
Geoff Shackelford
Co-Host of State Of The Game
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning Drive and Golf Central, is co-host of The Ringer's ShackHouse and is the author of eleven books.
His writing has also appeared in The Los Angeles Times, Sports Illustrated, Golf Magazine, Links, Golf Digest, Golf World, The Golfer, Golfweb, Golf Journal (R.I.P.), The Masters Journal, Golf Course Architecture, Golf Architecture, Golf Digest Index, Golf Digest, Golf World and golf.com.
GeoffShackelford.com was created in March 2003 to elaborate on various subjects covered in the author's books including The Future of Golf. GeoffShackelford.com was named one of the Internet's 10 best golf web sites in 2004 by SportsIllustrated.com's Gary Van Sickle and in January, 2011 became a partner website to GolfDigest.com.
Geoff attended Pepperdine University in Malibu, California where he was member of the golf team, graduating in 1994 with a B.A. in Communication. In 2004 and 2005, The Golfer named him one of "modern golf's ten most influential writers."
Having studied golf courses all over the world with a noted interest in the "classic courses" of the 1920's, Geoff is engaged in design consulting at several classic courses and has taught golf course restoration at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design with noted architect Brian Silva.He has also addressed many groups on the subject of golf course design, including the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the Alister MacKenzie Society and the Golf Digest Panelist Summit.
Beginning in 2000, Geoff co-designed Rustic Canyon Golf Course in Moorpark, California.
A collaboration with architect Gil Hanse of Malvern, Pennsylvania, construction of the course began in 2001, with the layout opening in April, 2002. Rustic Canyon was named by Golf Digest as the Best New Affordable Public Course in America for 2002. It was ranked 76th in Golfweek's Top 100 Modern Courses for 2006. Rustic Canyon is also ranked 83rd in Golf Magazine's Top 100 You Can Play (2006). Another collaboration with Hanse and Jim Wagner produced the Horse Course at the Prairie Club (2009). In 2010, a restoration of George Thomas's Los Angeles Country Club's North Course design was unveiled, followed by a renovation of the club's South Course in 2016.
In 2011 he published his first non-golf book about his visits with racing legend Zenyatta.
In 2017 GeoffShackelford.com became part of the USA Today Sports Media Group's network.
Geoff Shackelford has hosted 122 Episodes.
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SOG 109: Super Sized Golf With Phil Blackmar
January 17th, 2021 | 1 hr 27 mins
He writes too infrequently but when Phil Blackmar puts pen to paper it is always worth reading. The former PGA Tour player turned Golf Channel analyst joins Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri on Episode 109 to talk about his most recent blog post, Golf's Biggest Self.
You can read the post here -
SG 108: The Masters With Lukas Michel
November 19th, 2020 | 1 hr 13 mins
A look at the 2020 Masters from both inside and outside the ropes when Lukas Michel joins Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri.
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SOG 107: Brandel And The Claytonites
October 30th, 2020 | 1 hr 14 mins
On Episode 107 we welcome author Daniel Wexler to discuss his latest book A Timeless Game but quickly run off topic into the future of golf in urban centres, equipment technology and the distance debate and there is some pontificating early on about Brandel Chamblee's personal attack on co-host Mike Clayton and those who agree with his views on the game.
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Ep 106: Will Winged Foot Be The Turning Point In The Distance Debate?
September 23rd, 2020 | 1 hr 22 mins
It's the topic everyone is talking about but not everyone is Mike Clayton and Geoff Shackelford. Two of the most respected voices in the game weigh in on Bryson, Winged Foot and the future of golf.
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Ep 105: Geoff Ogilvy, The Bryson Debate and More
July 4th, 2020 | 1 hr 22 mins
Will Bryson DeChambeau change the game? What is the role of mentors in golf? How much time should a US Open champion spend on YouTube and Instagram looking at golf swings? All that and more on Episode 105 of State of the Game with Geoff Shackelford, Geoff Ogilvy and Mike Clayton.
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Ep 104: What Will Become Of The European Tour?
April 15th, 2020 | 1 hr 34 mins
With professional golf on hold for the foreseeable future only one thing is certain: the pay for play game will look very different on the other side of the Corona Virus pandemic. Can the European Tour survive the current crisis and if not will it be the PGA Tour or the Premier Golf League that becomes its saviour? Just one of the myriad questions pondered when Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri are joined by sports business expert Richard Gillis on Episode 104 of State of the Game.
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Ep 103: The Corona Virus Episode
March 20th, 2020 | 54 mins 38 secs
It's all anybody's talking about. Including us. The Corona Virus has touched every facet of life, golf included, and is going to do so for the foreseeable future. What does it mean for professional and recreational golf? Who knows? Certainly not Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri but we chat about it anyway.
