Shared, Not Gatekept (with Jeff Warne Founder New Holland Golf Club)
Many private club models seem to rely on keeping somebody out. Jeff Warne would rather keep out those who want just that.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 Jeff Warne (longtime Director of Golf at The Bridge and founder of New Holland Golf Club in Aiken, South Carolina). Jeff has been sketching his ideal club since 2001; now he's building it as a members' club with UK-style visitor access, in a market where most new builds lock the gate. He makes the case that good golf should be shared, explains the one-page doctrine that filters his membership better than any pitch deck, and gets into firm-but-slow greens, golf's distance problem, and 60 trips' worth of Scotland.The conversation dives into:Why good golf should be shared, not gatekept, and how visitor tee times in the gaps are meant to keep members' dues downThe one-page doctrine that doubles as a filter: hand it to a consultant or an AI and it comes back exclusive, luxury, manicured — the words that undo the whole ideaFirm but slow: why Brian Schneider's greens carry more slope, and why "we need more pin placements" usually means "slow the greens down"Sixty trips to Scotland, an unplanned run through Arran and Kintyre, and why to skip the famous-eight van tourThe distance debate, bifurcation, and why Al Geiberger's 59 still towers over today's 59 watchConnect with our guests⛳ Jeff Warne — 🐦 X/Twitter: https://x.com/jeffwarnegolf | 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-warne-37335811/ | 📧 Email: [email protected]🌲 New Holland Golf Club — 🌐 https://www.newhollandgolfclub.com/ | 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newhollandgolfclubInterested in New Holland? Jeff asks for an email, not a text, and he'd like you to read the doctrine first.Join 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🏌️ Titleist: https://www.titleist.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🎧 Website: https://thebagdrop.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: [email protected]:00 Cold open: modern golf is being run backwards00:31 Welcome, and the Professor's two-week research retreat in Scotland01:43 When to play links golf: September, or the late-April sweet spot02:54 Today's guest, and why New Holland stands out in Aiken's private boom05:40 The Professor's teaching: Brad's Drink, BackRub and other names that didn't stick09:13 Titleist: SM11 wedges, and getting fit before the clubs go away10:35 Jeff Warne joins (with notes on everything we just said)12:03 Sixty trips in: stop playing the famous eight14:27 A missed qualifier, the Arran ferry, and Shiskine and Corrie to themselves17:51 Walk-up tee times at Machrihanish and a lunch standoff at Dunaverty20:58 The first trip: book a few big guns, then play Prestwick St Nicholas22:44 The scale problem: courses built for Watson and Nicklaus24:32 Bifurcation was the answer, and Geiberger's 59 still stands alone27:41 Accessible golf at home: Myrtle Beach (really) and Maine nine-holers30:24 New Holland's access model: members first, visitors in the gaps33:19 Shared, not gatekept: members and visitors, not public and private35:03 The doctrine: 25 years of notes, typed in 40 minutes36:37 Exclusive, luxury, manicured: when the polished rewrite becomes the filter44:05 Native vegetation, construction traffic and the jungle coming back46:51 100% invested in less, and moving a third of the dirt50:40 Any pressure to bend the UK model?53:50 Want exclusive? Join somewhere else54:49 Why established clubs can't open up: the bag room doubled57:01 The hundredth property, and the Tree Farm that got away1:01:50 Firm but slow, at 102 degrees and three-quarters of an inch1:04:23 "We need more pin placements" means slow the greens down1:06:46 Long Cove, grainy Bermuda and why fast greens are easy1:10:38 The scene in 20 years, and why culture is the hard part1:14:02 Handing The Bridge to Mike Sweeney1:16:43 Public golf, Gold Hill and making the group big1:18:31 Thanks and sign-offWhat is NewClub?A golf club without the real estate. One membership, a rotation of great courses, tee times, competitions, trips already on the calendar, and people who love the game the way you do. We play as visitors of the clubs and courses that host us, and those relationships are the heart of what we do.What is The Bag Drop?Deeply researched audio documentaries telling the stories behind golf's greatest clubs, plus weekly conversations with the characters and communities shaping golf today. Hosted by NewClub founder Matt Considine and The Professor, Dr. Kevin Moore.
