The NCG Golf Podcast

From the Clubhouse: A deep dive into the golf ball roll back plans

Now we know. A ball roll back is coming for everyone.

In this week’s podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll dig deep into the R&A and USGA’s decision to reduce the distance the ball travels at every level of the game.

We’re joined by performance coach and data expert Lou Stagner, and James Day, co-founder of Urban Golf and SounderGolf, to debate what the game's two big governing bodies have unveiled. 

We wanted to bring you an in-depth discussion and analysis of both sides of the argument. Lou and James passionately defend their different views on the roll back, and the future of the game in both the professional and amateur spheres.

We consider why the governing bodies came to this decision, whether distance really matters at club level, what it means for our classic courses, and much more.

You might agree or disagree, depending where on the fence you sit, but we hope you find the chat absorbing and informative.

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

From the Clubhouse: Is the golf ball about to be rolled back for everyone?

“There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option.”

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers says a decision on what to do about hitting distances in golf is coming by the end of the year but, after admitting to Golf Digest’s John Huggan there had been lots of opposition to the R&A and USGA’s proposed Model Local Rule, what's going to happen now?

If you change the whole game, could that mean a shorter ball for everyone? In this episode of the From the Clubhouse podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll speculate about the distance debate and how it will affect us at our clubs?

Would we be willing to play a shortened ball? Would it make any difference to our games? And what could it mean to the way our clubs maintain their courses?

You’ll not be surprised to learn Steve and Tom have rather different views!

The duo also consider the latest reincarnation of Tiger Woods and look at the new manoeuvres in the LIV Golf-PGA Tour standoff. Will a deal be done?

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

From the Clubhouse: What does Billy Foster dread about the Masters?

What is it about Augusta week that Billy Foster can’t wait to be over? What does he think has ruined golf? And why is comparing the camaraderie between the European and US Ryder Cup teams like ‘Halifax Town playing Manchester City?’

Europe’s best-known caddie is our guest on this week’s From the Clubhouse podcast and the proud Yorkshireman has once again delivered a masterclass in straight-talking.

We’ll hear stories of Seve and Tiger and he'll put you right into the team room at some of his 15 Ryder Cups. It’s an interview with NCG’s Matt Chivers you can’t afford to miss.

Podcast hosts Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll give their verdict on his views, while also getting stuck into the PIP and asking whether Jon Rahm really might defect to LIV Golf.

Get clicking. Get listening.

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

From the Clubhouse: So what do we REALLY think about the World Handicap System changes?

Those big WHS changes have certainly got your tongues wagging.

And while we’ve told you in great detail about what’s coming to Great Britain & Ireland next April, what do we really think about them?

In this week’s From the Clubhouse, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll go through the big changes and speak their minds.

Is Course Rating minus Par a good thing? Are the new fourball betterball rules a fudge? What’s Tom’s issue with Par 3 courses being eligible for Course Ratings?

The duo also get stuck into Rory McIlroy’s Race to Dubai victory. Should he have played more in Europe? They also discuss whether the peek at the Northern Irishman’s new driver has proved a PR masterstroke.

Beware. Strong opinions are about to be expressed. So put your headphones on and get listening!

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

From the Clubhouse: We explain the big World Handicap System changes!

What a week it has been in the world of club golf! Big changes are coming to the World Handicap System and we’re going to mark your card.

In a special edition of the From the Clubhouse podcast, Steve Carroll is joined by England Golf’s head of handicapping, James Luke, to go through all the new WHS stuff coming to GB&I next year.

• NOW READ: What changes are coming to the World Handicap System?

We’ll try to explain Course Rating minus Par and how it will affect your handicaps, we’ll delve into the merits of the new rules around fourball betterball, and we’ll drill down into the detail of Course Handicaps and Expected Score.

If you’re still a little confused about what’s coming in April, this will hopefully start to put your minds at ease…

Will the PGA Tour-LIV Golf agreement fall apart? | The Slam

Oh Erik, what have you done to us?!

On the latest episode of The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - Matt Coles and Matt Chivers discuss Erik van Rooyen's emotional victory at the World Wide Technology Championship.

He pledged his second PGA Tour win to his best friend Jon Trasamar who is suffering from cancer.

The team also discusses Adam Long's mind-boggling achievement at El Cardonal, as he hits every single fairway at the event in Mexico.

The tour has also announced its members will be allowed to play in the LIV Golf Promotions event without repercussions - the team discusses whether more stars could play.

