Both Sides of Par: Golf Podcast for Every Handicap

Colin and Ross are back together after a wee break, and the handicaps are behaving for once. Colin is down another stroke to 22 after a cracking front nine on the Jubilee Course at St Andrews, where he found two thirds of the fairways, outdrove a single figure golfer by 20 yards and holed more 15 footers than he has any right to. (A windless day, a borrowed spanner on the second tee and some Scott Fawcett lag putting thinking all played their part.) Ross, meanwhile, endured a traumatic fortnight playing off one, resisted the urge to throw everything in the bin, and is back to scratch. His chipping is still the problem child since moving to the tight heathland lies at Farnham, so he's out on the practice ground with a heavy training wedge and a kilo strapped to his wrist. Colin, like any good friend, asks whether that's helping or whether Ross has just become one of those Instagram spoof videos.

The middle of the show is a proper iron shopping session. Colin's second hand TaylorMade Stealths have shed their ferrules, which is all the excuse he needs. The lads tour the categories from blades to game improvement, cover why cavity backs forgive your worst swings, why a modern 7 iron is basically a 5 iron from 30 years ago, and why Ross can't stop buying Srixons. Colin's shortlist runs from the Srixon ZXi5+ to the Mizuno Pro S-4 (which he suspects are too good for him) to Takomo's direct to consumer irons at around half the price. Since you can't hit those before buying, Ross shares a marker pen test for checking your lie angle and makes the case for paying an independent fitter for your specs first.

Ross then confesses to yet another purchase: a mint, left handed Odyssey two ball putter from eBay, which has sent the Scotty Cameron to the naughty corner. There's lead tape and glued in metal pellets too, because of course there is. The show wraps with a reminder of why open competitions are the cheapest way onto great courses (Royal Dornoch for £60 instead of £360), and a look back at last week's chat with Colin's dad, a former head greenkeeper at Lahinch. The lads are still kicking themselves for not getting him on before the Walker Cup.

🟢 What changed for Colin on the Jubilee Course: one driver weight adjustment on the second tee, two thirds of fairways hit, and a lag putting mindset that had the 15 footers dropping

🟢 The nine ball up and down game Ross learned from Dalmahoy pro Scott Dixon: three easy lies, three medium, three hard, with a target score of 18

🟢 Colin's frank question to Ross: do wrist weights and heavy wedges improve your chipping, or just give you more to think about?

🟢 Iron categories decoded, from blades to players distance to game improvement, plus the physics of why a cavity back gives you a bigger sweet spot

🟢 How to buy irons online without a fitting: Takomo's fitting quiz, Ross's marker pen lie angle test, and why £75 with an independent fitter could be money well spent

🟢 Last week's episode with Colin's dad on links course design: https://bothpar.com/episode/how-links-golf-courses-are-designed-bunkers-greens-and-strategy-explained

🟢 Jubilee Course, St Andrews Links, where Colin carded his best nine: https://www.standrews.com

🟢 TaylorMade Stealth driver, with the adjustable weight Colin finally moved back

🟢 Scott Fawcett and DECADE Golf, the course management system behind Colin's lag putting approach: https://decade.golf

🟢 Farnham Golf Club, Ross's new home club: https://www.farnhamgolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Momentus Short Game Wizard, the heavy training wedge Ross is practising with (mostly found second hand), plus a 1kg wrist weight

🟢 Scott Dixon, Head PGA Professional at Dalmahoy, who taught Ross the nine ball chipping game: https://www.scottdixongolf.com

🟢 Muir of Ord Golf Club, Colin's lush parkland practice ground: https://muirofordgolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Nairn Dunbar Golf Club, Colin's links option with the snooker table lies: https://nairndunbar.com

🟢 Srixon irons: Ross's ZX7s, the Z-Forged blades he resisted, and the new ZXi5, ZXi5+ and ZXi7 range: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/srixon-sxi5-zxi5-plus-zxi7-irons-what-you-need-to-know

🟢 TaylorMade RAC combo irons, Ross's favourite set of all time

🟢 Mizuno Pro S-4 irons, the review that sent Colin down the rabbit hole (pitched at scratch golfers moving into single figures, so his suspicion may be right): https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/its-official-the-new-mizuno-pro-s-4-irons-prove-we-have-an-all-new-irons-category/ golfalot

🟢 Takomo Iron 101 MKII, the direct to consumer game improvement set at the top of Colin's list: https://takomogolf.com/products/iron-101-mkii

🟢 Takomo Iron 201, the players distance alternative: https://takomogolf.com/pages/iron-sets

🟢 Takomo Fitting Tool, the online quiz Colin walks through: https://takomogolf.com/pages/fitting-tool

🟢 Caley Golf, the Scottish direct to consumer brand: https://caleygolf.com

🟢 Odyssey Ai-ONE 2-Ball putter, Ross's eBay bargain: https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/odyssey-ai-one-2-ball-db-putter

🟢 Scotty Cameron putter, currently in the naughty corner: https://www.scottycameron.com

🟢 Dave Pelz, the short game guru who invented the two ball alignment idea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Pelz

🟢 Lead tape, for Ross's plan to bring his wedge flight down

🟢 Banchory Golf Club: https://banchorygolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Royal Dornoch Golf Club, played by Colin and Bruce for £60 each through an open: https://royaldornoch.com

🟢 Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, where Ross played an open for £25: https://www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk

🟢 Golspie Golf Club: https://www.golspiegolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Drumoig Golf Course, with a course report teased for next time: https://www.drumoiggolfhotel.com

🟢 Lahinch Golf Club, where Colin's dad was head greenkeeper and host of the 2026 Walker Cup: https://www.lahinchgolf.com

🟢 No Laying Up, who Ross reckons would have been all over the Lahinch connection: https://nolayingup.com

🟢 Curtis Cup 2028 at Royal Dornoch, pencilled in for some on course coverage: https://royaldornoch.com/2026/08/14/dates-revealed-for-2028-curtis-cup/

🟢 Both Sides of Par on Instagram for practice clips, drills and Colin's new irons when they land: https://www.instagram.com/bothsidesofpar

No new opens this week as the season winds down, but Ross gives a reminder for the Banchory open flagged a few episodes back, and a nudge to keep using opens to play top courses for a fraction of the green fee.

