The Niggle Podcast

In this episode of The NCG Podcast, Alex Perry, Mark Townsend, Steve Carroll and Andy Wright discuss green fees. Like would they pay the £500+ to play Pebble Beach? And what would they do if they had a day to themselves at Augusta?

NCG sat down for a chat with pro golfer Paul Waring.

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Jamie Donaldson joins Alex Perry and Mark Townsend on the podcast for a fun and fascinating insight into his Ryder Cup experience In the second of three special edition Ryder Cup podcasts, Jamie Donaldson chats to NCG about his experience at Gleneagles in 2014 about why he wanted to partner Lee Westwood, Paul McGinley’s captaincy, and what Billy Foster said to him when he was stood on the 1st tee…

Chris Wood joins Alex Perry and Mark Townsend on the podcast to bare his soul in a fascinating insight into his Ryder Cup experience In the first of three special edition Ryder Cup podcasts, Chris Wood chats to NCG about his experience at Hazeltine in 2016 under the stewardship of Darren Clarke. Chris Wood joins Alex Perry and Mark Townsend on the podcast to bare his soul in a fascinating insight into his Ryder Cup experience The NCG Podcast: Ryder Cup special – Chris Wood Well, I wish I had played a little bit more. I felt like I was playing pretty well. It was a difficult position for the captain when you lose 4-0 win in the first session on Friday morning, but the likes of myself, Sully and Fitz, we probably weren’t given the right chance. I didn’t play until Saturday morning and that was it for me until the singles. I played Saturday morning with Rose in foursomes, which went well, but I didn’t envisage myself being out in a foursomes. Whether the plans changed or not, I couldn’t say. But it felt as

Mini tour pro Michael Helyard joins Alex Perry and Mark Townsend for a no-holds barred edition of the NCG Podcast 'You don't know when you'll next make any money – it's extremely stressful' Michael Helyard is currently preparing for a season on the mini tour scene, including Jamega, 1836 and EuroPro Tours. In the meantime, he’s joined National Club Golfer as a brand ambassador to help fund his aim of making it to the the highest level. From playing off scratch at the age of 14, to shooting 59, to giving up the game all together to move to London for a “real job”, to finding his way back into the game, Michael joins the regular NCG Podcast team of Alex Perry and Mark Townsend to give us a fascinating insight into a side of professional golf that you don’t see.

In the latest NCG Podcast, Alex Perry and Mark Townsend are joined by golf psychologist Karl Morris who explains why next summer will be determined by this winter. Why winter is the most important time of year for your game It is Winter Golf Week here at NCG, so who else would we turn to for this winter golf special edition of the NCG Podcast the Karl Morris? One of the finest psychologist in the game, Karl explains to Alex Perry and Mark Townsend exactly why it is so important to keep your game in shape over the winter months. Thinking of throwing your clubs in the garage until spring? Think again… More from the NCG Podcast The NCG Podcast: Is this the answer to slow play? The NCG Podcast: Is this the answer to slow play? November 1, 2017The Scoop The NCG Podcast: Why are golf courses obsessed with being difficult? The NCG Podcast: Why are golf courses obsessed with being difficult? October 4, 2017The Scoop The NCG Podcast: Why I quit the Ladies European Tour The NCG Podcast: Why I quit the Ladies Eur

The NCG Podcast: Eliminating slow play November 1, 2017 Is the Shot Clock Masters the answer? Alex Perry is joined by European Tour pro Andy Sullivan and Mark Townsend to discuss slow play in the latest NCG Podcast The NCG Podcast: Eliminating slow play The European Tour recently announced the Shot Clock Masters, where each player will have 40 seconds to hit each of their shots. Is it the answer to slow play, or just a bit of a gimmick? NCG Podcast host Alex Perry is joined by regular guest Mark Townsend and three-time European Tour champion Andy Sullivan to get their views on the Shot Clock Masters. More from the NCG Podcast The NCG Podcast: Why are golf courses obsessed with being difficult? The NCG Podcast: Why are golf courses obsessed with being difficult? October 4, 2017The Scoop The NCG Podcast: Why I quit the Ladies European Tour The NCG Podcast: Why I quit the Ladies European Tour August 16, 2017The Scoop The NCG Podcast: Who will be McIlroy's next caddie? The NCG Podcast: Who will be McIlroy

