sandbagger Sessions
Claim This Podcastby Cole Atkinson & Stefan Thedorf
Podcast Overview
<p>Yes, it's a Golf podcast. But more fun, more relatable, and more laughs. Join Stefan and Cole for the ultimate unfiltered takes on everything happening in the world of Golf. Everything from stories from caddying on tour, what it's like running an indoor golf facility in Canada's winter, and tips from some of the game's best, Sandbagger Sessions is your go to listen for everything in golf.</p>
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
12/2/2025
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Recent Episodes
June 24, 2026
Episode 28: The PGA Tour just blew itself up (Ryan French on the 2028 Shakeup)
<p>The PGA Tour just blew up its entire structure - and we brought in the one guy who might actually know what it means.<br /><br />Wyndham Clark went wire-to-wire to win the US Open at Shinnecock, but the bigger story broke before Wyndham could even shake off his hangover: the PGA Tour's massive 2028 overhaul.<br /><br />Cole and Stefan break down the US Open, the "did this major lack oomph?" debate, the soft setup and fog delay, a genuinely brutal NBC broadcast, and the crowd drama that's followed Clark around all year. <br /><br />Then Ryan French (Monday Q Info) joins the boys to unpack the new Championship Series and Challenger Series of the PGA Tour. A new promotion/relegation system that could put 560+ players under the PGA Tour umbrella. Is it the future of golf, or the beginning of the end?<br /><br />We also make our picks for the Travelers Championship and the KPMG Women's PGA, dig into Ryan's skepticism on whether $30M purses are actually sustainable, and play a ruthless game of "keep or punt" with the entire tour schedule.<br /><br />Plus: Ping's $60,000 gold putter problem, Scottie Scheffler's "C game" that still nearly won, and Ryan's surprise new gig co-hosting the Big Break reboot.<br /><br />🎙️ Guest: Ryan French — Monday Q Info<br />Make sure you follow Ryan and show him some love: mondayqinfo on all of your socials, and watch his podcast "Any Given Monday" with Professional Golfer, Mark Baldwin, everywhere you get your podcasts.<br /><br />▶️ Like, subscribe, and do all the stuff you normally do to help us out!<br /><br />TIMESTAMPS<br />0:00 — Welcome back (Episode 28) & firing the producer<br />1:00 — US Open at Shinnecock: Wyndham Clark goes wire-to-wire<br />2:27 — Did the US Open lack "oomph"? Soft setup, carnage & the fog delay<br />4:17 — Scottie Scheffler's "C game" — and still almost winning<br />6:14 — Ping's $60K gold putter problem<br />7:17 — Why the NBC broadcast was brutal<br />18:56 — Crowd behaviour, Wyndham's villain edit & the apology speech<br />22:35 — Picks: Travelers + KPMG Women's PGA<br />26:30 — Guest: Ryan French on the PGA Tour blowup<br />27:36 — The new structure: Championship & Challenger Series explained<br />29:20 — 560 players, promotion & relegation: is it sustainable?<br />35:28 — The marketability problem: who actually watches?<br />40:30 — The Canadian Open's identity crisis<br />46:54 — Ryan's new gig: co-hosting the Big Break reboot<br />47:46 — Closing: match play at Pine Valley & the made-for-TV final<br />56:28 — The schedule game: which events stay, which get punted<br /><br />#golf #pgatour #usopen #wyndhamclark #ryanfrench #mondayqinfo #golfpodcast #sandbaggersessions #kornferrytour #travelerschampionship #kpmgwomenspga #scottiescheffler #golfnews</p>
June 11, 2026
Episode 27: From broccoli farm to golf? The incredible story of Copetown Woods.
<p>This week we sit down with <b>Barry Forth</b> of <b>Copetown Woods</b> — one of the best public golf courses in Ontario and, in Stefan's words, the kind of place you could play every single day and never get tired of.</p><p></p><p>What started as a <b>broccoli farm</b> just northwest of Hamilton became a fully public, sand-based golf course that opened in June 2003 — built in just 14 months, and perfect for firm, fast, links-style golf. Barry takes us through the whole journey: walking the property as a 24-year-old with zero golf experience, partnering with builder <b>Dick Kirkpatrick</b> on his first-ever solo design, and the philosophy that's defined the place ever since — <i>"we're not splitting the atom."</i> Good facilities, great conditions, nice people, and don't be greedy.</p><p></p><p>The heart of this conversation is the <b>care and pride</b> Barry and his team pour into Copetown. This is a course with <b>no members, no budget, no forecasting, and no tournaments</b> — just straight tee times every single day. Barry explains why he's never been tempted to go private, why the parking lot is his only spreadsheet, and how "Super Pete," his superintendent since 2007, runs the turf with no Greens committee slowing him down.</p><p></p><p>We get into firmness and fescue, autonomous mowers, the post-COVID influx of golfers, and the now-famous <b>"no rakes in the bunkers"</b> debate — Barry's grow-the-game, police-yourself stance that earned him a wrist-slap from the Golf Canada Industry Advisory Council. Plus: a first look at the brand-new <b>10-hole short course</b> (six par 3s, four par 4s) Copetown has in planning with the City of Hamilton, designed by <b>Christine Fraser</b>.</p><p></p><p>If you're anywhere in <b>Ontario</b> — or just across the border — Copetown Woods is a genuine <b>must-play destination</b>. The reviews back it up: premier conditioning, an atmosphere that makes you want to come back, and an owner who actually gives a damn about your day. Put it on the list.