The NCG Golf Podcast

The Slam: Breaking down Europe’s Ryder Cup win + ‘Two more years!’ Is Luke Donald the only choice for 2025?

The Ryder Cup is back in European hands! What a weekend that was in Rome and, in this week’s The Slam, Steve Carroll is joined by Matt Chivers (from the Eternal City no less!) to break down the 16.5-11.5 victory over the USA.

We assess all the big talking points from Marco Simone, whether that’s hauling skipper Zach Johnson over the coals, debating crowd behaviour, or pinpointing just why the Europeans are just so dominant in foursomes.

And, yes, we also talk about ‘hatgate’.

Should it be ‘two more years’ for Luke Donald? Who on earth will captain if he says no? There is plenty to discuss. Who knows if you’ll agree with us, but have a listen and let us know…

Does it matter who the Ryder Cup captains are? | The Slam Podcast SPECIAL

In the latest edition of The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - Matt Coles and Matt Chivers are joined by award-winning journalist and author Richard Gillis.

Richard wrote The Captain Myth: The Ryder Cup and Sport’s Great Leadership Delusion, published in 2016, which re-thinks the role of the Ryder Cup captain and how important they actually are.

With an array of interviews with an abundance of golfing figures, Richard considers the idea of the good and bad captain - the inevitable labels given to the winning and losing leaders at the Ryder Cup.

Richard joins the team to discuss how captains have been perceived in previous iterations of the event, when often their fate has been determined by flip-of-a-coin moments, such as Justin Rose's memorable putt when facing Phil Mickelson at the 2012 matches at Medinah.

Do we just seek a story of romance surrounding who wins? Or does the best team simply win most of the time?

He also delves into the business side of the Ryder Cup and ponders its future if money becomes the primary object of the event. One day, could it be held every year? Or, could it become a four-day tournament?

You won't want to miss this special Ryder Cup preview!

The Matts also previewed the huge week in Rome and revealed the European pairings they would go with for the first foursomes session on Friday morning.

Will Luke Donald opt for experience over rookies, or will the Englishman put trust in his most fresh-faced team members?

From the Clubhouse: What is Tom’s problem with the Ryder Cup (and match play generally)?

Tom Irwin’s got a bee in his bonnet. It’s match play time – with the Solheim Cup on our screens and the Ryder Cup following hotly on its heels.

But Tom’s struggling to get into the spirit of person-to-person combat. He’s got a problem with it and spends a chunk of this week’s episode getting stuck into the biennial Europe vs USA battles as well as outlining some of his issues with match play at club level.

Is it geared too much in favour of players with more shots and will he find an ally in podcast co-host Steve Carroll?

We also get stuck into handicapping (just for a change) and ask whether it’s acceptable to put in a score if you’re playing solo.

And Steve believes too much of what we do at club level is geared towards stopping the tiny minority of players who are determined to cheat.

Let him argue his case in another fascinating episode that needs to be heard to be believed…

Solheim Cup Preview: Who will be the star performer at Finca Cortesin? | The Slam Podcast

We have reached Solheim Cup week!

On the latest episode of The Slam - in association with Callaway - Matt Chivers and Matt Coles look ahead to the match between Europe and America at Finca Cortesin.

The team considered who would be the star performers on each side, with both Suzann Pettersen and Stacy Lewis having an abundance of experience and freshness at their disposal.

Who will Charley Hull be paired with in Spain? Will America's Solheim Cup veteran Lexi Thompson be paired with the impressive Rose Zhang?

America has two major champions as rookies, Lilia Vu and Allisen Corpuz, but will they trump the youth of Linn Grant and Maja Stark? There are so many dynamics to consider.

The Matts also look back on the BMW PGA Championship which was superbly won by Ryan Fox, despite making a triple-bogey on the front nine at Wentworth.

With the entire European Ryder Cup side in the field, how pleased will Luke Donald be with his team's performance?

Also, we congratulate Sahith Theegala on his first win on the PGA Tour at the Fortinet Championship after many heartbreaking near misses.

You know what to do!

From the Clubhouse: Are people who play Adventure Golf really golfers?

What is a golfer? Is it just a golf club member? Or can someone who has only ever struck a shot on an Adventure Golf course call themselves a player?

Golf for All, a huge research project commissioned by the PGA in partnership with IPSOS , claims that “golf is not what you thought it was”.

It reveals that 22.4 million people (some 40 per cent of adults in the UK and Ireland) are interested in the game, with 16.3 million playing any golf and 4.9 million playing on-course.

With Adventure Golf the most popular form of the game, and enjoyed by 12.6 million people, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll dive into some of the report’s major findings, consider what makes a golfer, and ask how to bridge the gap between off course and on course golf activity.

Elsewhere, Tom’s been on a visit to ‘that there London’ and watched the pro-am at the BMW PGA Championship. He discusses with Steve Carroll the merit of golf celebrity watching. Hint: Steve is not a fan.

And after Steve dug once more into the history archives and revealed how hitting into another group was viewed by our golfing ancestors, Tom reveals two of the most incredible etiquette breaches.

They are stories you won’t want to miss.

The From the Clubhouse podcast is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

One region is dominating golf right now! + BMW PGA preview | The Slam Podcast

There might've been no PGA Tour at the weekend, but the DP World Tour delivered with a tight finish at the Horizon Irish Open.

