The Firm & Fast Golf Podcast · Shane Derby

Terry Thornton - Close & Uncertain Irish Golfing Adventures

·1 hr 6 min·4 clips

Terry says Royal Dublin's 18th has 'so many options and so much trouble but so much theater.'

Shane Derby welcomes Terry Thornton, who plays most of his golf at Royal Adelaide Golf Club, for a chat about a long-awaited Irish golfing adventure. Shane had already experienced the Royal Adelaide welcome in 2020, and he brings that memory into a conversation built around a few memorable days in Ireland over the summer just passed. Terry is a well-travelled golfing connoisseur, but Ireland had still been missing from his golfing map prior to summer 2025. That missing piece gives the conversation its shape. They talk about the trip itself and the simple pleasure of playing several favourite Irish courses across a few days. The pace stays calm and unforced. From there the discussion opens out into foursomes with Mike Clayton, a subject that lets Terry lean into stories and context rather than quick takes. The official opening of Seven Mile Beach in Hobart comes into the frame as well. Favourite Irish courses and favourite holes are treated as lived-in memories rather than tidy rankings. The conversation also moves through course sub-committees, which suits the gentle, club-house rhythm of the episode. Shane asks layered questions that give the guest room to answer properly. Terry responds with the ease of someone who knows how to place a course in its local setting. There is enough detail for golfers who like to think about routing, welcome, and the personality of a place. There is also enough room for the stories between the details. The conversation keeps its warm, understated tone throughout. It never feels in a hurry. By the end, the listener has a clear sense of Terry's trip, Shane's hospitality, and the shared pleasure of talking golf with people who know the same references. The show closes in that same steady, companionable register.

As heard by us

A warm, course-focused conversation with Terry Thornton about Ireland, Royal Adelaide, and a string of familiar golf topics.

The conversation settles into a relaxed tour of golf, with Shane Derby hosting Terry Thornton for a warm chat about an Irish golf visit and the courses they played together.

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Why you'd press play

A first-time Ireland golf trip, told by a well-travelled guest and a host who knows the ground.

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