The NCG Golf Podcast

Online bookings or roll ups? Paper or electronic scorecards? Wherever you turn in golf it seems the conversation soon moves on to technology. How far should clubs go to adopt it? Do you dip the toe, or dive headlong into a clubhouse of shot-by-scot scoring and digital leaderboards? However, you might feel about it, tech is changing the world around us, and golf will have to move with it. But can i...

There are only 11 snooker players who’ve won the career triple crown of World Championship, UK Championship, and Masters successes. We're prepared to bet, though, there’s only one who has combined that with a 147 break (of which he’s had six), a 9-darter, and a hole-in-one. Our guest this week is that person. Not only is Shaun Murphy one of the biggest stars of the green baize, he’s a talented gol...

Welcome to the Carbonwood age. If you have just a passing interest in golf, you'll have heard this phrase once or twice since TaylorMade launched their range of Stealth drivers and fairway woods.  But that isn't the only area in which the California brand are making huge strides, as the Stealth irons look to revolutionise the game-improvement category. NCG's gear expert Hannah Holden was keen to k...

What does a golf club committee actually do? We know they’re usually volunteers and we know they make both the day-to-day and the big decisions on behalf of most of us at our clubs. But what really goes on underneath the bonnet? What do committees and boards do well and what happens when they go bad? If you’ve ever wanted to know anything about those elected to serve you – in the case of a private...

What do you get when the founder of Urban Golf - the UK's first and best indoor golf venue - and the founder of award-winning fashion label Folk team up to form a new golf brand? Sounder Golf is the brainchild of James Day and Cathal McAteer, who have created a range that is stylish and functional both on and off the golf course. But this edition of the All the Gear podcast with guest host Alex Pe...

Just popping the three letters into a social media channel is enough to bring up a column of chat that it would take you hours to digest. More than a year after its launch, the World Handicap System continues to be debated and digested by golfers all over the UK. But sift through that collection and one theme emerges again and again. Integrity, or more precisely, the fear that WHS can be manipulat...

After tens of thousands of shots, countless miles spent traversing every inch of the country, and a commitment to visiting nearly 170 courses, it is ready. NCG Top 100s has released a definitive list of the best courses in England. You can view the list in its entirety at nationalclubgolfer.com/ncgtop100s , pick up a copy of our beautifully designed magazine in your clubhouse or, alternatively, do...

The first two books were hailed for changing the games of golfers all over the world. Now the successful teaching duo of Gary Nicol and Karl Morris are back – and they’ve have roped in some pretty big names to help them. The Lost Art of the Short Game is the final part of the best-selling Lost Art of Golf series and, this time, Gary and Karl aim to free you from the shackles you have self-imposed...

John Paramor has probably forgotten more about the Rules of Golf than most of us know. In a career which spanned nearly 45 years and saw him rise to the European Tour’s chief referee, he was the familiar face in the buggy racing round the world’s biggest tournaments dispensing his considerable knowledge. But while the Rules can become second nature to those who have spent a life immersed in them,...

Golf’s been in a boom. Full tee sheets, and massive boosts in membership after coronavirus restrictions were eased, shocked the sport out of a decade-long slump – to the surprise of players and clubs alike. But now we’re entering a different phase. With society essentially fully opened, along with all those competing leisure activities that were shut when golf had a free run in the summer of 2020,...

Without him, the famous little trophy might be gathering dust in someone’s attic. It is not an exaggeration to say Tony Jacklin transformed the Ryder Cup. As Europe’s talisman, he captained a rejuvenated continent to victories in 1985 and 1987, retained the trophy with a draw in 1989, and began to turn what had been a tired and jaded exhibition into one of the world’s biggest team competitions. Th...

Turnberry's been the site of some of not only The Open's most memorable moments but golf's in general, whether it was the Duel in the Sun between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus, or one of the finest 18 holes in major championship history when Greg Norman scorched round in a memorable Sunday 64. Instantly recognisable with just a glimpse of its famous lighthouse and reborn thanks to a stunning transf...

It's finally here. After an additional 12 long months of waiting, it's Ryder Cup week. In this speciail edition of the Dialled In podcast from NCG, Steve Carroll is joined by Alex Perry to discuss the big talking points of the tournament, while NCG's regular betting expert Barry Plummer is once again on hand to take us through his favourite tips for the tournament.  We also hear from Ian Woosnam,...

Quiz question: Who was the first left-hander to play in the Ryder Cup? Nope, it was Peter Dawson in 1977. Indeed Peter is the only left-handed player to represent GB&I, or Europe as it is now, and over the next 40 minutes or so, Peter discusses his short but historic involvement in the biennial competition as one of many British and Irish players who saw their Ryder Cup careers extinguished by the...

Has your golf club gone back to using paper scorecards? Have you slotted right back into the routine, or do you pine for your phone and a digital signature? For many of us, the coronavirus pandemic ushered a digital revolution at our clubs. Whether it was booking tee times online, entering our scores through our phones, or watching hole-by-hole live leaderboards, the restrictions we endured to pla...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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 cor...

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.

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...

NCG’s Steve Carroll is joined once more by golf form expert Barry Plummer as they discuss the main contenders for the 149th 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 a...

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...

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.