The NCG Golf Podcast

NCG Top 100s: Hallamshire Golf Club

Found right in the heart of the steel city of Sheffield, but just a wedge shot from the Peak District, Hallamshire’s pedigree is not just defined by its long history – the Yorkshire course celebrates its 125th birthday next year.

It’s also produced some stellar players, most notably the multiple European Tour winner and Ryder Cup star Matt Fitzpatrick.

With plans to reinvigorate the course in the works, Dan Murphy and Steve Carroll chatted with general manager James Glover about this classic heathland layout.

From the Clubhouse: Paul Lawrie on changing golf's 'frustrating' rules

He’s the major winner whose 4-iron for the ages brought him a Claret Jug, a key part of the European Ryder Cup team that pulled off the Miracle of Medinah, and a veteran of more than 600 tour appearances.

What you may not know is that Paul Lawrie is also a golf club owner. His Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, in Aberdeen, boasts a 27-bay driving range and a 9-hole course that’s recently held the Scottish Junior Par 3 Championship.

Heavily involved in the grassroots game through his Foundation, and his work with Scottish Golf, where he is a strong advocate of OpenPlay and a mentor to the nation’s elite men, Lawrie is well placed to look at the state of the game and what needs to be done to move it forward. Buckle up...

Dialled In: Wyndham Championship and Cazoo Classic previews

Golf form expert Barry Plummer joins NCG's Steve Carroll to discuss his selections for the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship and the Cazoo Classic on the European Tour.

Please remember to gamble responsibly.

All the Gear: Why having the right shafts in your clubs is more important than you think

Golf club shafts are about as uninteresting as it gets when it comes to tweaking our equipment. Most of the time, we don't really know what the experts are on about and we rely on them to make sure we're using the correct ones. 

Hannah Holden sat down with one of said experts, Paul Steels of KBS, to discuss - in layman's terms - why it's vital to have the right golf club shafts, the pros and cons of steel and graphite shafts, why labelling shafts as "men's" and "women's" is nonsense, and much, much more.

From the Clubhouse: 'The golf course doesn't discriminate' - meet the man looking to change the face of the sport

Every time Amir Malik steps onto the 1st tee he faces challenges – and they don’t simply involve putting the ball in the hole.

As a practising Muslim, he avoids golf’s many clubhouse rituals, the 19th hole drink and the gambling culture that’s such an important part of a day at the course for so many.

He prays five times a day, fitting his faith into minutes around tee boxes or finding a quiet corner of a changing room to show his devotion.

He’s faced racism, and yet his deep love for golf remains undimmed.

Those experiences have not defined his view of the sport. They’ve inspired him to change it through the Muslim Golf Association. He joins Steve Carroll on the From the Clubhouse podcast to discuss his inspiring project.

Dialled In: Olympic Games preview

Golf form expert Barry Plummer joins NCG's Steve Carroll to discuss the men's and women's Olympic Games competitions.

Who is going to come away from Japan with a gold medal? Barry gives you his best bets for the next two weeks in Tokyo.

Please remember to gamble responsibly.

NCG Top 100s: Seaton Carew Golf Club

In the NCG Top 100s podcast, National Club Golfer's Steve Carroll and Dan Murphy take you behind the scenes of the clubs that feature in our industry-leading rankings lists. This week: Seaton Carew Golf Club

Not much longer than 12 months ago, new course manager Tom Coulson's first task at this Teesside links was to divot the greens - such was the scarring that afflicted this seaside layout.

But visit the 10th oldest club in England today and you'll see a remarkable transformation and a membership that is hugely on the up. Coulson, along with the club's chair of greens Phil Cain, talk about how they've rejuvenated this classic links and the exciting times that are coming.

Dialled In: Open Championship preview

NCG’s Steve Carroll is joined once more by golf form expert Barry Plummer as they discuss the main contenders for the 149^th Open Championship at Royal St George’s.

Who will claim the Claret Jug and who could spring a surprise at a big price? Barry hands out his betting tips.

Please remember to gamble responsibly.

This podcast was recorded in the media centre at Royal St George’s so apologies for any background noise you might hear during the episode.

 

The Slam: Bernhard Langer on 'the one that got away' - The Open Championship

Bernhard Langer doesn’t regret much about his Hall of Fame golf career. But there is still one that hurts.

The popular German was just a kid when he first rocked up at Royal St George’s for The Open in 1981 – a scrawny 23-year-old with bouncing blonde curls, a wispy moustache, and absolutely no idea of the memories – good and bad – he would make over the next four decades on the Kent coast.  

The 149th Open is his sixth at Sandwich and perhaps his last realistic chance of grabbing the one that has, so far, got away.

He joins Alex Perry on the NCG Podcast to chat about what the Open meant to him, his phenomenal career to date, and trading major titles with Greg Norman...

From the Clubhouse: They laid bare the 'anomaly' in covid grants - but what happened to Frinton?

This Essex club found themselves in a lockdown pickle over coronavirus grants last year, laying open the "anomaly" that existed for some who were looking to get hold of vital Government cash. 

But what came next? Club director Simon Martin-Redman, and chairman Graeme Dodds, join Steve Carroll on the From the Clubhouse podcast to reveal all.