The Niggle Podcast

Howard Schickler spent decades cultivating some of the earliest photographs of golf's champions. As the USGA acquired a collection spanning more than 1,000 images, he talks us through his life's work. Discover the full story of how Schickler put together his collection, the highlights, and why he devoted his life to it, in the NCG Podcast.

Remember that old Remington advert where the gentleman says he liked their razor blades so much he bought the company? Well now it's happened in golf. Businessman Ryan Howsam has become the first person to own a controlling stake in a major golf tour. What was formerly the European Seniors Tour and, since 2017, the Staysure Tour is now the Legends Tour. The Legends Tour aims to put the biggest names on the over-50s circuit at the forefront of the brand and, more importantly, create what they're calling "the greatest amateur experience in golf", giving you the chance to compete with the pros and against each other in tournament conditions. Well, it's all very exciting indeed. In this episode of the NCG Podcast, Alex Perry is joined by Howsam, as well as Head of the Legends Tour Mark Aspland and Legends Tour and victorious 2014 Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley to discuss it more.

It’s a venue that’s synonymous with big tournaments – and now the Belfry is back once again in the European Tour spotlight. Four times a Ryder Cup host, and a regular tour stop throughout its four-decade history, the Warwickshire resort has stepped in to hold the concluding event on the quickly organised UK swing – the inaugural UK Championship. But how did it all come about and just how easy has it been for the resort to respond so quickly to catering for the continent’s finest as they pitched in at the height of the coronavirus crisis? On this week’s NCG podcast, we chat with the Belfry’s director of golf Chris Reeve to find out.

What a time to buy a golf club. The team who own Prince’s branched out and acquired Chart Hills late last year – the club best known for being Sir Nick Faldo’s first European design and infamous for its bunkers – and unveiled some big plans. Then coronavirus struck and threw the entire industry into shutdown for almost two months. But they have pressed on following the resumption as they aim to restore what they consider to be a sleeping giant. The 250 acre property is being extensively redeveloped and improved, with work taking place on all 18 holes, along with a new driving range, refurbished clubhouse and upgraded practice facilities. Leading the project is Chart Hills' director of golf Ant Tarchetti. We talked to him about Covid-19, what’s going on at the Kent property, and how he hopes the complex can finally fulfil its potential.

The World Handicap System and one of the biggest changes to the way we play the game in decades comes into force on November 2. The dreaded .1 will disappear forever and our handicaps will apply the world over, whether we’re playing at our home club, the Old Course, or that bucket list layout in Florida. But if you still don’t know your course rating from your slope, your hard cap from your playing conditions calculation, then we are here to help. David Kernohan is handicapping and course rating officer for Scottish Golf and is leading the way in implementing the new system north of the border. We asked him to give us a beginners’ guide to WHS and he answers some of your questions too….

It’s been one of the most anticipated new golf courses for many years – an instant bucket list visit in a corner of Scotland that’s already choc-full of them. The transformation of largely flat pasture into a dunescaped golfing paradise has had players purring since Dumbarnie Links opened its doors. But the beautiful course on the coast in Fife has already come through more challenges than most – the coronavirus pandemic being just the latest. As it has to refocus its attentions from an international market to attracting domestic customers, and with building work still going on at the site as the resort plays a Covid-19 catch up, NCG's Steve Carroll talked to general manager David Scott about Dumbarnie’s wonderful reception on finally opening, the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead and – of course – the reasons why you should get in your car to come and play this new treasure...

It was an unexpected, but heartening, consequence of the coronavirus catastrophe. As nations took the tentative steps of opening up after lockdown, and people grasped for any semblance of normality, golf was able to step into the breech – the perfect sport for social distancing. First in England, and then across the rest of the UK as each country returned cautiously to the fairways, we saw a membership boom as golfers – lapsed, new and casual flocked to sign up. In Scotland, clubs reported increases of more than 100 per cent of new people joining but few of those could still compete with the astonishing figures at Moray Golf Club. They’re close to accepting 300 new members and the applications are still arriving on secretary Stevie Grant’s desk. So in this NCG podcast, we sat down with Stevie to find out how they did it, how lockdown affected the Lossiemouth club, and whether the new faces will be enough to see them through what still remains an uncertain time for the golf industry.

It’s been a long wait, hasn’t it? But professional golf at the highest level is finally about to kick start in Europe and it’s a course in the North East of England that will be the star. The British Masters will beam out across the continent, showcasing the charms of Close House in a tournament hosted by the club’s attached tour professional Lee Westwood. It was last here in 2017, when Rory McIlroy lit up the weekend but Paul Dunne’s fabulous closing 61 gave him the trophy. A lot has happened since then and it’s a very different world that will welcome the Tour’s finest this month. But while Close House, and the Colt course, will shine in the global spotlight – this is also a golf club, one that’s had to suffer the trials of coronavirus and lockdown like any other. So as the Newcastle venue gets ready to take centre stage, we talked to managing director Jonathan Lupton about the difficulties of the last few months, the excitement about kicking off a disrupted season, and the joys of having a tour legend

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 in the Ryder Cup and, in this podcast, gives us a fascinating insight into being a tour pro in the 1970s – which many people consider the golden age of tour golf and, given the players we discuss, it's difficult to argue with that assessment. Peter discusses how different the Ryder Cup was in those days, the feeling among players when it was extended to the whole of Europe, his Open career that included two rounds with then Masters champion Tom Watson, and why he knew Nick Faldo was going on to become the greatest this island ever produced. Enjoy.

