The NCG Golf Podcast

How much do you know about how your golf course was put together? Do you sail round your club course just hitting shots with abandon, or do you find yourselves wondering why each hole plays the way it does.

There has been a surge of interest in golf course architecture among average players – whether that’s poring over ranking lists or discovering the secrets of design so we can understand our own layouts just a little bit better.

We’ve got a special guest this week as Geoff Shackelford, a renowned American golf writer and commentator, joins us to talk about his new book: Golf Architecture for Normal People.

Written to help golfers are all skill levels become better observers and get more fun out of their game, Geoff demystifies as well as poking fun at the genre, and gives readers tools to help them understand what they’re seeing and playing.

We talk fun, what makes a great hole, and we also get Geoff’s thoughts on the controversial distance debate in golf.

If you’ve always wondered how to appreciate your surroundings just a little better, tune in for the next hour as Geoff unlocks the door.

You can buy Golf Architecture for Normal People here.

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf

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Justin Thomas? Bryson DeChambeau? Lucas Glover?!

Every week, a new player appears in the thoughts of Zach Johnson, so Matt Chivers and Matt Coles discuss another impressive display from Lucas Glover at the FedEx St. Jude Championship and his desire to be on the US Ryder Cup team.

On the latest episode of The Slam, in association with Callaway, Matt Coles also reveals which players he would take to Marco Simone at the end of September with some surprise inclusions you mightn't have expected.

Before that though, the team talked all things AIG and Lilia Vu's stunning win at the Women's Open at Walton Heath - and a valiant effort from the home favourite Charley Hull.

The team looks to the ever-approaching Solheim Cup too and discusses who could be selected to play at Finca Cortesin next month, a week before the Ryder Cup starts!

Cameron Smith notched another win on the LIV Golf Tour at Trump Bedminster, but be prepared for a Chivers rant as the team ponders what the PGA Tour could look like with Smith still in the fray.

We review all of the weekend's action plus much more, so you know what to do!

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You think it's always been this way - but you've been living a lie.

On this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll explore the origin of 18 hole golf, why it's a completely random number, and whether we should think again as modern life - and family demands - impinge on our leisure time.

Do we need to take 9-hole golf more seriously, and should we offer a more varied competition structure at our clubs?

Elsewhere, slow play continues to rear its head as the row over Carlota Ciganda's penalty at the Evian Championship rumbles on. Do we do enough at club level to get us round the course quicker?

And Steve has been on his travels again and reckons he has played the most insane golf course he's ever seen. He gives you the lowdown on Bishop Auckland, in County Durham.

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf

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Thirteen birdies and a leap that would make Phil Mickelson proud. Bryson DeChambeau’s stunning 58 at the Greenbrier was genuinely historic – so few have managed the feat – but his maiden LIV Golf victory has got minds whirring at NCG Towers.

On this week’s The Slam podcast, Matt Coles and Steve Carroll, stepping in for Matt Chivers, look back at Bryson’s win and ask the question: Should he go to the Ryder Cup?

The answer is a definitive yes, and it won’t ease the headache for US skipper Zach Johnson. Let us explain why he has to be on the plane.

It’s also the final women’s major of the year as the AIG Women’s Open is staged at the wonderful Walton Heath. We preview the action and hand over our tips.

The Slam podcast is produced in association with Callaway.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With its pizza oven, street food, a colourful driving range, and 9-hole course, Golf It! is being described as the sport’s new approach – an accessible and inclusive way to get into golf.

The facility, which is based at the former Lethamhill Golf Course in Glasgow, boasts a range of introductory golf formats and Steve Carroll went along to see it ahead of its launch.

He takes Tom Irwin through the new centre step-by-step and the pair ask whether it will actually change the way people engage with golf.

Meanwhile, some of Tom’s new shiny new TaylorMade kit remains unwrapped and so the duo get into the origins of the 14 club rule and whether we really need to use that many. Would golf be better with less, or even more clubs?

It’s thought provoking as always so have a listen and get involved.

From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celine Boutier was fantastic at the Evian Championship, becoming the first Frenchwoman to win this major title on home turf.

But this didn't come without some slow-play rules controversy involving Carlota Ciganda, and Angel Yin's ball being picked up by a young spectator!

NCG's Matt Chivers and Matt Coles take a look back at the action from France, as well as a brutal week in Wales where Alex Cejka won the Senior Open at Royal Porthcawl.

Brutal conditions led to some huge scores on Sunday, even by the leaders, as the wind and rain caused havoc on the coast.

The team also discusses Lee Hodges' dominant display at the 3M Open on the PGA Tour, and what this now means for the FedEx Cup rankings.

As we head into the final week of the regular season, could the likes of Justin Thomas and Shane Lowry miss out on the FedEx Cup Playoffs?

The Slam is an NCG podcast in association with Callaway. You know what to do!

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Did you feel sorry for the stars flailing around in Hoylake's bunkers at The Open? No, the From the Clubhouse team of Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll didn't either. 

For a brief period on Thursday, the sand was truly a hazard again in professional golf. For those of us at our clubs, used to hacking about and struggling to get out, it was magical.

Then the R&A changed the way they were raked, the players stopped moaning, and normality returned. But should it? Steve and Tom discuss the golf bunker, whether jeopardy is a big part of the risk of going into one, and whether the expectation of a consistent roll and a well-raked surface is what golf should be all about. 

It'll get some of your heckles up and, while we're on the subject of controversy, Steve is advocating a change to the penalty for stroke-and-distance that is bound to start a debate. So strap in and get listening!

From the Clubhouse is a National Club Golfer podcast produced in association with TaylorMade Golf

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From timekeeper to trolley-maker: How a broken trolley sparked the creation of one of the world’s biggest golf companies.

Powakaddy are celebrating 40 years of business this summer. The company has been designing and making golf trolleys in Sittingbourne, Kent, since 1983. But how did the company initially start, and what has changed in the trolley world in the last 40 years?

Equipment Editor Hannah Holden sat down with PowaKaddy CEO David Catford to find out...

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Brian Harman has proven himself on the big stage by becoming the Champion Golfer of the Year at Hoylake, and jumping up to third in the Ryder Cup standings.

On the latest episode of The Slam, in association with Callaway, Matt Chivers and Matt Coles talk about their week at Royal Liverpool, plus the shake-ups to both Ryder Cup sides as the event gets closer.

Harman could earn an automatic place, but what about the exploits of Justin Thomas? Is the American unpickable after another missed cut at The Open?

Sepp Straka staked another strong Ryder Cup claim with a tied runner-up finish in wet conditions, while it was another tournament that went begging for Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood.

The team also talk about the week on Merseyside as a whole. Covering The Open is great fun, but what were the most memorable moments and what were the key takeaways from the course itself?

From the bunkers to the internal out-of-bounds and the 17th hole - we dive into a full review of the 151st Open!

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It’s the kind of golfing odyssey of which most of us would dream. The best of UK golf and a ton of life experiences along the way.

Sean Zak, a well-known writer for golf.com in America, has been on that journey for the last month – traversing great courses and meeting those who love the game.

That expedition started, and is finishing, at Royal Liverpool and Sean kindly spared us some time to recount his adventures.

We’ll also get into some detail about the host course of this week’s Open, consider the American challenge for the Claret Jug, and preview Sean’s exciting upcoming book covering the three months he spent living in St Andrews last year.

It’s a different perspective on the golf we all take for granted in the UK, and you’re sure to enjoy the conversation.

The From the Clubhouse podcast is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.