🟢 Banchory Golf Club Open (as mentioned on the show)

Location: Banchory, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire

Date: Ross believes Saturday 10 October 2026 (check with the club before travelling)

Cost: £30 when first featured

More info: https://banchorygolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Banchory Golf Club Texas Scramble Open (the next open currently listed)

Location: Banchory, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire

Date: Saturday 24 October 2026 golfempire

Format: 18 hole Texas Scramble, teams of four, any gender, handicap index up to 54 golfempire

Cost: £80 per team (£20 per visitor, £15 per member) golfempire

Tee times: 08:30 to 13:26 golfempire

Booking: https://visitors.brsgolf.com/banchory/#/open-competitions/60/teesheet

00:00 Handicap Check In: Colin Down to 22, Ross Back to Scratch

00:47 Why Ross Didn't Panic After a Handicap Wobble

01:27 Colin's Best Nine Yet on the Jubilee Course at St Andrews

05:34 Ross's Chipping Struggles and the Short Game Wizard

08:27 Should You Practise Chipping Off Different Lies?

13:48 Do Training Aids Overcomplicate Your Game?

18:04 Golf Iron Categories Explained: Blades to Game Improvement

23:11 Ross's Srixon Irons and the Case for Combo Sets

26:37 Why Cavity Back Irons Are More Forgiving

28:03 Colin's Shortlist: Srixon ZXi5+, Mizuno Pro S-4 and Takomo

34:31 Checking Your Lie Angle and Getting Fitted Before Buying Online

39:42 Ross's New Odyssey Two Ball Putter and Lead Tape Experiments

42:48 Open Competitions: Banchory and Bargain Green Fees

44:02 Colin's Dad, Lahinch and the Walker Cup

46:17 Wrap Up and Where to Find the Show

This week Colin swaps Ross for a guest he's known his entire life: his dad. Duncan Gray started out as a greenkeeper at Gatehouse of Fleet, spent years at Lahinch, ran the Ayrshire municipal courses, then moved into designing and consulting on courses before building his own, the Pines Golf Centre in Dumfries. He's also been playing for 65 years, which is roughly 60 more than Colin has been any use at it. The pair landed a round on the Jubilee Course at St Andrews through The Drive ballot. It turned out to be the one course on the Old Course site Duncan had never played, so they sat down afterwards with a recorder.

What follows is a 23 handicapper asking a course designer all the questions he's been storing up. Why do some greens feel brilliant before you've even hit the shot? How does an architect walk a bit of dune land and find the holes already hiding in it? Why does Royal Dornoch have upside-down pudding bowls for greens, what did Prestwick look like with 12 holes, and what did the Turnberry redesign get right? Duncan has opinions on all of it, including a lively one about bulldozers, fertiliser and a certain school of golf course construction. There's also the small matter of playing Turnberry once a month in the 80s for nothing.

Then it's on to ranking the St Andrews courses for fun, difficulty, looks and architecture, with a verdict on whether the Old Course is actually any good or just old. Along the way there's a bunker that turns out to be three times bigger than it looks, a pod of 50 dolphins off the point at Turnberry, and 65 years of playing partners summed up in one sentence. There are no competitions this week and no Ross, who will be back next time to restore order.

🟢 The funnel bunker: Colin thinks he's hit a perfect 280 yard drive and only escapes the sand by about a foot. Duncan explains why links designers shape the ground so a 20 foot bunker plays like a 50 foot one, and why the fix was the club in Colin's hand.

🟢 How a designer reads a site: Duncan walks the land first and notes the natural green sites before drawing anything. He uses the Jubilee's drivable par four, with its green cut into the side of a dune, to show what that looks like when it works.

🟢 Turnberry for free: monthly rounds in the 80s with course manager George Brown, a course so quiet they had it to themselves at five in the afternoon, and the changes the group agreed it needed decades before anyone made them.

🟢 "The most boring two holes in world golf": Colin on the 1st and 18th of the Old Course, why Duncan would still pick it for fun over any of the others, and which part of that famous finish he reckons was dug out by hand.

🟢 The dolphins: a flat calm evening at Turnberry with the sun going down over Arran, and four greenkeepers standing still for ten minutes. It's Duncan's case for why golf is about more than the score.

🟢 St Andrews Links, Jubilee Course. It opened in 1897, was rebuilt by Donald Steel in 1988, and the starter called it the hardest of the lot: https://standrews.com/play/courses/jubilee-course

🟢 The Drive, the St Andrews Links Trust ballot offering heavily discounted tee times to golfers living in Scotland. Details are announced through St Andrews Links: https://standrews.com

🟢 The Old Course ballot, for anyone wanting to try their luck the traditional way: https://standrews.com/old-course-ballot

🟢 The other St Andrews Links courses discussed: the Old, New, Eden, Strathtyrum and Castle, plus the former Duke's, which the Links Trust took over in January 2026 and is renaming the Craigtoun Course.

