With the world's most famous amateur golfer now in charge of the 'free world', the sport has never been more important in the lives of non-golfers. When Donald Trump was spotted cheating recently on a course in Scotland, it was recognised by enthusiasts and sportswriters as a major violation in a game traditionally based on self-policing and high principles. ... Show More
Aug 23
Travel with Close Readings: ‘The Portrait of a Lady’ by Henry James
In The Portrait of a Lady, Henry James borrows from Eliot, Austen, folktales and potboilers, but ‘the thing that he took from nowhere was Isabel Archer’. James transformed the 19th-century novel through his evocation of Isabel, a woman who wants and suffers in a profoundly new (a ... Show More
1h 10m
Aug 19
Adam Shatz: Visions of America
‘The very word “America” remains a new, almost completely undefined and extremely controversial proper noun,’ James Baldwin wrote in 1959. ‘No one in the world seems to know exactly what it describes, not even we motley millions who call ourselves Americans.’ Donald Trump’s visio ... Show More
55m 47s
Aug 16
Travel with Close Readings: Byron’s ‘Don Juan’
Few poets have had the courage (or inclination) to rhyme ‘Plato’ with ‘potato’, ‘intellectual’ with ‘hen-peck’d you all’ or ‘Acropolis’ with ‘Constantinople is’. Byron does all of these in Don Juan, his 16,000-line unfinished mock epic that presents itself as a grand satire on hu ... Show More
1h 53m
Sep 2025
The Economics of Golf
What does golf tell us about money, power, and the way economies work? From billion-dollar sponsorship deals to the rise of LIV Golf, from Tiger Woods to Trump’s golf courses, the fairways of golf are lined with lessons about globalisation, soft power, and the business of status. ... Show More
48m 21s
Jul 2019
Communication Lessons from the Golf Course [E149]
<p>Are you a golfer, golf viewer, or even a golf widow? Then this episode is for you. Golf immortal Bobby Jones once said, "Golf is the closest game to the game we call life." If he was right, there must be lessons we can learn about communication from the game of golf. Episode 1 ... Show More
22m 49s
May 2021
Golf Wins When Rory Wins, A Joey Day, and A Friendlier Torrey
Golf is a better sport when Rory wins. Trent & Frankie had an epic day golfing on Long Island and mingling with Joe LaCava. Riggs played Torrey Pines again but from 1,200 less yards this time. Rickie watched the first round of the Masters with Tiger at his house. U.S. wins the Wa ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2024
Fore Play Teaching Academy
We apparently teach golf now as a discussion about fundamentals, helping newcomers, and simply managing one’s way through golf shots engulfs the show. In news, Rory finishes runner-up again after Horschel wins with a playoff eagle; it’s officially Presidents Cup week; the “Breaki ... Show More
1h 41m