Will players turn up just to play for the prize money? Will this rule mean the PGA Tour loses more players?

It has also been widely reported that the PGA Tour is in talks with a number of companies interested in becoming private equity partners of the circuit.

As the tour looks for more sources of investment and with the December 31 deadline for the agreement with the Public Investment Fund approaching, is golf's biggest deal in jeopardy?

On a more light-hearted note, the team also talks about the DP World Tour's latest fun feature with Andy Sullivan who broke 80 at the Belfry with just a 5 iron!

You know what to do!

Which stars (if any) will turn up to LIV Golf Promotions? | The Slam

The Slam Podcast - in association with Callaway - is back for another episode!

Two of NCG's finest, Matt Coles and Matt Chivers, dive into another busy week of news both on and off the golf course.

On the course in Qatar, we saw heartbreak and ecstasy as stars of the DP World Tour battled to keep their playing cards for the next season.

On the LPGA Tour, Celine Boutier won AGAIN in Malaysia, but not without going through a nine-hole playoff(!) against Atthaya Thitikul.

Meanwhile, Alison Lee broke record after record in Riyadh on the Aramco Team Series with a score that left the NCG Team breathless.

Chiefs at the R&A and the Masters denied that separate spots could soon be opened to LIV Golf players - further restricting some of the LIV roster's access to major championships.

Is this the correct route for LIV players? Like Bubba Watson said, should the tour aim for major places instead of world ranking points?

We also run through the details of the LIV Promotions Event - the Saudi-backed circuit's own Q-school.

Invitations are open, but who will play? Will any stars from the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour turn up?

You know what to do! Listen to the Slam Podcast HERE!

From the Clubhouse: Is the DP World Tour now the ‘Championship’ of golf?

If the PGA Tour is the Premier League, does that make the DP World Tour the ‘Championship’? Or is it even worse than that?

In this episode of the From the Clubhouse podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll unpick the bones of the DP World Tour’s offer of membership to players who have failed to keep their PGA Tour cards.

Is it, as some are claiming, confirmation of the status of European golf as a feeder tour, or can this new element of the strategic alliance work to everyone’s advantage?

Elsewhere, some significant changes have been announced at another Open venue with the bulldozers moving into Royal Birkdale.

We ask if such tinkering enhances or spoils classic courses and consider whether our best layouts should move with the times or stay as museum pieces.

Steve has also spent the last five months playing every score counts golf. He gives a final update of what happened to his World Handicap System index over the summer season.

And after Brooks Koepka questioned whether golf was actually a sport, our duo’s temperatures start rising.

Let’s see if you can keep your composure too during their hour of debate.

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

The Slam podcast: Are the world golf rankings now irrelevant?

Well, that was quite a week.

In this episode of The Slam podcast, Steve Carroll and Matt Coles look back on Lexi Thompson’s participation in the Shriners Children’s Open and ask whether more women should tee it up in PGA Tour events.

They also consider the Official World Golf Rankings’ decision to reject LIV Golf's application to become an eligible tour.

Was it the right thing for the sport? Does not having Bryson DeChambeau and co in the listings make a mockery of the figures – even if you accept the players took their own decisions?

Will LIV Golf eventually accepted into the fold anyway, and what should happen in the meantime with the majors?

With the first LIV players now set to be relegated, Steve and Matt also try and figure out what an earth ‘free agency’ is all about.

And with the first 10 PGA Tour cards about the be awarded on the DP World Tour – because of the strategic alliance between the two bodies – our pod team look at the talent that might set up stateside and ask what it means for the overall vibrancy and viability of golf on this side of the pond.

The views are forthright as always so what are you waiting for? Have a listen…

The Slam podcast is produced in association with Callaway Golf.

From the Clubhouse: Are our PGA pros a tradition worth saving?

The most important person in the golf club, or a tradition that belongs in golf's history bin?

In this episode of the From the Clubhouse podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll consider the role of the PGA professional, what they mean to us, and whether they still have a place in a game that's being pushed to modernise. 

You might not be surprised to learn the duo are very appreciative of the work they do - but they look at why some clubs have gone another way. Is it change for change sake?

They also get into countback. We all know about back-9, back-6, and so on but do you know how far down the rabbit hole you can go? We reveal what the rules say.

Is it the best way to sort out a winner? Should we have playoffs for big board competitions?

And we also discuss USGA research which suggests how far you hit your 7-iron should determine from which tees you would play. Does it also make the game quicker? We get stuck in…

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf

NOW READ: Is your 7-iron the key to speeding up golf?