INSPIRING & CULTIVATING
REMARKABLE GOLF ADVENTURES
Pilot Episode: Mike Cocking – The Art of Reading Land
Golf course architect Mike Cocking of OCM Golf joins us to discuss his evolution from aspiring tour professional to one of Australia’s most sought-after course designers.
In this conversation, Mike shares insights from projects spanning Melbourne’s Sandbelt to the American Midwest, including Lonsdale Links, Peninsula Kingswood, and the highly anticipated Tepetonka in Minnesota. We explore his approach to routing courses, the balance between beauty and strategy, and why he believes aesthetic appeal can sometimes fool golfers into loving strategically questionable holes.
Mike also discusses the renaissance in golf architecture, the differences between designing for Australian and American markets, the role of short courses in golf’s future, and how his watercolour artwork influences his design process. Along the way, we touch on the obsession with scoring in Australian golf culture and why the best routings often come from moments of complete creative reset.
A thoughtful exploration of how land, art, and the golfer’s experience converge in modern course design.
