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The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in GolfWeekly stories from the communities and characters shaping the game. Author: NewClub Golf Society
Weekly stories from the communities and characters shaping the game. The Bag Drop blends thoughtful, honest perspectives of Matt Considine (Founder of NewClub) and Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") with expert insights for passionate golfers at every level. Produced by NewClub and supported by our members, each episode welcomes guests from clubs, courses, and the lesser-known corners of the golf world for thoughtful discussions on all things golf and life. Founded in 2017, NewClub is the first of its kind golf society in the United States; blending the community and access of a private club with the variety and affordability more typical of public golf. Members enjoy thousands of reserved tee times, competitions, and events at exceptional partner courses across our local chapters, along with signature trips and exclusive perks. NewClub is on a mission to revolutionize golf membership, making the game more meaningful for everyone who loves it. Listen, rate, review, and subscribe to The Bag Drop: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf/id1430328006 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xRWtUBJH8RazdLw14oaGH Transistor: https://thebagdrop.transistor.fm Follow us on social: Instagram/Facebook/Threads: https://www.instagram.com/thebagdrop X/Twitter: https://x.com/thebagdropgolf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBagDropGolf Join the NewClub community: Website: https://www.newclub.golf Language: en Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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Building the Gilroy: Old Barnwell's Second Course
Episode 286
Monday, 10 August, 2026
What does a piece of land owe the people around it once the golf stops paying for itself?In this episode of The Bag Drop: Untold Stories in Golf, host Matt Considine and co‑host Dr. Kevin Moore (a.k.a. “The Professor”) sit down with Blake Conant (golf course architect; co-designer of Old Barnwell and the Gilroy) to talk about the second course he is building in the dirt right now — and the master's thesis he wrote a decade earlier arguing that some golf courses should stop being golf courses.The conversation dives into:Why a painting degree and three months running equipment with Tom Doak at Dismal River turned out to be the right education for golf architectureBuilding the Gilroy next door to a course everybody already loves, and the Snoop Dogg rule Blake uses to keep from chasing itThe 90-acre parcel Nick Schreiber bought so the routing would work, and why Blake says architects are simply greedyA kids course with a tunnel and a ramp, built on Brian Schneider's premise that kids do not actually want to puttThe 2013 thesis on bankrupt courses: what Blake got right about supply, what he missed about demand, and why the courses that closed were the wrong onesThe arithmetic that decides whether affordable public golf gets built at all — roughly ten dollars of green fee for every million spentConnect with our guest🎨 Blake Conant — https://www.dundeegolf.com/ 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/Dundee_Golf — | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dundeegolf/ | 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/blake-conant-90566a37/ ⛳️ Old Barnwell — https://oldbarnwell.comJoin the NewClub community🌍 Website: https://www.newclub.golf📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newclubgolf/🐦 X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/newclubgolf📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@newclubgolf💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newclubLinks & Partners🐝 NewClub: https://www.newclub.golf🏌️ Titleist: https://www.titleist.com🌐 Golf Blueprint: https://www.golfblueprint.comListen to The Bag Drop🎧 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf/id1430328006🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2xRWtUBJH8RazdLw14oaGH🎧 Amazon: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/633c8703-5880-4522-bd6d-5967b45fc777/the-bag-drop-untold-stories-in-golf🎧 Transistor: https://thebagdrop.transistor.fm/Connect with Matt & The Professor🎙️ Matt Considine — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/consequential85 | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/consequence18/ | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-considine-103bb21/📚 Dr. Kevin Moore ("The Professor") — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/kevcmoore | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kevcmoore | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-moore-177b30b3/🗣️Contribute to the show! — 📧 email: thebagdrop@newclub.golfChapters00:00 "Make sure your first one is your worst one"00:49 Welcome, and kudos to the R&A for actually enforcing the rules04:19 Who Blake Conant is, and how the Professor found him07:45 Teaching of the week: "Build a Course Today" and the overbuild09:30 Titleist Vokey SM1111:11 Conant, Conant, or Conan the Barbarian12:18 House paint, big canvases, and actually selling art14:44 Art school to landscape architecture to Dismal River17:42 The doubts he probably should have had19:20 Following Old Barnwell: the Snoop Dogg rule20:53 Was a second course always the plan?23:12 Nick Schreiber, and hiring people you then leave alone27:19 The kids course: they don't actually want to putt29:56 Tunnels, ramps, and a train that isn't there yet30:37 Who the Gilroy is for, and greens that sit on the ground33:11 Still testing the good player, just differently34:41 Buying the purple parcel37:09 Buy the land before anybody knows you're building38:59 The 2013 thesis on bankrupt golf courses41:58 What are we measuring: social, environmental, economic47:39 The wrong courses closed48:58 Repurposing, HOAs, and grand ideas that don't pencil51:05 Should a new project pass the test before opening day?52:49 Golf as a Trojan horse: programming, foundation, community55:45 Aiken's building boom and a healthy kind of competition59:38 The public course he'd like to build without donors1:03:49 Wrap and thanksWhat is NewClub?Founded in 2017, NewClub is the premier private golf society in the United States. It blends the community and access of a private club with the variety and affordability of public golf. Members enjoy thousands of reserved tee times, competitions and events at exceptional partner courses across our local chapters, as well as signature trips and exclusive perks. NewClub is revolutionizing golf membership, making the game more meaningful for those who love it.What is The Bag Drop?The Bag Drop features weekly stories from the culture, community and characters shaping golf today. Produced by NewClub Golf Society, each episode blends authenticity and expert insights for passionate golfers at all levels. Special guests from clubs, courses and every corner of the changing landscape join us for thoughtful, in‑depth discussions on all things golf.
