The NCG Golf Podcast

The Slam: Which player will be the first to quit LIV Golf? + The new ’Next Tiger Woods’

The Slam - a National Club Golfer podcast in association with Callaway Golf - is back for 2023! 

Alex Perry is joined by a brand new co-host, Matt Chivers, and the pair discuss Jon Rahm's remarkable form, Lydia Ko's return to the top, and have their say on that "prank" by Tiger Woods at the Genesis Invitational.

Elsewhere, LIV Golf is back and one of its stars is already thinking about coming back to the PGA Tour, while others are upset that their Ryder Cup dreams are being crushed.

Alex and Matt also give their thoughts on the Netflix documentary, Full Swing. 

There's a lot to get through, so let's get stuck in...

From the Clubhouse: Does golf really take too long?

We're obsessed with pace of play. Find a corner of the clubhouse and someone will probably be unhappy about how long today's round has taken. Yes, the time it takes to play the game is often a fractious point of debate. But what can we do about it?

In this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll talk about the various issues they encounter on the course and examine the R&A's Pace of Play Manual, which offers a whole host of recommendations to keep the game flowing.

Does Ready Golf actually work, should clubs get tough on those who tee off too early (it is against the Rules of Golf), and can tweaking course set up make a difference?

The pair are frank and honest with their views once again. You'll agree. You'll disagree. But you'll have to listen.

 

All the Gear: Inside the PGA show (and playing TPC Sawgrass)

On this week’s All the Gear, a podcast from National Club Golfer, Tom Irwin, Jack Backhouse and Hannah Holden, delve into what it was like to visit and play TPC Sawgrass, how the course has changed and why it is such a good venue for The Players.

They also take a deep dive into their week at the PGA Show. Was demo day as good as it sounds, how did Kyle Berkshire help increase their club head speed and what was the latest and greatest new golf technology on display? 

From the Clubhouse: Could five foot gimmes become a part of handicapping in the UK?

Did you know if your ball lies on the green, and is no more than five feet from the hole, there is a Rule of Handicapping that allows you to pick it up and add a stroke to your score?

In this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin delve deeper into the concept of 'most likely score', which can be used when a hole is started but a player does not hole out.

They consider how it's employed in match play and fourball formats, Tom talks about his experience of it dominating golf in the USA and the pair consider if we ever might see it come into force in the UK.

Elsewhere, the duo look back over events at St Andrews where a bit of paving close to the historic Swilcan Bridge sent social media into meltdown, and brought an ultra-quick about-turn, and Steve gets a dressing down from Tom for his post hole-in-one etiquette. Was he wrong to not get the drinks in when he had an ace?

It's bound to be controversial and, as always, we'd love to hear your views!

From the Clubhouse: World Handicap System problems will take decades to fix - so get used to them!

What is it about golf rules that get us so hot under the collar? Tree-gate, as it’s now being called, divided opinion among commentators and spectators as Patrick Reed’s every movement was analysed and criticised at the Dubai Desert Classic.

Steve Carroll, who has passed the R&A’s top rules exam, is joined by Tom Irwin and the pair break down events in the palm tree during the third round of the DP World Tour event.

Steve thinks he might have found something in how a ball is identified that can offer some further insight into how the decision was reached.

We chat generally about golf’s moral code and why we get so wound up when rulings come under the microscope, both in the pro game and at our own clubs.

After Steve set tongues wagging with his ‘solution’ to some of the World Handicap System’s perceived ills, he doubles down on his reasoning for making every score count, while Tom thinks some our WHS complaints are not going to be settled in the short term.

Tom describes it as an “insightful discussion”. But we’ll let you be the judge! Happy listening…

 

NCG Top 100s: Take a deep dive inside our list of Scotland’s best courses

Don't we all love a good rankings list? Whether it's ticking off where we've been, where we want to go to, or just getting flustered about where our favourite course might be placed, course rankings start discussion.

NCG Top 100s considers itself the home of golf course rankings and the knowledgeable team of panellists have just completed their work on Scotland's Top 100.

In a special episode of the NCG Top 100s podcast, Steve Carroll is joined by panel chairman Dan Murphy to chat about the ins and outs of the list, how it was put together, and explain some of the risers and fallers in a ranking that has been five years in the making.

From the Clubhouse: Has a big flaw in the World Handicap System been exposed?

England Golf's new pilot Championship Entry policy, which could potentially deny access into some competitions for players with too many general play scores in their handicap records, has catapulted the controversial World Handicap System back into the headlines.

But has the governing body's actions, which are designed to ensure integrity and a high standard of entrants, exposed a deeper issue within WHS?

On this week's From the Clubhouse, a podcast from National Club Golfer, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll look in detail at the new policy, discuss what it will mean for those golfers who could be affected, and whether it shows that WHS is flawed.

The duo look back at the old CONGU handicap ways - refusing to don the "rose-tinted spectacles" worn by some when reflecting - and consider the impact England Golf's pilot could have on our own competitions as clubs wage war in the fight against handicap manipulation.

Do club committees need to do more, or are they hiding behind a shield of the perceived ills of WHS?

WHS has been an emotive topic ever since its introduction in late 2020, and Steve and Tom don't hold back expressing some strident views. Where do you stand? It's certainly an interesting listen...

RELATED NOTE: You can download England Golf's Winter Checklist, which is discussed in the podcast, here.

From the Clubhouse: Are we being priced out of playing the UK’s top golf courses?

What is happening with pricing at our best golf courses? Is a true bucket list experience increasingly becoming out of reach for the average club golfer?

As we peer ahead into 2023 and start looking at booking our summer trips, it’s clear that it’s becoming ever more expensive to tick off a layout that appears in the various Top 100 lists, such as NCG Top 100s.

On this week’s From the Clubhouse, a podcast from National Club Golfer, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll delve into visitor green fee pricing at our most prestigious venues – considering the current set of increases, why courses are putting up their prices, and what it might mean for those of us who aspire to play them.

The duo also look at smart ways of keeping the costs down for those prepared to swerve a summer weekend tee time, and speculate on what might happen to UK golf in the future if prices continue to spiral.

We’re in for a lively hour of debate…

All The Gear: TaylorMade Stealth 2 is here! So what do you need to know?

On this episode of All the Gear, a National Club Golfer podcast, Hannah Holden, Jack Backhouse and Tom Irwin discuss everything from the new technology in the Stealth 2 range, how they perform, and what is COR and Inverted Cone Technology.

Tomo Bystedt Senior Director of Product Creation at TaylorMade also joins the trio to chat about the changes they have made in the new drivers. 

All The Gear: How do Callaway design new golf clubs? Let’s go behind the scenes

We all love getting our hands on new golf clubs but what goes on behind the scenes to bring them to market?

Tom Irwin, Jack Backhouse and Hannah Holden speculate about how they would design a new driver. They also chat to Evan Gibbs, Director of R&D for Woods at Callaway to find out how they go about creating new golf clubs.