Searching in St. Andrews: Finding the Meaning of Golf During the Game's Most Turbulent Summer

When Sean Zak arrived in St. Andrews, Scotland—the mecca of golf—he was determined to spend his summer in search of the game's true essence. He found it everywhere. At every turn he also found LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed entity which descended on the professional circuit during that summer of the 150th Open Championship. Zak's personal pilgrimage offered him a front-row seat at a cultural reckoning, one which pitted the game's longstanding customs against a divisive new force. Searching in St. Andrews is the vivid chronicle of an unforgettable sojourn in the birthplace of golf, informed by sublime mornings on the Old Course playing with just four clubs, evenings spent analyzing legal documents riddled with greed, and the characters he encountered along the way. Listeners will meet a 92-year-old who just learned how to putt, explore the differences between Golf Over There and Golf Over Here, and even experience caddying on the PGA Tour, from deciphering the yardage books to keeping your player on time to drinking until sunrise after you've missed the cut. Written with heartfelt curiosity and charm, this is an essential portrait of golf amid the crosswinds of tradition, progress, and power.