NCG Top 100s Podcast

Is Cornwall missing from your golf trip wishlist? Host Tom Irwin and Dan Murphy make the case for moving it to the top as the NCG Top 100s podcast heads to England’s south-west extremity.Inspired by the latest 48 Hours in Cornwall film, this episode explores three very different experiences at Perranporth, St Enodoc and Trevose. Expect to stir memories of the long, hot, dry summer, towering dunes, spectacular sea views and the sort of links challenges that make you forget about your scorecard.Why did switching to matchplay transform the fun at Perranporth? What makes St Enodoc so memorable? And how have recent changes at Trevose improved its appeal still further?Tom and Dan also champion the joy of shorter courses, including St Enodoc’s Holywell, and share ideas for building your own Cornish escape, from where to base yourself to which extra rounds deserve a place on the itinerary.Before Cornwall takes centre stage, your hosts head hundreds of miles north. There is a Scottish catch-up covering Old Petty at Cabot Highlands, Highland hospitality at Nairn and family golf at Gullane and North Berwick.Whether you’re planning your next golf break or simply dreaming of seaside fairways, join Tom and Dan for a conversation about great courses and why the best golf isn’t always about the numbers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Irwin elbows his way back into the host’s chair alongside Dan Murphy for a wide-ranging conversation about what makes a golf course worth travelling for and how our latest rankings updates (Wales and Ireland) are taking shape.The episode begins on the Isle of Man at Castletown Golf Links, a wild Old Tom Morris course that has also had input – by post! – from Alister MacKenzie. It has a curious place in the Top 100s landscape as it is not part of England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, which is confusing. It is perversely on an island yet also easy to reach and Dan proposes a theory that it might be the least-played course in the whole of our NCG Top 100s GB&I list. Well, except for Ardfin. And Adare Manor perhaps.From there, Tom and Dan lift the lid on the latest NCG Top 100s updates for Ireland and Wales. They discuss how panellists form independent opinions, why groupthink can distort a ranking and what their latest research is revealing.Ireland is changing quickly ahead of the Ryder Cup at Adare Manor, with investment and renovation reshaping several destinations.Wales, meanwhile, continues to offer exceptional value and may produce the greatest movement further down the list.There is also a spirited debate about nine-hole golf, the compromises created by chasing a conventional 18-hole layout and why discovering a brilliant course at number 75 can be more rewarding than confirming the obvious number one.Join us for rankings, road trips, hidden gems and plenty of good-natured but explosive disagreement. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a great golf club logo? Is it the design, the history, the story behind the badge – or simply the prestige of the name?In this episode of the NCG Top 100s Podcast, host Dan Murphy is joined by George Peper, former editor-in-chief of Golf Magazine and author of The Best Logos in Golf, to explore the phenomenon of us golfers and our ever-growing collections of elite merch.George explains what separates a memorable logo from the rest and how he helped compile a ranking of the best in golf.George and Dan also discuss the etiquette of sporting your logo(s). What are the dos and don’ts when it comes to making sure your playing partners know where you have been? Is it acceptable to mix-and-match your logos? When does sharing your pride at playing a great course cross over into insufferable boastfulness? Is it ever acceptable to don a logo of a course that you haven’t played yourself – even if it was a thoughtful gift?Oh – and why is the Masters logo reduced to footnote status in the book?It’s a fascinating look at the stories, traditions and identities that make golf clubs special, and why a great logo can mean so much more than a name on a shirt. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dan Murphy and Tom Irwin jostle for hosting duties as the latter recounts his recent trip to the tip of the remote Kintyre peninsula in south-west Scotland.They discuss the scale – and importance – of the journey to what could be Scotland’s most remote major golfing destination.Tom then holds forth on his experiences at first Machrihanish Dunes, then Dunaverty and finally Machrihanish: three very different links experiences yet each of them stirring the soul.Their evocative discussion covers Machrihanish Dunes’ outrageous green sites and gently roiling fairways, the sheer and elemental simplicity of Dunaverty and the front nine at Machrihanish that might just be the equal of any stretch of holes in the links canon.Two of these courses date back a century and a half while Mach Dunes is yet to celebrate its 20th birthday – but you would not necessarily know it.A trip to Kintyre goes well beyond simply playing these three contrasting seaside courses – the landscape, remoteness and sense of discovery all play a huge part in the experience. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