Lockdown probably couldn't have come at a worse time for Tom Matthews. After just six events of his sophomore season at Eastern Florida State College, a spell that brought a victory and a quintet of top five finishes, the Oswestry golfer had bagged an autumn spot at Appalachian State and the big time of NCAA division I golf. The coronavirus crisis has ended that. But there has been cheer for the Welshman, who last week was named as one of six finalists for the prestigious Jack Nicklaus NJCAA National Player of the Year Award. So with that endorsement still ringing round his head, we sat down with Tom to talk about his nomination, the US college scene, the Covid-19 epidemic and what the future may hold for this talented young player...

The subject of women's participation in golf reared its ugly head again recently. In this episode of the NCG Podcast, Hannah Holden joins Alex Perry to not only discuss the backlash against Mel Reid for speaking out, but break down each argument against her point and explain why, particularly in this game, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Hannah also discusses her experiences of playing at club level and the difficulties she faced growing up playing a male-dominated sport. An important and fascinating account from someone who has lived it.

For many of us, it was the golden age of European golf, a time when the likes of Bernhard Langer, Jose Maria Olazabal and Sandy Lyle stalked the fairways in search of major championships. We grew up watching those mighty talents in the 1980s and 1990s and many are still plying their trade today on the Staysure Tour. Tony Rushmer and Mike Morley are in the enviable position of being able to stride with the legends as caddies to Jamie Spence and Markus Brier. But with professional golf on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, the pair have put their talents, and connections, to another use – starting a new podcast dedicated to the Staysure Tour and its personalities. Keep Up Shut Up has launched to rave reviews and they’ve been captivating a growing audience thanks to tales from Paul Eales and Mark James in their first two episodes. So for a podcast within a podcast, we caught up with Tony and Mike to talk about their new venture, what the life of a caddie is really like, and when they think they might

When will we be able to play golf again and will it be different after the lockdown ends? Host Alex Perry is joined by club golf experts Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin to discuss what golf will look like once we are allowed to play again and how clubs across the UK can take advantage.

There is every possibility the suspension of all tournament golf during the coronavirus pandemic could mean an autumn of European Tour events in the UK. That was the message from the Tour's chief executive Keith Pelley, who said in an email to players that "the financial reality is that our UK events, in addition to our Rolex Series tournaments, are the most critical ones to try and stage to meet demands of our broadcast contracts, particularly from our primary broadcaster, Sky Sports." NCG's Alex Perry and Steve Carroll discuss which UK golf clubs might step up to the plate.

If you haven't seen, the 149th Open will now be played in 2021 while the other three golf majors – the Masters, US Open, and PGA Championship – have new dates later in the year. In this episode of the NCG Podcast, Alex Perry and Steve Carroll try to decipher the decisions made at the very top of the game and ask if there is any possibility of us seeing some live golf between now and the end of the year.  Oh, and there's the small matter of the Ryder Cup, too...

There are few people more steeped in golf than John Roger Jones – his list of achievements is both long and illustrious. Three times a Welsh strokeplay champion and twice winner of the matchplay, JR – as he is affectionately known – clocked up 85 caps for his country before becoming both a Wales and Walker Cup selector. Elected to the R&A’s championship committee in 1989, he has refereed at some of the world’s top tournaments – including more than a dozen Open Championships. The voice of the Rules of Golf for a number of years on NBC, where his dulcet tones explained the technicalities to American TV viewers, there’s little he hasn’t seen either out on the course or in the booth. So whether it’s explaining why he put Ernie Els on the clock on the pivotal back 9 at Royal Lytham in 2012, or how he deciphered Jordan Spieth’s incredible adventures at Royal Birkdale five years later to an audience of millions, sit back as we go on a journey with JR through the Rules of Golf.

Romain Langasque beat Bryson DeChambeau 4&3 in the 2016 Georgia Cup – a matchplay showdown between the Amateur and US Amateur champions held at the Golf Club of Georgia, a couple of hours from Augusta National, the week before the Masters. Langasque and DeChambeau would go on to be the only amateurs to make the cut and both turned professional the day after Danny Willett slipped on the Green Jacket. In this episode of the NCG Podcast, James Broadhurst sits down with Langasque to hear all about what it was like playing in the Masters, his "rivalry" with DeChambeau, and what he would serve in his Champions Dinner.

National Club Golfer's Alex Perry and Dan Murphy discuss their favourite Open venues and what makes them so special. And it's not always about the course – there are so many more factors than you might think...

Everything about Jimmie James’ quest is extraordinary. Whether that was starting his year-long drive to play America’s top 100 courses at Augusta National – a course many of us will never see – or the 70,000 air miles and $25,000 it cost to achieve it, his mission to play that entire list in 365 days was a journey of discovery. But he hasn’t stopped there. Fittingly, we met him at the Home of Golf, where he discussed his golfing odyssey, what possessed him to do it and why he now has more global ambitions.

Andrew Wilson isn’t your regular golfer given that he a) has a Masters, and b) doesn’t take himself seriously at all. In 2019 he made his Open debut after topping the qualifying at Hollinwell and his build-up included five days in Ibiza, nearly missing his registration and then praying that he wouldn’t shank it off the 1st tee. He did better than that, made the cut and played the Sunday with Louis Oosthuizen. In this podcast he talks about all this, his journey so far and what he thinks about slow play and Patrick Reed. This year he will be playing on the Challenge Tour.