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Ep 102: The Show We Never Thought We'd Have
February 7th, 2020 | 1 hr 8 mins
Finally. That's been the predominant response to the Distance Insights Report released earlier this week, a document that may well change the shape of the game for decades to come. Among the most vocal agitators for action on this issue for the past two decades have been Mike Clayton and Geoff Shackelford and on Ep 102 they have their say on the report and what it means.
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Ep 101: The Premier Golf League Bombshell
January 28th, 2020 | 1 hr 23 mins
Not for the first time a World Golf Tour has been proposed with the noble intention of having 'the best play against the best more often'. Premier League Golf has been in the planning for several years and many of the world's top players have admitted to being interested. But can the PGA Tour put a stop to it and if not what would that mean for the Tour and the rest of world golf? Join Geoff Shackelford - the journalist who broke the story - Mike Clayton and Rod Morri as they ponder the potential fallout.
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SOG Ep100: And they said we'd never make it...
January 22nd, 2020 | 1 hr 4 mins
It was exactly eight years ago today we released Episode One of 'The golf podcast that talks about stuff that matters' and 100 shows later has anything really changed in the game? The answer - as always - is both yes and no. There are dozens more golf podcast to choose from and a movement of apparently 'fan media' but the ball still goes too far, lots of players still don't 'get it' and Mike Clayton is still - despite what Mguel Angel Jimenez might say - the most interesting man in golf (as well as being among its greatest contributors). Episode 100 is not a look back show but if you're in the market for an interesting experiment head to the back catalogue and have a listen to that first episode and you'll hear many of the same themes resonate in the game in 2020.
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SOG Ep 098: Distance, Money and Brandel Chamblee
September 3rd, 2019 | 1 hr 22 mins
Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and host Rod Morri delve into recent happenings in the world of golf and analyse what it means for the bigger picture. From the distance debate (of course) and changes in the PGA Tour schedule to whether a $15 million payday is off putting and is the LPGA playing courses that are too easy? All that comes under the microscope as well as Brandel Chamblee's surprise switch of position back to advocating for bifurcation of the professional and amateur game.
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SOG Ep 097: The Open Washup And Is Something Happening With The Ball?
July 27th, 2019 | 1 hr 33 mins
The success of Royal Portrush, Xander Schauffele and the driver controversy, are the authorities planning to do something about the ball in the autumn and why you can't say anything bad about Memphis. All that and more in episode 97 of State of the Game.
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SOG Ep 096: McGinley Takes Irish Open Back To The Future
June 28th, 2019 | 1 hr 10 mins
There is much excitement among architecture types about next week's Irish Open at the famed Lahinch in County Clare. Tournament host Paul McGinley joins Episode 96 of the show to explain how he plans to take the event back to the future making the on-site experience one that far exceeds watching on TV. The 2014 Ryder Cup captain says tournament goers can expect a festival atmosphere in the tiny town of Lahinch as the entire week will be a celebration of the game.
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SOG Ep 095: Expect A Spiritual US Open At Pebble beach
June 10th, 2019 | 1 hr 12 mins
pebble beach, us open
As the Old Course is to Scotland so Pebble Beach is to America and a US Open on the Monterey Peninsula is something a bit special. Join Pebble beach devotee Geoff Shackelford alongside Mike Clayton and Rod Morri for a breakdown of what role the course might play at this week's 119th US Open as well as some discussion on the Hank Haney controversy from last weeks US Women's Open and what the fallout might meaning the bigger picture.
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SOG Ep 093: Bob Denney on AW Tillinghast
May 9th, 2019 | 1 hr 34 mins
With the PGA Championship set to return to the Bethpage Black course in New York next week there will be plenty of discussion about course design AW Tillinghast. While known mostly as a course architect, Tillinghast had many more strings to his bow including a well known - though little understood - tour of the US during the depression years to advise courses on more financially sustainable management practises. What is less known is the extensive records he kept of that period and PGA Historian Bob Denney joins Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton and Rod Morri on Episode 93 to delve into the life and times of one of the game's great contributors.
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SOG Ep 091 The Masters Big Picture
April 22nd, 2019 | 1 hr 22 mins
Tiger Woods winning his fifth green jacket was something special but The Masters is about so much more than just the 72 holes each year. Join Geoff Shackelford, Mike Clayton join Rod Morri as they break down what the 2019 Masters means in the bigger picture, from changes to the course (in particular the fifth hole) to media, technology and the role of the Augusta National Women's Amateur. Oh, and there's mention of the possibility that distance might be an issue as well.