NCG Top 100s host Tom Irwin is joined by James Parker, Course Manager at Machrihanish Dunes, to explore one of Scotland’s newest links courses – but also one that feels like it could be among the very oldest.Set on the Kintyre Peninsula in the very south-western tip of Scotland, Machrihanish Dunes is nearer to Antrim than it is to Ayrshire. This is a course that was discovered in the landscape rather than built from scratch.James explains the philosophy behind its natural routing, how its architect David McLay Kidd approached the project and why so little of the original site was disturbed during construction.Tom and James also discuss what makes Machrihanish Dunes so different from more polished modern golf destinations, the importance of its rugged landscape, and the role sheep and grazing play in managing the course and supporting biodiversity.They also look at the wider Kintyre golf scene, the changing appeal of remote links destinations and how Machrihanish Dunes has found a place among the most spiritual of modern golf courses. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From a last-minute journey that goes spectacularly wrong to the relaxed surroundings of Le Touquet, our intrepid trio of travellers crossed La Manche for the latest episode of 48 Hours In…For this episode of the pod, Tom Irwin is joined by his playing partners Tom Bullough and James Sparkes to look back on the trip and reflect on the golf, the food and the off-camera moments.That includes their visits to some of northern France’s most special golfing venues, including Le Touquet’s La Forêt and Hardelot’s Les Pins. They discuss what makes them so special, and reveal why one course in particular left a lasting impression.Beyond that, we all need to know about Flexi Plus, a broken-down car, a wasp in the hotel room and plenty of the usual 48 Hours In chaos.Find out what really makes these French golf courses worth the trip. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special episode, Dan Murphy jumps into the hosting hotseat to chat to golfing royalty Clive Clark, who has enjoyed a fascinating career as an elite golfer and course architect.Clive is a member of a very rare club who have played in both the Walker and Ryder Cups. He also made 10 Open appearances, with a best finish of third in 1967, and played alongside Jack Nicklaus when the great man won his second Claret Jug at St Andrews in 1970.Clive went on to work for the BBC golf commentary team where he was invariably brought into the conversation with the question: ‘How’s it lying, Clive?’He continued his long-time friendship with Peter Alliss to design golf courses alongside him. He has designed more than 30 courses around the world – including Dumbarnie Links in Fife.Clive discusses the creation of Dumbarnie, from the original vision for the course to its modern risk-and-reward design. They discuss what makes a genuine links site, why playability and strategy are so important, and why Clive believes golfers should have to use “what’s between the ears” to score well at a well-designed course. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Irwin is joined by Mike Robertson and Tom Bullough to look back on their recent adventure in Finland, where they spent 48 hours travelling, filming and discovering some of the country's best golf.The trip got off to a chaotic start, with delayed flights, a three-hour drive after landing in Helsinki and just a few hours' sleep before the filming began. From there, the team packed as much into the trip as possible, with long drives, spectacular scenery, midnight-sun conditions and plenty of golf along the way.Mike and Tom talk Tom Irwin through the courses they played, the unique landscapes and conditions they encountered, and what surprised them most about Finnish golf. They also discuss why Finland could be an exciting alternative for golfers looking for something different from the more traditional European golf destinations.Plus, there are plenty of stories from behind the scenes of filming the latest 48 Hours In... episode, including the realities of trying to fit so much into just two days.The full 48 Hours in Finland film is available on the NCG Top 100s YouTube channel 🎥: https://youtu.be/fya0W3UK3cQ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Formby Ladies Golf Club is unlike anywhere else in golf. At under 5,400 yards, it's easy to underestimate, but as course manager Rob Sandilands explains, that would be a big mistake.Steve Carroll sits down with Rob to discuss the remarkable transformation of one of England's Top 100 courses, from habitat restoration and sustainable greenkeeping to managing extreme weather and changing how golfers experience a course.They also explore why shorter golf courses deserve far more respect, the unique history of the world's oldest independent women's golf club, and the behind-the-scenes work that has helped make Formby Ladies one of the country's most celebrated golfing destinations.If you've ever wondered what really goes into creating a world-class golf course, or why length isn't everything, this is an episode you won't want to miss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tom Irwin is joined by Mike Robertson to relive one of golf's most unique bucket-list experiences: the Hagen 54.Fresh from walking and playing 54 holes in a single day across Royal St George's, Prince's and Royal Cinque Ports, the pair discuss what makes the event so special, from Walter Hagen's incredible story and the history behind the route to the atmosphere, the people, the golf and whether this is the greatest golfing day out in England.They also compare the three legendary links, reveal their favourite holes, share what it's really like tackling 54 holes in one go, and explain why the Hagen 54 has become one of the most memorable events in the golf calendar.Would you take on the challenge? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.