🟢 Royal Dornoch Golf Club, home of the upside-down pudding bowl greens: https://www.royaldornoch.com

🟢 Prestwick Golf Club, which recreates Old Tom Morris's original 12-hole Open layout each autumn: https://www.prestwickgc.co.uk

🟢 Western Gailes Golf Club, one of Duncan's favourites to play: https://westerngailes.com

🟢 Trump Turnberry, Ailsa Course. It's Duncan's favourite course, and was redesigned in 2016 by Martin Ebert of Mackenzie and Ebert, with a new par three 9th by the lighthouse, a par five 10th and an 11th across the bay: https://www.turnberry.co.uk

🟢 Lahinch Golf Club in County Clare, where Duncan worked for several years: https://lahinchgolf.com

🟢 Carnoustie Golf Links, scene of Jean van de Velde's 1999 collapse, in the Open Paul Lawrie went on to win: https://www.carnoustiegolflinks.com

🟢 Open history mentioned: the 1977 Duel in the Sun between Tom Watson and Jack Nicklaus at Turnberry, and Costantino Rocca holing out of the Valley of Sin at St Andrews in 1995 to force a playoff with John Daly.

🟢 Coastal links name-checked for proper sea views: Golspie, Brora, Nairn, Moray Golf Club at Lossiemouth, Prestwick St Nicholas and Royal Troon.

🟢 Walter Hagen, the actual source of the "smell the flowers along the way" line.

00:00 Intro: meet Duncan Gray

03:08 First time on the Jubilee Course

05:06 Framed greens and the par four you shouldn't hit driver on

07:57 How a course designer walks a site

13:11 Royal Dornoch's upside-down pudding bowls

15:28 Prestwick's original 12 holes

17:28 Turnberry: Duncan's favourite, and what the redesign fixed

20:53 Free golf at Turnberry and the Duel in the Sun

24:15 Is the Old Course actually any good?

25:48 Bulldozers, fertiliser and sustainable greenkeeping

32:15 Ranking the St Andrews courses for fun

37:42 The hardest course and the funnel bunker

43:11 Do looks matter? Smelling the roses

45:21 65 years of playing partners

47:46 Links courses that never see the sea

51:45 Fifty dolphins at Turnberry

52:35 Best architecture, the Castle Course and the one he'd play every day

Instagram - @bothsidesofpar

What happens when one of the world's most recognisable names in Formula One and automotive engineering decides to enter the golf industry?

In this special episode of Both Sides of Par, Ross sits down with Neil Howie, CEO of McLaren Golf, to discover the story behind the brand's arrival in golf and its ambitions to challenge conventional thinking in golf club design.

After 27 years at Callaway, including more than two decades leading its international business, Neil thought retirement was calling. Then McLaren came knocking, offering an opportunity too interesting to turn down.

From the involvement of Justin Rose and Ian Poulter to the engineering expertise of McLaren's Formula One operation, Neil takes us behind the scenes of a fascinating new chapter in golf equipment.

We explore:

• Neil's journey from aspiring amateur golfer to senior leadership roles at some of golf's biggest equipment brands.
• Why McLaren decided to enter golf and what convinced Neil to come out of retirement.
• How McLaren's Formula One engineers are challenging traditional golf club design, including the question: does a golf shaft actually need to be round?
• The technology behind McLaren's new irons and the role Justin Rose has played in their development.
• McLaren's ambition to build a complete 14-club offering, including wedges and metalwoods.
• Why premium custom fitting and a concierge-style experience are central to the brand's strategy.
• The challenges of launching a new golf equipment company in a market dominated by established manufacturers.
• What's next for McLaren Golf as the brand expands its product range and international presence.

Neil also shares some fascinating insights from his years in the golf industry, including why a famous brand name alone isn't enough to succeed and why McLaren is prepared to take its time getting things right.

A fascinating conversation for anyone interested in golf equipment, technology, business or the people shaping the future of the game.

Two golfers. Two handicaps. One obsession.

Follow the hosts:

Ross – @theshedisback

Colin – @mcgraygolf

Follow the podcast: @bothsidesofpar

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, or visit bothpar.com.

Follow the podcast: @bothsidesofpar

Can you really find a Vokey wedge for £1? Apparently you can. Colin walks into a charity shop, digs through a bucket of mostly forgettable golf clubs and somehow comes out with a Titleist Vokey SM6 52° wedge for the price of a chocolate bar. Ross explains bounce, grind and why Colin might have landed on an almost perfect setup completely by accident.

There’s more gear chat as Ross discovers the hard way that his Ping Hoofer Lite is definitely light on waterproofing, before revealing just how much people are prepared to pay for collectible Scotty Cameron headcovers.

On the course, Ross reports back from Oxford Golf Club, a historic layout with James Braid and Harry Colt influence, while Colin has a big trip coming up after landing a round on the Jubilee Course at St Andrews through Drive from St Andrews. He and his dad are turning it into a golf break, with another Open at Drumoig the following day.

Practice is producing very different problems for the two hosts. Colin’s driver is finally becoming more predictable after working on completing his turn and committing to the finish. Ross, meanwhile, is still battling his short game from 30–60 yards. He can hit the shot cack-handed, with his eyes closed or after pausing for ten seconds at the top — but ask him to hit it normally and things get interesting. Naturally, the solution involves yet another training aid.

