The NCG Golf Podcast

We're counting down the weeks to the 151st Open at Royal Liverpool and as the excitement builds for the From the Clubhouse team of Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll, they've bagged a special guest for this week's episode. 

They're joined by Hoylake's Links Manager, James Bledge, to look ahead to the year's final major and talk about his stellar career in greenkeeping.

You will not want to miss the story of what happened on James' first day as a greenkeeper, and he's got plenty of anecdotes and stories from a life spent at some of golf's most glorious courses.

And while he can't quite give you an inside track on the Open course set-up - we can't let the competitors know what's coming! - he does give us some insight into just how huge the event has become, what it takes to get a course ready to hold it, the new 17th hole that everyone is hoping will provide a thrilling climax to Sunday's final round, and the sheer scale of the team he will have on site throughout the week.

If this doesn't get you up for The Open, nothing will. So let's dive straight in.

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

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What's the weather forecast? The course is closed, any idea when it will be open? Can I return these year-old shoes? We're all guilty of bombarding our hard-working club pro with some pretty ridiculous queries and, on the From the Clubhouse, we reveal some of the stranger requests.

Tom Irwin has basically been ringing around every pro he knows and asking them to tell us, anonymously of course, about the daftest questions they've been asked by members. He's also been listening in to golfers.

Maybe you're guilty of asking some of these, maybe you think some of these are perfectly above board, but you'll recognise someone you know in all of these situations.

If that wasn't controversial enough, we also address the seemingly and endlessly controversial topic of whether greenkeepers or golfers should have priority on the course - and Steve Carroll has some very strong views.

It's every shot counts now for Steve, who has begun a six-month odyssey of putting in a score from every round he plays that's acceptable, and he gives us an update on the first of those before being put under the spotlight by Tom to explain a series of rules incidents at the PGA Championship.

That's a lot for one episode and so let's get stuck in!

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Brooks Koepka returned to his brilliant best at the PGA Championship, overcoming Viktor Hovland and Scottie Scheffler to win his fifth major title at Oak Hill!

Matt Chivers and Tom Irwin dissect what took place in New York last week, with Koepka's typically formidable performance at the centre of discussion.

The team looks back on a magical week for PGA professional Michael Block and another solid but disappointing week for Rory McIlroy at a major tournament.

Matt and Tom talk about Oak Hill as the PGA Championship's host venue and much more in this review episode!

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White belts? Iron headcovers? These things are a given. But what else do you really fear and despise on the golf course and what would you want to banish from your club forever?

In this week’s episode of From the Clubhouse, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll get into their pet hates and argue for their inclusion in club golf’s Room 101.

But this is a tough school, as only with unanimous agreement will their selections gain entry.

What will we put in there? Will scabby range balls make the cut? What about Tom’s dodgy dislike of parkland tracks? What do we say about the eternal issue of fairway divots?

We’re sure you’ll nod your heads in agreement but also shake your fists in rage at some of our suggestions. So let’s get the discussion going.

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Golfers always have high expectations from their game, but is this holding you back from performing your best?

We've teamed up with Shot Scope to take a deep dive into club golfers' statistics and see where you can make the biggest gains to improve your golf this season. 

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It's major week and in this episode of The Slam, a National Club Golfer podcast in association with Callaway, with discussing who we think will lift that famous Wanamaker Trophy at Oak Hill on Sunday.

Can you believe it's been more than 100 years since and Englishman won the PGA Championship? Well we've got a couple of names we fancy to end that drought - but there's a couple of solid Americans they will need to stave off first.

Elsewhere, there was an emotional victory on the PGA Tour, while LIV Golf provided a rather entertaining Sunday.

Let's go!

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We just love nattering about competitions!

On this week's From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll meander once again around match play golf and debate the optimal number of events in a club's calendar.

Tom recounts a head-to-head that left a participant in tears, grills Steve after reading he'd had an eventful refereeing weekend that involved a fair number of DQs, and then takes him to task when he reveals he's not playing in competitions - while simultaneously asking for more competitions!

Tom's also got plenty to say on eligibility and why, in his view, the best players can't always represent their clubs at the top level.

But make sure you listen to the end, when the pair will raise an eyebrow after making an interesting pledge until the end of the season...

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It's been a dramatic week on tour, with several European legends resigning  from the DP World Tour and effectively ending their Ryder Cup careers, so there's plenty for Alex Perry and Matt Chivers to get into in this episode of The Slam - a National Club Golfer podcast, in association with Callaway.

The pair go in hard on the main protagonists - namely Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia, and Richard Bland - but the reality is so much more damaging for Europe's hopes of regaining the Ryder Cup trophy in September.

Elsewhere, Alex and Matt discuss what's going on with Rory McIlroy, and the horrible Jordan Spieth news that has darkened our week.

Let's dive in...

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