The Duffer’s Literary Companion
A podcast exploring the rich literary tradition of the game of golf, hosted by authors Stephen Proctor and Jim Hartsell.
Listen on:
Episodes
33 minutes ago
33 minutes ago
Stephen and Jim discuss Herbert Warren Wind's collection of essays on The Masters from 1954 to 1989.
Tuesday Feb 10, 2026
Tuesday Feb 10, 2026
Stephen and Jim discuss the influential 1951 classic, A Round of Golf Courses, by the English poet and author, Patric Dickinson. In this book, Dickinson writes about the 18 "best" courses in Great Britain. This volume is the inspiration for A Round of Scotttish Courses, Jim's new book from back9press.com.
Monday Jan 12, 2026
Monday Jan 12, 2026
Stephen and Jim discuss The Ambassador from Back Nine Press - the story of Alexander Findlay, one of the forgotten fathers of American golf. They are joined by author William Casto.
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Stephen and Jim discuss the classic golf and architecture manifesto written by the Good Doctor in 1933 and published over 60 years after his death in 1995, after being discovered hidden in an old desk drawer.
Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
Tuesday Nov 18, 2025
Stephen and Jim discuss the unique in-depth look at the early days of the PGA Tour by "Champagne" Tony Lema, whose life was tragically cut short at age 32. He won the 1964 Open Championship at St Andrews.
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Friday Oct 10, 2025
Stephen and Jim discuss Mark Frost's 2007 story of the mythical 1956 match between Ben Hogan & Byron Nelson vs Ken Venturi & Harvie Ward at Cypress Point.
Friday Sep 05, 2025
Friday Sep 05, 2025
Stephen and Jim discuss the history of golf instruction books - from Percy Boomer and Horace Hutchinson to Tommy Armour, Jones and Hogan.
Friday Aug 15, 2025
Friday Aug 15, 2025
Stephen and Jim discuss two beloved books by one of America's best-selling golf writers.
Friday Jul 11, 2025
Friday Jul 11, 2025
Stephen and Jim discuss the 1932 classic by one of America's greatest golfers.
Friday Jun 06, 2025
Friday Jun 06, 2025
Stephen and Jim are joined by author Chris Millard to discuss his new book from Back Nine Press, The Shot - Watson, Nicklaus, Pebble Beach, and the Chip That Changed Everything
The Duffer's Literary Companion
Authors Stephen Proctor (The Monarch of the Green, The Long Golden Afternoon) and Jim Hartsell (The Secret Home of Golf, When Revelation Comes) celebrate all that is great about the rich literary history of golf writing.
The first three episodes will explore the history of golf writing in the UK and the USA, covering writers such as Horace Hutchinson, Bernard Darwin, Pat Ward-Thomas and Herbert Warren Wind. Subsequent episodes will go in-depth on specific books by writers like Tom Morton, Michael Bamberger, Andrew Greig and many others.
New episodes will be released on the 1st Friday of every month. Available on Apple and Spotify.