The lads also dig into the PGA Tour’s proposed new Tour Championship format, including a season-long champion and a 32-player, two-week match-play finale. Could bringing proper head-to-head match play back to the top level actually make the end of the PGA Tour season worth watching again?

And Ross finishes with another Open bargain: Banchory Golf Club for £30, one of the later chances in the Scottish season to get some competitive golf in.

🎙️ Ross: @theshedisback

🎙️ Colin: @mcgraygolf

⛳ Show: @bothsidesofpar

Follow Both Sides of Par on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and check out the show on YouTube for clips, shorts and more from the episodes.

Ross opens Episode 30 by trying very hard not to talk about the 84 he shot at the weekend, his worst round in three years, before Colin gives him sixty seconds to explain himself. The consolation, as Colin points out, is that it's reassuring to know scratch golfers have those days too. From there it's straight into the gear, and this week that means golf bags. Ross has just picked up a Ping Hoofer Lite to sit alongside the £50 eBay tour bag he bought for Senior Open qualifying, while Colin has been down a research rabbit hole after spotting a Callaway Chev Dry 14 at £100 off in the Nairn pro shop. The pair weigh up carry bags against cart bags, whether it's a faux pas to carry a club logo from a course you've never played, and why Ross spent his first round with a £180 bag holding the stand legs together with a golf glove. There's a brief detour into the £400 G/FORE and £1,200 Scotty Cameron bags neither of them will be buying, and Colin discovers the Motocaddy Protekta he'd been eyeing up deliberately won't fit his Motocaddy Cube trolley.

Ross then flags a bargain open at Nairn Dunbar, Colin's new home course, and gives an update on his chipping practice, where he's still building confidence with a left-below-right grip. He's mid-sentence explaining why chipping yips are even harder to shake than putting ones when his laptop dies, leaving Colin to finish the show solo.

Which turns out to be fine, because Colin finally gets to the South West Scotland trip report he's been promising for a fortnight. Having grown up in Dumfriesshire, he admits to an unfair snobbery about the place, and this trip put him right. He covers the Cally Palace Hotel near Gatehouse (putting green next to the bar patio, pitch and putt for the afternoon, a proper course attached), a cabin at Kippford with a nine-hole course his dad designed a walk away, and Gatehouse of Fleet itself, a hilly, blind-shot, honesty-box nine-holer where Colin's wife, who is just learning the game, hit the green on the notorious drop-shot ninth. He rounds off with pointers to Kirkcudbright, Newton Stewart, the two Dumfries courses and Southerness for anyone planning a trip.

🟢 Ross's 84 and why it's oddly reassuring: a scratch golfer's worst round in three years, and the story of the 95 followed by a 71 the next day

🟢 The golf glove solution: Ross discovers his new Ping Hoofer Lite has no Velcro to hold the stand legs together on a trolley, and improvises

🟢 Is it a faux pas to carry a bag with the logo of a course you've never played? The hosts settle it

🟢 The Motocaddy trap: why the Protekta cart bag won't work with Colin's Motocaddy Cube, straps or no straps

🟢 Colin's hometown reckoning: how a week in Dumfries and Galloway turned around his unfair opinion of the courses he grew up on

🟢 The ninth at Gatehouse of Fleet: a 50 to 100 foot drop, a pitching wedge for 150 yards, and a beginner who found the green

🟢 Ping Hoofer Lite stand bag (Ross's new purchase, bought from American Golf): https://ping.com/en-us/shop/bags/carry-bags/hoofer-lite

🟢 Ping Hoofer Monsoon (the waterproof version Colin mentions)

🟢 Callaway Chev Dry 14 waterproof cart bag (spotted at £150 in the Nairn pro shop): https://eu.callawaygolf.com/en/gb/callaway-golf/gear/golf-bags/cart-bags/

🟢 Titleist Players S4 StaDry stand bag: https://www.titleist.com/product/players-s4-stadry/26TGBP4S.html

🟢 Titleist Players 4 Carbon stand bag and Titleist Cart 14 StaDry cart bag (mentioned as top-reviewed options)

🟢 Motocaddy Cube trolley (Colin's current trolley), Motocaddy Dry Series cart bag and Motocaddy Protekta cart bag with the EASILOCK base

🟢 PowaKaddy Dri-Tech cart bag and PowaKaddy's magnetic bag-to-trolley system

🟢 G/FORE golf bags, including the camo parachute carry bag and the croc-embossed leather tour bag

🟢 Scotty Cameron golf bags

🟢 Srixon tour bag (Ross's £50 eBay find)

🟢 Nairn Golf Club: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairn_Golf_Club

🟢 Nairn Dunbar Golf Club: https://nairndunbar.com/

🟢 Cally Palace Hotel and Golf Course, Gatehouse of Fleet: https://bespokehotels.com/cally-palace-hotel/

🟢 Coastal Kippford holiday park (formerly Kippford Holiday Park): https://www.visitscotland.com/info/accommodation/coastal-kippford-previously-kippford-holiday-park-holiday-caravans-and-lodges-p272171

🟢 Craigieknowes nine-hole golf course, Kippford (designed by Colin's dad)

🟢 Gatehouse of Fleet Golf Club: https://www.gatehousegolfclub.com/

🟢 Other South West Scotland courses mentioned: Kirkcudbright, Newton Stewart, Dumfries and County, Dumfries and Galloway, Southerness

🟢 Ross's chipping aid (referred to as a "strike wedge"): product not confirmed, please check before adding a link

🟢 Both Sides of Par on Instagram: @bothsidesofpar

🟢 Colin on Instagram: @mcgraygolf (spelling to be confirmed)