In episode 3 of the NCG Podcast, Dean Muir, course manager of the Machrie, joins the team to discuss his life on the links As part of NCG’s Links Golf Week, Alex Perry, Dan Murphy and Mark Townsend are joined by Dean Muir, the course manager of the Machrie on the Isle of Islay. Muir, who left Muirfield to take up this role, brings a fascinating insight on a life working on links golf courses with his various techniques and philosophies: “The more the ball is on the ground, the more interesting the game is.” The Machrie - links golf week Dean also discussses his thoughts on blind shots, course length, and the dreaded rough. And he raises a few eyebrows when asked what his favourite links golf courses are. Want to find out? It’s all in the latest NCG Podcast… About the NCG Podcast The NCG Podcast began life as “The Niggle Podcast”, where we discussed a relevant discussion point from the world of golf. We have now revamped and respawned as the NCG Podcast, which becomes a more encompassing look at golf,

In episode 2 of the NCG Podcast, Alex Perry and Mark Townsend are joined by former LET star Sally Watson to discuss the uncertain future of the tour. The future of the Ladies European Tour is an uncertain one after several tournaments were cancelled and CEO Ivan Khodabakhsh left the organisation. So as it shifts towards crisis point, what next for the LET? In the latest episode of the NCG Podcast, Alex Perry is joined by Mark Townsend and former LET star Sally Watson, who recently quit the sport to pursue another career. And she has some pretty frank opinions on the LET.

In episode 1 of the revamped NCG Podcast, we speak to a European Tour caddie who gives us some fascinating insight into the Rory McIlroy-JP Fitzgerald split... When will the Rory McIlroy’s next caddie? Will it ever end? He might just bounce from bagman to bagman… NCG Podcast host Alex Perry is joined by Mark Townsend after a chat with European Tour caddie Steve Brotherhood, David Howell’s bagman of six years, who offers a fascinating insight into who will replace JP Fitzgerald by McIlroy’s side. Just to tease you, Brotherhood knows who it is. We can tell. You’re not fooling anyone, Steve!

Podcast regulars Alex Perry and Mark Townsend are joined by No Laying Up's Chris Solomon to discuss all things Open Championship... In this special edition Open podcast, we want to know how watching golf’s oldest major differed for someone that grew up in the US from someone that grew up in Britain? And which Americans are most likely to take advantage of Royal Birkdale this week? Luckily we found someone from across the pond, Chris Solomon of No Laying Up fame, to join podcast regulars Alex Perry and Mark Townsend in the Tommy Fleetwood lounge of Formby Hall. We also thought of a few European players who might be able to hold off the American invasion…

In the latest episode of the Niggle Podcast, we've entered Open qualifiers, got through, and now we're preparing for our big day. Come dream with us... The Open qualifiers. What a scary thought for us mere mortals. With everyone’s favourite golfing week of the year – or second favourite, depending on how you feel about the Masters – on the horizon, NCG decided to try and qualify for the Birkdale showpiece. Well, not this week podcasters Alex Perry, Mark Townsend and James Savage, but two colleagues who are much, much better at golf than us. But what we can do is dream about getting through Open qualifiers. So that’s exactly what we did, right down to what we would wear and who we’d like to play with should we make the real thing. Enjoy. We know you’ve dreamed about playing in the Open because, well, you’re human. So how would you take on the biggest day of your life. Dream with us Twitter and Facebook. Remember, if you have any topics you want discussed in future episodes of the Niggle Podcast, you can em

In this week's special major episode of the Niggle Podcast, the NCG team discuss the US Open and the times golf brought them to their knees... It’s a US Open podcast special! This week, the Messi-Suarez-Neymar trio (their words) of Alex Perry, Steve Carroll and Mark Townsend discuss all things Erin Hills. Are we making too much of the rough? Where will the difficulty really lie? Are we expecting a US Open to remember? And, most importantly, who will win? Talking of golf being really hard, the guys discuss times where they’ve been beaten up by a course – and any times they were reduced to tears…

Alex Perry, Dan Murphy and Steve Carroll discuss Tiger Woods' latest fall from grace following his arrest on Monday. Tiger Woods’ arrest for driving under the influence in the early hours of Monday sent shockwaves through the golfing world. In the latest episode of National Club Golfer’s Niggle podcast, regulars Alex Perry and Steve Carroll are joined by editor Dan Murphy to chat about all things Tiger. Are they more angry than sad? Is this Tiger’s lowest low? If he were to walk away from the game now, would he be happy with what he’s achieved? All these questions, and more, are answered by the trio – with even a little conspiracy thrown in… There is plenty more on Tiger’s latest incident on National Club Golfer. Dan’s editor’s column is about how the former world No. 1 fell from feared to feared for, while social media editor Joe Urquhart has been looking at how the internet reacted. Elsewhere, Matt Beedle looks at Woods’ career timeline, while James Broadhurst runs down other moments the 41-year-old hit