In this episode Frank, talks with Kerry Haigh, chief championship officer of the PGA of America, about his nearly four-decade career in championship golf.
Haig traces his path from a working-class upbringing in Doncaster, England, through early tournament jobs with the PGA of Great Britain and the LPGA, to eventually building out the PGA of America’s championship operations from scratch.
He explains his philosophy on course setup: highlighting a course’s natural features rather than manufacturing artificial difficulty, keeping goals aligned with superintendents, and avoiding excessive rough that removes player skill rather than testing it. The conversation also covers new venues like PGA Frisco in Texas, the growing influence of team captains on Ryder Cup course setup, and crowd behavior challenges at Bethpage.
Throughout, Haigh reflects on how data, media scrutiny and player driving distances throughout the duration of his career have transformed the way championship courses are prepared.
