S12, Ep 44 Part 1: Brian Klocek, Director of Golf at Totteridge Plus The Keep & the Legend that is Rees Jones

In this episode of Next on the Tee, we kick things off with Brian Klocek, Director of Golf at Totteridge, a course that golfers across Western Pennsylvania know and love. Brian shares the journey of his career, starting with his college days at the Golf Academy of America in Myrtle Beach, to South Hills Country Club just outside downtown Pittsburgh, and now leading operations at Totteridge in Greensburg—the hometown of recent guest Rocco Mediate. We also talk about Totteridge’s 13th hole, which KDKA TV recently highlighted as one of their “Elite 18” in Western Pennsylvania, along with Brian’s take on other favorite courses around the region.

The focus on Totteridge continues in segment two with my guest, the legendary course designer Rees Jones. Rees is one of the most influential architects in the game, with an unmatched résumé that includes seven U.S. Open sites, eight PGA Championship courses, five Ryder Cup venues—including Bethpage Black—plus Walker Cup and Presidents Cup courses. Rees takes us inside his redesign work at Bethpage Black and the incredible job he and Bill Bergin did at The McLemore on Lookout Mountain, a world-class golf destination that features one of the best finishing holes in the game. Now their newest course, The Keep, is earning rave reviews and, in Rees’ opinion, has the potential to host a major championship one day. We also highlight a few of my other favorite Rees Jones designs, including The Country Club in Boston, Oyster Reef on Hilton Head, Southbridge in Savannah, and Falcons Fire in Orlando.

This episode is a celebration of great golf design and storytelling, featuring one of Pittsburgh’s finest in Brian Klocek and one of the true legends of the game in Rees Jones.