Vincent Norrman won once again, so Matt Chivers and Matt Coles discuss the sudden rise in Scandinavian golf and how so many superstars in the sport are emerging from this part of the world.

In the latest episode of The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - the Matts discuss the weight of Rory McIlroy's words about Portmarnock possibly hosting The Open Championship one day.

Whether this could be the case or not, Irish fans will turn out for their national event, and the team talks about why the Irish Open is so popular on tour.

Should the Irish Open stay on links turf and visit the country's most famous courses more often, such as when Royal County Down hosts the tournament in 2024?

The team looks back on the USA's recent visit to Marco Simone, some funny pictures on social media and a nostalgic choice of shirt from Jim Furyk.

A couple of Team USA members tee it up at the Fortinet Championship this week while the entire European side heads to Wentworth for the BMW PGA Championship.

The team looks forward to this event, and looks back on the dramatic and extraordinary BMW PGA Championship from 2022, as well as Charley Hull's unfortunate defeat to Minjee Lee at the weekend on the LPGA Tour!

You know what to do...

From the Clubhouse: Would you put in every score for handicap? We did!

Enjoyed the summer break? Our From the Clubhouse team are back and they’ve got plenty to get stuck into.

Listeners will remember that Steve Carroll pledged to submit a score for handicap from every round he played until the end of October. Three and a half months in, he gives Tom Irwin an update on how that’s going and how it’s affected his golf.

The duo then consider the remarkable comments from England Golf on the R&A and USGA’s proposed Model Local Rule for a golf ball roll back, and look at why the governing body have taken this step and whether action needs to happen on hitting distances.

And Steve gets on his soapbox once again to argue for a change in the way we play our club competitions.

You may not agree, but you’ll be intrigued all the same. So let’s get stuck in!

The From the Clubhouse podcast is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

• NOW READ: I’ve been putting every score in for WHS – here’s what I’ve learned

• NOW READ: ‘Huge concerns’: England Golf hit out at proposed golf ball roll back

The Slam Podcast: Could Ludvig Aberg be the perfect Ryder Cup player?

The 2023 European Ryder Cup side is complete, but has Luke Donald chosen the right players for his team?

In another special episode of The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - Matt Chivers and Matt Coles discuss the six selections that the European captain made for his Ryder Cup team.

Swedish starlet Ludvig Aberg has been included in most of the talk surrounding these captain’s picks for the last few weeks. His win in Crans Montana made it certain that he would be there.

How good is this young Swede? The two Matts talk about how good he has been in the three months since turning professional, and what his possible ceiling might be, including how many Ryder Cups he could play in.

There’s a changing of the guard. Many of the elder European players went to LIV Golf, meaning that there would be some space for the new to come in. Sepp Straka and Nicolai Hojgaard are among those.

Should Hojgaard have made it into the team? Was Adrian Meronk a better option for Team Europe? The boys discuss what could have been for the Pole and perhaps why Luke Donald has made the right choice.

The guys also discuss what a possible scoreline between a US ‘B’ team and a European ‘B’ team might be, and it doesn’t look good for the Europeans…

Listen to The Slam right here!

The Slam Podcast: Has Zach Johnson made the right Ryder Cup picks?

The 2023 American Ryder Cup side is complete, but has Zach Johnson made the right Captain's picks?

In a special episode of The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - Matt Chivers and Matt Coles discuss the six selections that joined the US side for the matches in Italy earlier today.

Justin Thomas was picked after some golf fans doubted if he'd be chosen, so how important is it for the two-time major champion to perform well at Marco Simone?

Jordan Spieth, Collin Morikawa, and Rickie Fowler were also chosen as well as Brooks Koepka - the only LIV Golf player to make the American side.

Should Bryson DeChambeau have joined his LIV colleague on Team USA? Matt and Matt discuss how DeChambeau would've contributed to the team atmosphere when travelling to Europe.

Sam Burns is set to make his Ryder Cup debut having won the WGC Match Play in March - but was the runner-up Cameron Young unfortunate to miss out on a Ryder Cup bow?

The team also discuss other candidates that missed out such as Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover and Denny McCarthy - while also looking forward to Monday, September 4 when Luke Donald is set to name his six Captain's picks.

Listen to The Slam right here!

The Slam Podcast: Does the PGA Tour NEED the PIF for financial survival?

As we near the end of the 2023 PGA Tour season, Matt Chivers and Matt Coles look ahead to the 2024 season in the latest episode of The Slam - in association with Callaway.

There will be eight Signature Events and an even larger prize for the FedEx Cup winner, but for how long can the PGA Tour continue to increase its purses?

The tour is supposedly nearing a deal with the Public Investment Fund, so is Jay Monahan relying on the riches of the Saudi sovereign wealth fund to secure their financial future?

The team discussed this as well as the structure of the DP World Tour schedule in 2024. How does it look? Which events will be played? And what is missing?

The schedule features five Global Swings with incentives for each winner, but are these incentives strong enough to lure the big players and entertain the fans watching at home?

Matt and Matt dissect what next year could look like for the formerly-named European Tour, and how there are still no Signature Events on the PGA Tour to be played in Europe.

Is this indicative of the strategic alliance between the two allies? Should the top American players be brought over to the continent more often?

Listen to The Slam wherever you got your podcasts! You know what to do!