</p><p></p><p>Before the interview, we break down a stacked week of golf:</p><ul><li><b>U.S. Women's Open at Riviera</b> — Nelly Korda grinds out her second major of the year</li><li><b>The Memorial</b> — JT Poston's 4th PGA Tour title and Ryan Gerard's instant-classic "it's not in the bunker, dog"</li><li><b>U.S. Open qualifying</b> — the longest day in golf, Miles Russell, Ben Silverman and Max Homa getting through</li><li><b>RBC Canadian Open preview</b> at TPC Toronto, plus our weekly fantasy picks<p></p></li></ul><p>🎧 New episodes weekly. Hosted by Cole Atkinson & Stefan, PGA of Canada professional.</p><p></p><p>📍 <b>Copetown Woods Golf Club</b> — northwest of Hamilton, Ontario 📸 Follow Copetown Woods on Instagram: <b>@copetownwoods</b></p><p></p><p>#Golf #PublicGolf #CopetownWoods #OntarioGolf #SandbaggerSessions #GolfPodcast #HamiltonGolf #GolfCourse #LinksGolf #NellyKorda #CanadianOpen #PGAofCanada</p>
June 4, 2026
Episode 26: Would you rather...? (Shocking answers)
<p>What's the most important club in the bag — and would you give up bombing it 350 down the middle just to never miss a putt again? 🏌️</p><p></p><p>This week on Sandbagger Sessions, Cole and Stefan turn a random radio segment into the ultimate <b>Golf Would You Rather</b> showdown — and it gets surprisingly heated. Augusta once or the Old Course every single year for life? Twenty PGA Tour wins or one major? Jack Nicklaus's legacy or Tiger's money, fame and chaos? Eleven impossible golf questions, almost zero easy answers — and a few where Lou Stagner's data settles the argument for good.</p><p></p><p>Before the main event, the guys get into Stefan's brutal PGA debut (an 86 he'd rather forget), Russell Henley's clutch finish at the Charles Schwab, whether Ludvig Åberg is honestly playing like a C-minus right now, a slow-play penalty that cost a real shot at a title, and Bryson's new Gemini-powered AI coaching app — the future of the golf swing, or just a great salesman at work? Plus a full US Women's Open preview from Riviera and this week's picks (including a side bet on the wives' round that they can absolutely never find out about).</p><p>Stefan is a PGA of Canada professional, so you get real swing and stats insight buried under way too many tangents — exactly how you like it.</p><p></p><p>👉 Hit subscribe, drop YOUR Would You Rather answers in the comments, and tell us who got each one right. ⛳</p><p></p><hr /><p></p><h3>▶️ Timestamps</h3><ul><li><b>0:00</b> – Cold open & welcome to Episode 26</li><li><b>0:41</b> – Stefan's first PGA event: an 86 at Castleview, a tee shot that nearly took out a spectator, and what tournament golf teaches you</li><li><b>8:54</b> – PSA: please yell FORE (Scott takes one straight to the forehead)</li><li><b>9:40</b> – Pro V1 giveaway winner + housekeeping</li><li><b>10:47</b> – Charles Schwab Challenge: Russell Henley's clutch closing birdies & Eric Cole's costly 9th hole</li><li><b>14:43</b> – Ludvig Åberg — all that hype for a C-minus right now?</li><li><b>17:25</b> – LPGA Shoprite: Céline Boutier wins & a slow-play penalty that actually stung</li><li><b>19:26</b> – The side-saddle wizard at Cataraqui + the most painful putt in NCAA history</li><li><b>22:09</b> – Bryson, Gemini AI & the future of golf coaching (genius tool or sales pitch?)</li><li><b>28:49</b> – US Women's Open preview at Riviera (+ the genuinely gross origin of "waste areas")</li><li><b>35:30</b> – The picks: Women's Open, the Memorial & a secret bet on the wives' round</li><li><b>41:49</b> – 🎙️ MAIN EVENT: Golf Would You Rather</li><li><b>42:30</b> – Bomb it 350 down the middle every time OR never miss a 10–20 footer?</li><li><b>45:50</b> – Play Augusta once OR the Old Course every year for life?</li><li><b>48:50</b> – One golf trip forever: Scotland OR Australia & New Zealand?</li><li><b>51:50</b> – 20 PGA Tour wins OR a single major?</li><li><b>54:45</b> – Know your exact number on every shot OR one do-over per round?</li><li><b>55:50</b> – Caddy for every major champion for a year OR make one PGA Tour cut?</li><li><b>58:13</b> – Scratch golfer forever OR a 4-handicap who can still improve?</li><li><b>1:01:00</b> – Be the biggest Sunday choker ever OR completely forgotten?</li><li><b>1:03:20</b> – Summer of your life then quit OR the Charles Barkley swing forever?</li><li><b>1:05:00</b> – Jack Nicklaus's career OR Tiger's (money, scandals and all)?</li><li><b>1:08:40</b> – Live with LIV OR erase it from golf history?</li><li><b>1:12:07</b> – Wrap-up: Barry from Copetown Woods next week + Canadian Open & Kingston's own Ashton McCullough</li></ul><p></p><p>#golf #golfpodcast #wouldyourather #pgatour #uswomensopen</p>
28 total episodes available
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Frequently asked questions
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- What is Sandbagger Sessions?
<p>Yes, it's a Golf podcast. But more fun, more relatable, and more laughs. Join Stefan and Cole for the ultimate unfiltered takes on everything happening in the world of Golf. Everything from stories from caddying on tour, what it's like running an indoor golf facility in Canada's winter, and tips from some of the game's best, Sandbagger Sessions is your go to listen for everything in golf.</p> - How often does this podcast release new episodes?
This podcast updates daily.
- Where can I listen to this podcast?
This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
- Does this podcast accept guests?
Yes, this podcast regularly features guests.
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