The NCG Golf Podcast

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?

 

Does Europe’s next Ryder Cup wonderkid belong to LIV Golf? | The Slam Podcast

The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship finished on Monday after only 54 holes due to such poor weather in Scotland!

Matt Coles and Matt Chivers sing the praises of the greens staff at Carnoustie, but question if wins over reduced formats should count on the record.

Also in the latest episode of The Slam - in association with Callaway - the team argue the case for more tournaments to be played using multiple courses, with some interesting suggestions...

The Matts reflect on an exciting five-way playoff on the PGA Tour including Ryder Cup hero Ludvig Aberg, while elsewhere in the States, players were battling for their Tour cards at the Korn Ferry Tour Championship.

One rule break cost one unlucky player everything!

Meanwhile, the team look ahead to Lexi Thompson's PGA Tour debut in Las Vegas, as well as looking back on a great win by a young, European LIV golfer on the Asian Tour.

Could David Puig add another string to Europe's bow at the 2025 Ryder Cup?

You know what to do!

From the Clubhouse: Do we need caddies in club golf?

The Ryder Cup is back in European hands but the fallout from events at Marco Simone are still rumbling on – particularly with regards to ‘hatgate’ and Joe LaCava’s antics on the 18th green.

Tom Irwin, as always joined by Steve Carroll, looks back at that story and considers whether it would have been handled any differently if it was a player at the centre, and not a caddie.

At club level, we have our own chance to benefit from expert advice when we visit a prestigious course. But is it worth it? Does it add to the experience, or would you rather just crack on and carry your own clubs? Tom and Steve, who have benefited from the help of golf caddies and have also made their own way round, debate.

Tom also grills Steve on the Ryder Cup rules incidents involving Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas and asks whether players should ever be allowed a second opinion. Steve’s answer might surprise you.

We hope it’s another hour of informed discussion.

If you haven’t already, please consider subscribing or, if you’ve previously clicked in our favour, have another look at your connections and make sure you’re getting the most up to date feed.

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf

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…