Podcast: Inside the Olympic golf course with the man who designed it

Published Oct. 20, 2016 4:37 p.m. ET

Shane Bacon

After three weeks of travel hosting and reporting on FOX Sports golf events, I sat down with Gil Hanse, who designed the golf course for the 2016 Olympics. Hanse, who beat out Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, and Gary Player to win the design bid, discussed what went into the years of planning and execution to get the course built, his thoughts on golf in the Olympics, and divulged what exactly goes into designing a golf course.

Listen and check out the highlights from the conversation below.

5:45 — Comparing how the women and the men played the golf course differently

10:00 — Why the Olympic golf course ranks as one of his most proud in his career

11:15 — Difficulties of designing a golf course surrounded by snakes and alligators

13:50 — Feedback he got from players on the design of the course

15:30 — Pressure to get the course done and correct under a specific deadline

16:15 — Could the Olympic golf course be successful and operational years from now?

18:20 — What really goes into designing a golf course in general?

30:45 — How the modern design of golf courses can help grow the game