The Amateur Golf Podcast by AmateurGolf.com

Blair McKethan sits down with Keith Brown at Soule Park Golf Course during the 2026 Ojai Senior Cup — fresh off Keith’s birdie on the ninth — for a conversation about how a public course in the Ojai Valley became home to one of the most beloved senior amateur championships in the country.Keith holds the 30-year operating lease on Soule Park from the County of Ventura, acts as GM, and runs the Cup with his wife Marie at the scoring table and their ten-year-old daughter Kaia, who has been handing out donuts and manning a clipboard since she was two. He talks through what it takes to keep a kikuyu course in tournament condition through a hot summer, why the top weekend green fee is $57 (and $32 on weekdays if you’re over 60), and how the Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner redesign lets him reshape the course every day — No. 6 as a 305-yard par 4 one day and a 190-yard par 3 the next, No. 7 as a 425-yard hole into the wind and then a 280-yard drivable par 4.He’s candid about the early years, too: a 36-hole event that let 50-year-olds in to fill the field, rounds split between Soule Park and the Ojai Valley Inn, and the move to 54 holes for WAGR points that only happened because the players asked to play every round at Soule. Eight editions later, a dozen players went under par on a 40-mph-wind day, the field uses the Cup as a launchpad for the U.S. Senior Amateur, and the feedback Keith hears every year is the same: this is our favorite tournament.Full coverage of the 2026 Ojai Senior Cup at AmateurGolf.com. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

Few amateur golf tournaments can match the history and tradition of the New Year's Invitational at St. Petersburg Country Club in Florida.In this episode of the AmateurGolf.com Podcast, founder Pete Wlodkowski sits down with longtime tournament chairman Richard Hope to discuss one of the most storied events in competitive amateur golf.First played in 1927, the New Year's Invitational has welcomed generations of talented golfers, including future PGA Tour stars Brandt Snedeker, J.B. Holmes, Bob Goalby, and Johnny Revolta.Hope, who first competed in the tournament as an 18-year-old in 1969 and became chairman in 1991, shares stories from decades of tournament history, the evolution of St. Petersburg Country Club, and what makes this January tradition so special.The conversation covers the tournament's legendary champions, its transition from match play to stroke play, the growing presence of elite junior golfers, and the opportunity for the champion to earn a spot in the Korn Ferry Tour's LECOM Suncoast Classic.With nearly a century of uninterrupted competition, the New Year's Invitational remains one of the premier events on the amateur golf calendar.In this episode:The history of the New Year's Invitational, dating back to 1927Legendary champions who went on to PGA Tour successRichard Hope's decades of involvement with the tournamentHow St. Petersburg Country Club has evolved to challenge modern playersThe rise of elite junior and collegiate competitorsHow players are selected for the prestigious fieldThe Korn Ferry Tour exemption awarded to the championLearn more about the New Year's Invitational and find competitive golf tournaments at AmateurGolf.com. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

In this episode, golf course architect Jay Blasi shares his journey from childhood to designing some of the most notable courses, including Sequoia Country Club. We explore his design philosophy, full circle moments in his career, and insights into creating courses that maximize land potential. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

Catch up on the U.S. Women’s Amateur as storms halt the Round of 16, top seeds fall and a marathon Saturday awaits at The Honors Course. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

Stanford golfer Jay Leng joins the AmateurGolf.com Podcast after a career-defining summer that included winning the Western Amateur Championship and capturing the Elite Amateur Golf Series Cup.Leng takes us inside one of the most demanding weeks in amateur golf—from arriving at Beverly Country Club without seeing the course to navigating weather delays, 36-hole days and most of the championship without a caddie. He explains how resilience, creativity and a shot-by-shot mindset helped him advance through four rounds of stroke play and a loaded match-play bracket.Jay also discusses his unconventional approach to the golf swing, the influence of growing up in San Diego, his development at Stanford and the confidence he is carrying into his junior season.Finally, Leng looks ahead to the U.S. Amateur and the PGA TOUR opportunities earned through his Elite Amateur Cup victory—and shares what it means to compete against players he grew up watching on television. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

Stanford men’s golf coach Conrad Ray joins the AmateurGolf.com Podcast to discuss Jay Leng’s Western Amateur victory and breakout summer. Ray explains how improvements in Leng’s putting, strength and confidence helped him capture one of amateur golf’s most demanding championships and enter the Walker Cup conversation. The two also discuss the shrinking gap between elite amateur and professional golf, Stanford’s incoming class, the Silicon Valley Amateur and memorable moments from the program’s storied history—including one remarkable Tiger Woods shot. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

In the latest AmateurGolf.com Podcast, Hope Strengthens Foundation co-founder and executive director Jake Ferreira shares the organization’s story and explains how GolfStatus has helped make its charity golf events easier to manage and more effective as fundraisers.A successful charity golf tournament may appear simple to the golfers participating: Register, arrive at the course, play a round and support a worthy cause.Behind the scenes, however, organizers are managing registrations, sponsors, fundraising opportunities, event logistics and countless details that must come together before the first tee shot is struck.In the latest episode of the AmateurGolf.com Podcast, host McKenzie Steenson speaks with Jake Ferreira, co-founder and executive director of the Hope Strengthens Foundation, about the organization’s mission, its longstanding connection to golf and how GolfStatus has helped its team manage events and raise more money for the people it serves. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

Doug Roberts, Head of Research and Development at Cobra Golf, joins the AmateurGolf.com Podcast for an inside look at the technology, innovation and culture driving one of golf’s most forward-thinking equipment brands.Roberts explains the development of Cobra’s OPTM drivers, the role of POI and MOI in improving accuracy, and how 3D printing is changing the way Cobra designs and manufactures golf clubs. The conversation also explores the company’s research and development process, evolving equipment trends and the collaborative culture behind Cobra Golf’s latest innovations. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

Ten amateurs are headed to Royal Birkdale for the 154th Open Championship, each hoping to make the cut and contend for the Silver Medal. We highlight the amateur players to watch, including Mason Howell, Stuart Grehan, Lev Grinberg and Jack Buchanan.We also provide an update on the final stage of 2026 U.S. Amateur qualifying and look ahead to the championship at Merion Golf Club. Plus, we recap Kylee Choi’s victory at the Women’s Western Amateur and Parker Sands’ wire-to-wire Trans-Mississippi Amateur win before previewing the Southern Amateur Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. The Elite Amateur Golf Series is heating up!Head to AmateurGolf.com for tournament coverage, live scoring, results and the latest stories from across amateur golf. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube

The Elite Amateur Golf Series heats up with two historic championships on deck. We preview the Trans-Mississippi Amateur at Southern Hills, the Women’s Western Amateur at River Forest, recap the North & South Amateur, and update the latest men’s and women’s Elite Amateur Cup points races. Amateur Golf Links:AmateurGolf.comSubscribeInstagramTwitterFacebookYouTube