🟢 Nairn Dunbar Golf Club, Nairn, Highlands. Sunday 11 October 2026. Gents open, 21 handicap limit, £30 entry. Ross notes there's plenty of room on the tee sheet and calls it an absolute bargain for a course with a green fee around the £100 mark. The club website lists this as the Springfield Autumn Classic Open with booking via BRS, but the date, price and handicap limit above come from the episode and should be confirmed: https://nairndunbar.com/visitors-open-competitions/

00:00 Welcome and Ross's worst round in three years

02:10 Ross's new Ping Hoofer Lite and Colin's bag research

09:42 The stand bag on a trolley problem

12:37 Dream bags: G/FORE and Scotty Cameron

15:51 Cart bag roundup: Titleist, Motocaddy and PowaKaddy

19:58 Weekly open: Nairn Dunbar

21:00 Ross's chipping practice update

24:03 South West Scotland trip: Cally Palace

26:35 Kippford and the course Colin's dad built

28:19 Gatehouse of Fleet and the drop-shot ninth

30:57 More courses to play in Dumfries and Galloway

32:16 Wrap up and where to follow the show

Follow us on Instagram - @bothsidesofpar

Former DP World Tour player Peter Whiteford joins Ross this week to talk about a very different way of getting better at golf: stop assuming you know what's costing you shots and actually go out on the course and find out. After nearly 20 years travelling and playing professionally, Peter's career was cut short by hip problems, eventually leading to a replacement hip and, somewhat unexpectedly, a second career in coaching. Now he's launched The Scoring Coach, an approach built around watching golfers where their scores actually happen rather than relying entirely on what they think is going wrong on the range.

Peter explains why his starting point is a nine-hole scoring assessment, where he watches a player without interfering before identifying their biggest "scoring leaks". And those leaks aren't always where golfers expect. The player asking for a long-iron lesson might actually be losing shots with a wedge; the golfer convinced they're a brilliant driver might be making terrible strategic decisions from the tee; and the player blaming their chipping technique might simply be choosing completely the wrong shot for the lie. Whether you're playing off scratch or 28, Peter's argument is the same: find the lowest-hanging fruit and work on what will actually move your score.

That takes Ross and Peter into course management, driving strategy and the very human side of golf. Peter explains why some golfers are "Ferrari drivers kicking about in a Fiat Punto", playing far too conservatively for their ability, while others are Fiat Punto drivers trying to handle a Ferrari and repeatedly taking on shots they simply don't have. He talks about having an A-game and B-game driver swing, knowing when to take your medicine from trouble and why strategy can't be completely separated from how you're feeling over the ball that day.

There's plenty here for golfers at both ends of the handicap spectrum. Peter explains why even Tour professionals have the same demons standing over shots as the rest of us, but have developed more tools for dealing with them. He shares the simple "hold your finish" thought he uses when driving feels uncomfortable, why focusing on avoiding a bad shot can be so destructive, and why golfers often score better in match play because they're thinking about winning the hole rather than diagnosing every mistake they've just made.

And then there's perhaps the biggest lesson of the episode: read the situation before blaming your swing. Peter explains why golfers should assess the lie before choosing the shot or club, why he likes players to actually stand over the ball and feel the shot before committing to it, and how something as simple as the amount of sand beneath your feet can completely change the bunker technique required. Ross provides a timely example from Dalmahoy, where failing to notice there was barely any sand underneath his ball turned a straightforward bunker shot into an entirely avoidable mistake.

🟢 Why Peter Whiteford believes watching golfers on the course reveals far more about their scoring problems than simply asking them what they need to work on

🟢 "Ferrari drivers in a Fiat Punto": why good golfers can be far too conservative from the tee while other players repeatedly take on shots their game can't support

🟢 The A-game and B-game driver swings Peter believes better players should develop, and why taking less club isn't always the safest strategy

🟢 Why Tour professionals have the same demons standing over golf shots as a 28-handicapper — and the extra tools better players develop to keep those thoughts quiet

🟢 Read the lie before blaming your technique: how golfers misdiagnose bad chips, bunker shots and recovery shots and then practise the wrong thing

🟢 Why Peter wants golfers to stand over the ball and feel the shot first, rather than deciding on the perfect trajectory from behind the ball and trying to manufacture it

🟢 The simple "hold your finish" trigger Peter uses when his driving feels uncomfortable and why focusing on something you can actually control can free up your swing

🟢 Why golfers often perform better in match play than stroke play — and what that tells us about acceptance, commitment and the way we react to bad shots

🟢 The Scoring Coach: https://thescoringcoach.co.uk

🟢 Peter Whiteford on Instagram: @peterwhitefordgolf

Peter's coaching starts with a nine-hole scoring assessment designed to identify where a golfer is genuinely losing shots. From there, he can prescribe the technical, strategic, short-game, practice or performance work that offers the quickest route towards better scoring.

00:00 Peter Whiteford's journey from Tour player to golf coach

02:02 Introducing The Scoring Coach and why Peter wants to watch golfers play

04:43 Are golfers asking coaches to fix the wrong things?

07:31 Scratch to high handicap: finding the biggest scoring leaks

09:00 Why golfers misdiagnose their own weaknesses

10:25 How Peter assesses an entire golf game

12:05 Driver strategy and the "Ferrari versus Fiat Punto" problem

14:58 When driver actually makes a hole safer

16:23 The simplest short-game gains for higher handicappers

19:24 The human element that golf strategy can't account for

21:15 Ross and Peter's Castle Stuart first-tee disasters

23:14 Peter's tools for dealing with driving anxiety

24:41 Tour professionals have the same demons as everyone else

26:15 Why we can score better in match play than stroke play

28:18 Trouble shots: when should you simply take your medicine?

