Episode
The EW Podcast - Our 300th Episode with Old Tom Morris (John Reilly), Tom Walker and John Chassard
- Podcast
- The EarthWorks Podcast
- Published
- Mar 5, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 4987
- Processing state
not_requested
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Summary
We’re proud to share our 300th podcast episode. Nearly six years in, we’re grateful for every listener and guest who has made this podcast a meaningful part of the turf community. To mark the occasion, this milestone episode brings together three hosts and three special guests, each offering a unique story from across the game. First, our friend John Reilly, the Turf Monkey at Longboat Key Resort in Sarasota, Florida, introduces us to “Dirty Old Tom,” whom we met at the GCSAA Conference in Orlando. In a lively and entertaining segment, we revisit the legacy of Tom Morris, widely recognized as the grandfather of golf course greenkeeping. Beyond his four Open Championships, Morris was a pioneer who helped establish The Open, built clubs and golf balls, designed courses, introduced sand topdressing, and was the first to groom bunkers for play. It’s a fun and fitting nod to the roots of our profession. Next, Kevin sits down with Tom Walker to unpack the remarkable 2018 renovation of the Coeur d’Alene Resort’s floating green. To prevent the iconic green from sinking, the team reduced its weight from 5.5 million to 4.5 million pounds. The project required moving the green three miles across the lake, removing hundreds of cubic yards of soil, adding foam for buoyancy, restoring the original design, updating irrigation, and re-sodding before winter. Complex, costly, and carefully executed, the renovation preserved one of golf’s most recognizable features. Finally, Jack interviews John Chassard with a preview of the inaugural Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic at Lehigh Country Club, featuring a field of 78 PGA TOUR Champions players. They discuss course conditions heading into September, tournament preparations, hospitality build-out, and the rebuild of the 11th green using Penn…