30:36 Read the lie before you choose the club

31:06 Feel the shot first: Peter's approach to shot selection

34:22 What better players do before they hit the shot

35:00 Reading bunker lies and choosing the right technique

38:18 Technique or decision-making: identifying the real problem

39:34 How to work with Peter and The Scoring Coach

The nights are drawing in and Colin is feeling a bit wistful about the end of the golf season, while Ross, basking in 21 degrees down south, cheerfully reminds him that medal comps run all winter at Farnham. Consolation duly not provided, the lads get into gear, and this week it's Ross with a new toy: the Strike Wedge. Colin assumed it was an actual wedge (Ross did just buy three, after all), but it turns out to be a wedge-shaped bit of plastic you put beside or behind the ball and try not to hit. Ross is using it to cure a case of the toe strikes rather than for its intended purpose, because his chipping confidence is still a work in progress. He can strike it beautifully with his eyes closed or with a left-below-right grip, but with a normal grip and eyes open, something upstairs gets in the way. A demo video is promised for Instagram.

Colin, meanwhile, has news on the driver front: the slice that's haunted him since he came back to golf is finally, mostly, gone. The turnaround came from two things. First, his little brother (a former teaching pro, so not to be asked for help unless absolutely desperate) diagnosed "lazy legs, lazy hips" after three consecutive lost balls, and a proper hip turn and full finish did the trick. Second, Colin stopped hiding on the mat and started hitting driver on the actual course during quiet solo rounds, which fixed the fear as much as the swing. That leads into a proper conversation about the difference between practising your golf and practising the course, how Ross uses the range for technique, routine and speed work, why the pros don't rip up their swing after one bad shot, and Colin's plan to go and hit twenty balls out of the heather to finally learn what it does to a clubface.

Ross then reports back from his first ever senior amateur open at Dalmahoy, his old stomping ground, where a level-par front nine and some of the best tee shots he's ever hit there carried him to second in the scratch, despite a couple of dodgy club choices and a near-shank with a four iron on the widest fairway on the course. A lesson from Peter Whiteford (a future guest on the show) about actually walking up to your ball to read the lie makes an appearance. Colin's South West Scotland trip report gets bumped to next week thanks to the school run, and Ross wraps up with a cracking £35 open at Fortrose & Rosemarkie, one of the most scenic links in the Highlands.

🟢 Ross explains the Strike Wedge, a plastic training aid that gives you both a visual and a physical reason to find the middle of the clubface, and why he's using it for long irons rather than actual wedges

🟢 The two-part fix for Colin's driver slice: a "lazy hips" diagnosis from his brother, and the psychological shift of hitting driver on the course instead of hiding on the mat

🟢 Practising your golf versus practising the course. Ross on how a scratch golfer uses the range, why the pros don't chuck their technique after one bad shot, and Colin's plan to learn how heather closes the clubface

🟢 Ross's round at the Dalmahoy Senior Open: birdies on both front-nine par fives, smashing driver down the tight 13th, and then nearly shanking a four iron on a 60-yard-wide fairway at the last

🟢 Peter Whiteford's tip on reading the lie before you even reach for your glove, and how ignoring it cost Ross a bogey on 15

🟢 Strike Wedge training aid: https://strikewedge.com/

🟢 Strike Wedge how-to guide (positioning for heel, toe and angle of attack): https://strikewedge.com/pages/how-to

🟢 Ross's Strike Wedge demo video on the Both Sides of Par Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bothsidesofpar/

🟢 TaylorMade Stealth driver (Colin's, with the adjustable weight for fade or draw bias)

🟢 Scott Fawcett's DECADE Course Management System: https://decadegolf.com/

🟢 Peter Whiteford, former European Tour pro and coach, appearing on the show soon: https://talkgolfscotland.co.uk/staff-profile/peter-whiteford/

🟢 Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, Edinburgh (East and West courses): https://www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk/

🟢 Dalmahoy open competitions page: https://www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk/golf-leisure/golf/golf-at-dalmahoy/open-tournaments/

🟢 Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club: https://fortrosegolfclub.co.uk/

🟢 Both Sides of Par on YouTube: search "Both Sides of Par"

🟢 Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club, Fortrose, Black Isle (around 20 minutes from Inverness). Gents 18-Hole Stroke Play Open, Saturday 3rd October 2026. Singles stroke play. £35 for visitors, 24 handicap limit. A James Braid links on the tip of the Chanonry peninsula with sea on both sides and Fort George across the water. Entry via the club website: https://fortrosegolfclub.co.uk/competitions/open-competitions/

🟢 Ross mentioned a second open later in October, held over for a future episode

00:00 Welcome and the end of summer

03:40 The Strike Wedge training aid

10:16 Colin's driver update: fixing the slice

18:12 Course practice vs range practice

25:03 Practising trouble shots and the heather problem

30:01 Ross at the Dalmahoy Senior Open

38:36 Weekly open: Fortrose & Rosemarkie

41:11 Wrap-up

Colin's got a new toy and he's not even using it for what it's meant for. This week he unboxes the Shot Scope Pro L2 rangefinder and cheerfully admits the main use so far has been checking whether the group ahead is out of range so he can smash a few extra practice drives. Ross, playing the sensible one for once, weighs in on lasers versus GPS and why chasing precision to the yard might matter less than most golfers think. That leads nicely into a proper club fitting revelation, as Ross explains how getting his nine iron and wedge bent one degree flat cured a mystery hook that had been sending shots 30 yards left, plus how to spot the symptoms in your own bag before you rage-sell a perfectly good set of irons.

Both hosts have also joined new clubs this month. Colin signs up at Nairn Dunbar, the unfairly overlooked links along the road from its famous neighbour, lured in by a clever points-based membership and a genuinely brilliant list of reciprocal courses. Ross returns to Farnham after moving house, where the 45-yard chipping green and free range balls have him practising more than ever, and where his one-handed Jonathan Yarwood chipping drill is finally starting to pay off. There's also a nostalgic detour into what it's actually like to run a driving range, which may or may not become a future episode.

To round things off, Ross reports back from the BB&O County Championship at Woburn, where £65 bought two rounds on the Marquess course, breakfast, lunch and one heartbreaking closing double bogey that cost him a shot at getting to dead zero. Colin counters with a tale of nearly holing a 295-yard drive for eagle at Alford, conveniently glossing over the two lost balls the hole before. And there's one final open competition of the season to recommend before the Scottish golf calendar winds down.

🟢 Why Colin's rangefinder gets more use spying on the group ahead than measuring to the flag, and the practice use case that actually justifies the purchase

🟢 The one degree lie angle adjustment that fixed Ross's hooking nine iron, what it costs, and the tell-tale symptoms that your clubs might be too upright

🟢 The one-handed chipping drill from Jonathan Yarwood that's freeing up Ross's short game (with a demo video on the show's Instagram)

🟢 Inside Nairn Dunbar's points-based membership and rover ticket, and why reciprocal course lists deserve more attention when choosing a club

🟢 Two rounds at Woburn's Marquess course, breakfast and lunch included, for £65: Ross's county championship bargain of the millennium

🟢 Shot Scope Pro L2 rangefinder (£150 RRP, Colin paid £130 on offer): https://shotscope.com/uk/shop/products/golf-rangefinders/pro-l2/

🟢 Shot Scope Apple Watch golf GPS app: https://shotscope.com/uk/discover/my-shot-scope/ios-watch-app/

🟢 Jonathan Yarwood on YouTube (source of the one-handed chipping drill): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgyB8vthTrPFTGplzR-mPkg

🟢 Both Sides of Par on Instagram (chipping drill demo video): https://www.instagram.com/bothsidesofpar

🟢 Nairn Dunbar Golf Club, Nairn (membership options including the points scheme): https://nairndunbar.com

🟢 Farnham Golf Club, Surrey: https://farnhamgolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Woburn Golf Club (Marquess course, host of the BB&O County Championship): https://www.woburngolf.co.uk

🟢 Haddington Golf Club, East Lothian: https://www.haddingtongolf.co.uk

🟢 Haddington Golf Club Autumn Open, Amisfield Park, Haddington, East Lothian. Saturday 26th September. Gents singles strokeplay, £25 for visitors. One of the last open competitions of the Scottish season, played on the 19th oldest golf course in the world, and there are plenty of tee times still available. Book via the club's BRS open competitions page.

00:00 Intro and handicap updates

02:44 Shot Scope Pro L2 rangefinder: first impressions and laser vs GPS

16:11 The one degree fix: lie angles and the hooking nine iron

26:32 One-handed chipping drill progress

30:33 Colin joins Nairn Dunbar: points memberships and reciprocals

36:04 Ross joins Farnham: practice facilities and free range balls

45:08 County Championship at Woburn's Marquess course

51:33 Colin's near-eagle at Alford

53:49 Weekly competition: Haddington Autumn Open

55:23 Wrap-up

Normal service resumes after a few weeks of summer holidays, and the lads have somehow managed to golf Scotland from top to bottom between them. The main event this week is Royal Dornoch, which both Colin and Ross played within days of each other, narrowly missing an actual meet-up but successfully completing a 550-mile wedge handover via the pro shop. Ross marked his 50th birthday with an early morning round, while Colin got the full experience playing a foursomes open with his brother Bruce. There's plenty of chat about that striking new clubhouse (part sandstone masterpiece, part Minecraft build, depending who you ask), the changing room lounge where folk watch The Open with their feet up, and the course itself, including Colin's heroic 8 on the par 3 second after a battle with a bunker taller than his head.

From there it's on to Golspie, where Colin reckons his high handicap eyes could barely tell the quality apart from its more famous neighbour, and where Ross survived a competition round so windy that a single figure player hit driver on a 150-yard par 3 and still came up short. Ross also drops a tease for a future episode: Brora might just be the best natural links course he's ever played. The pair are asking listeners for feedback this week too, so let them know whether these course reports are worth the airtime.

The improvement corner covers the borrowed Cleveland 58 degree wedge Colin has been putting through its paces in Glasgow, plus a brilliant one-handed chipping drill from coach Jonathan Yarwood that Ross swears by for curing the chipping heebie-jeebies. Ross also gives Colin's chipping video an honest critique, which is what friends are for. The show wraps with this week's open competition pick at Cathkin Braes, a James Braid design and the oldest course in Glasgow.

🟢 Colin's 8 on the par 3 second at Royal Dornoch, featuring a shanked tee shot, a bunker face higher than his head, and a chip out backwards

🟢 The new Royal Dornoch clubhouse debate: spectacular modern statement or a bit of Minecraft on the hill?

🟢 Ross calling Brora possibly the best natural links course he's ever played, teed up for a future episode

🟢 The Golspie gale: a low single figure player hitting driver on a 150-yard par 3 and still not reaching the green

🟢 The Jonathan Yarwood one-handed chipping drill that forces you to turn your body properly, and why Ross used it before every single chip at one point

🟢 Royal Dornoch Golf Club: https://royaldornoch.com

🟢 Golspie Golf Club: https://www.golspiegolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Brora Golf Club: https://www.broragolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Cathkin Braes Golf Club: https://cathkinbraesgolfclub.co.uk

🟢 Jonathan Yarwood, golf coach behind the chipping drill: https://jonathanyarwood.com

🟢 No Laying Up, who stirred the pot over the Foxy signage at Dornoch: https://nolayingup.com

🟢 Cleveland RTX 58 degree wedge, the rusty loaner that made the 550-mile journey

🟢 Get in touch: [email protected] or @bothsidesofpar on Instagram

Gents Individual Open at Cathkin Braes Golf Club, Rutherglen, Glasgow (between East Kilbride and Rutherglen, handy for the M74). Sunday 6th September 2026, individual strokeplay format, £25 per person. A James Braid design and the oldest golf course in Glasgow, always in great condition according to Colin, who has been playing it on and off for 35 years. Watch for the sharp left turn into the club entrance off the B road.

00:00 Intro and golfing Scotland top to bottom

02:25 Royal Dornoch and that new clubhouse

10:25 Playing the Championship course with brother Bruce

21:05 Favourite holes at Royal Dornoch

29:55 Golspie course report and a Brora tease

37:38 Listener feedback: do you like these course reports?

39:10 The 58 degree wedge and Jonathan Yarwood's chipping drill

46:47 Weekly open: Cathkin Braes

Colin's flying solo this week, and by solo we mean putting on a repeat while Ross plays Royal Dornoch and Colin nurses his jealousy after a consolation trip up the coast past Brora, Tain and Golspie. So it's back to one of the early episodes, recorded when there was five inches of snow on the ground, which is either quaint or cruel depending on your current heatwave situation.

The episode itself is a proper tech deep dive. Ross explains how he managed to cave in the face of yet another driver, this time his TaylorMade Qi35, and why he's jumped ship to a Ping G430 LST driver and G425 LST three wood while he waits for the replacement. Colin, meanwhile, has been surviving the snow with a putting mat and a scoring system so nerdy it comes with rings like a dartboard, which sparks a genuinely useful conversation about measuring outcomes instead of obsessing over what your backswing looks like on video. Claude Harmon gets his customary mention, because of course he does.

From there it's a full tour of on-course and practice tech: lasers versus GPS watches, why Colin's Garmin lasts two weeks while Ross can't find his charging cable, phone apps like Hole19 and Golfshot, and the growing world of AI golf tools, from Golf.ai's AI caddy and rules assistant to swing analysis apps like Swing Coach and Mustard Golf, where Mark Blackburn will critique your swing for considerably less than the £1,800 a year one poor soul was paying for online lessons. There's also a lovely detour through Carnoustie, including the night Ross blagged the Gary Player Suite for £50, before Ross rounds things off with a cracking scramble recommendation at King James VI in Perth.

🟢 Ross breaks another driver face and explains his switch to the Ping G430 LST, including how low spin versus max heads actually differ and why the feel change from carbon to titanium takes some getting used to

🟢 Colin's putting mat scoring system, and the case for measuring practice by outcomes rather than video analysis of your swing positions

🟢 The full on-course tech comparison: laser rangefinders versus GPS watches versus phone apps, and what each one actually earns its place for

🟢 Golf.ai and the rise of the AI caddy, plus AI swing analysis apps that score your swing red, yellow and green and might just work alongside a human coach

🟢 Ross's Carnoustie stories, including a £50 night in the Gary Player Suite and why it's one of the best free spectating spots at the Dunhill Links

🟢 Ping G430 LST driver and G425 LST three wood: https://ping.com

🟢 TaylorMade Qi35 LS driver: https://www.taylormadegolf.com

🟢 Ping Proving Grounds Podcast

🟢 Garmin Venu Sq 2 with Garmin Golf app: https://www.garmin.com

🟢 Hole19 golf app: https://www.hole19golf.com

🟢 Golfshot app: https://golfshot.com

🟢 Golf.ai, AI caddy, rules assistant and live scorecards: https://golf.ai

🟢 Mustard Golf swing analysis app with Mark Blackburn and Justin Rose, £25 a month or £150 a year: https://teammstrd.com/golf

🟢 Swing Coach app

🟢 18Birdies phone app (https://18birdies.com)

🟢 Carnoustie Golf Links and the Carnoustie Golf Hotel stay and play packages: https://www.carnoustiegolflinks.com

🟢 Dan Grieves, tour short game coach

00:00 Intro: classic episode replay week while Ross plays Royal Dornoch

01:17 Five inches of snow and Scottish skiing

04:15 Carnoustie: the toughest, fairest course you'll play

06:42 The £50 night in the Gary Player Suite

09:40 Ross breaks another driver face

10:51 Switching to Ping: the G430 LST and G425 LST three wood

14:59 Low spin vs max: choosing a driver head

18:50 Colin's putting mat and scoring games

21:10 Measuring practice by outcomes, not technique

27:01 On-course tech: lasers, GPS watches and phone apps

33:16 Rangefinders, and whether the cheap ones are any good

35:04 Golf.ai and the AI caddy

37:24 AI swing analysis: Swing Coach and Mustard Golf

41:02 The £1,800 online coaching story

41:55 Weekly competition: King James VI gents scramble

45:26 Trackman bays vs the driving range