Both Sides of Par: Golf Podcast for Every Handicap
Both Sides of Par is a golf podcast hosted by Colin, a high handicapper returning to the game after 20 years, and Ross, a low handicapper with deep industry knowledge. They have honest and funny conversations about improving at golf from opposite ends of the handicap spectrum. Episodes cover practice advice that makes a real difference, gear and golf technology, courses and golf trips, and amateur questions often ignored by scratch-focused tips. The show is aimed at players with handicaps around 10 to 25, with a particular affection for Scotland and its golf culture.
Episodes
Are Premium Golf Balls Worth It? Plus Ireland's Hidden Links Gem
⛳ Follow us on Instagram: @bothsidesofpar for golf tips, course reviews, practice drills and behind-the-scenes clips from Ross and Colin.Are expensive golf balls really worth the money? This week on Both Sides of Par, Ross and Colin dig into the differences between premium golf balls and cheaper alternatives, including Titleist Pro V1, Pro V1x, Seed, Vice and Kirkland. With robot testing data sugg
Custom Fitting Myths Busted: Why Every Golfer Can Benefit | SGGT
Think custom club fitting is only for good golfers? Think again. This week Ross is joined by Aaron Ellis (@golf_specs) from SGGT (@sggt_uk) to bust some of golf's biggest equipment myths and explain why the right clubs can make a difference whether you're playing off scratch or 25.With Colin representing the higher handicappers and Ross at the other end of the spectrum, Aaron explains why the fitt
Best Irons: Blades, Cavity Backs, Players Distance, Game Improvement... We Go Golf Club Shopping
Colin and Ross are back together after a wee break, and the handicaps are behaving for once. Colin is down another stroke to 22 after a cracking front nine on the Jubilee Course at St Andrews, where he found two thirds of the fairways, outdrove a single figure golfer by 20 yards and holed more 15 footers than he has any right to. (A windless day, a borrowed spanner on the second tee and some Scott
How Links Golf Courses Are Designed: Bunkers, Greens and Strategy Explained
This week Colin swaps Ross for a guest he's known his entire life: his dad. Duncan Gray started out as a greenkeeper at Gatehouse of Fleet, spent years at Lahinch, ran the Ayrshire municipal courses, then moved into designing and consulting on courses before building his own, the Pines Golf Centre in Dumfries. He's also been playing for 65 years, which is roughly 60 more than Colin has been any us
What Happens When McLaren Engineers Design Golf Clubs? McLaren Golf, CEO Neil Howie
Instagram - @bothsidesofparWhat happens when one of the world's most recognisable names in Formula One and automotive engineering decides to enter the golf industry?In this special episode of Both Sides of Par, Ross sits down with Neil Howie, CEO of McLaren Golf, to discover the story behind the brand's arrival in golf and its ambitions to challenge conventional thinking in golf club design.After
Can a £1 Vokey Wedge From a Charity Shop Transform Colin’s Short Game?
Follow the podcast: @bothsidesofparCan you really find a Vokey wedge for £1? Apparently you can. Colin walks into a charity shop, digs through a bucket of mostly forgettable golf clubs and somehow comes out with a Titleist Vokey SM6 52° wedge for the price of a chocolate bar. Ross explains bounce, grind and why Colin might have landed on an almost perfect setup completely by accident.There’s more
Best Golf Bags 2026, a Scratch Golfer's 84, and a Top Trip Guide in South West Scotland
Ross opens Episode 30 by trying very hard not to talk about the 84 he shot at the weekend, his worst round in three years, before Colin gives him sixty seconds to explain himself. The consolation, as Colin points out, is that it's reassuring to know scratch golfers have those days too. From there it's straight into the gear, and this week that means golf bags. Ross has just picked up a Ping Hoofer
Why Tour Pros Battle the Same Demons as You – Peter Whiteford
Follow us on Instagram - @bothsidesofparFormer DP World Tour player Peter Whiteford joins Ross this week to talk about a very different way of getting better at golf: stop assuming you know what's costing you shots and actually go out on the course and find out. After nearly 20 years travelling and playing professionally, Peter's career was cut short by hip problems, eventually leading to a replac
Practise Your Golf or Practise the Course? A Scratch Golfer and a High Handicapper Disagree
The nights are drawing in and Colin is feeling a bit wistful about the end of the golf season, while Ross, basking in 21 degrees down south, cheerfully reminds him that medal comps run all winter at Farnham. Consolation duly not provided, the lads get into gear, and this week it's Ross with a new toy: the Strike Wedge. Colin assumed it was an actual wedge (Ross did just buy three, after all), but
The £5 Golf Club Fix That Cured a 30-Yard Hook
Colin's got a new toy and he's not even using it for what it's meant for. This week he unboxes the Shot Scope Pro L2 rangefinder and cheerfully admits the main use so far has been checking whether the group ahead is out of range so he can smash a few extra practice drives. Ross, playing the sensible one for once, weighs in on lasers versus GPS and why chasing precision to the yard might matter les
Royal Dornoch Review: What It's Really Like For A High Handicapper
Normal service resumes after a few weeks of summer holidays, and the lads have somehow managed to golf Scotland from top to bottom between them. The main event this week is Royal Dornoch, which both Colin and Ross played within days of each other, narrowly missing an actual meet-up but successfully completing a 550-mile wedge handover via the pro shop. Ross marked his 50th birthday with an early m
The Golf Tech Ep: Best Phone Apps, Rangefinders & GPS Watches Compared
Colin's flying solo this week, and by solo we mean putting on a repeat while Ross plays Royal Dornoch and Colin nurses his jealousy after a consolation trip up the coast past Brora, Tain and Golspie. So it's back to one of the early episodes, recorded when there was five inches of snow on the ground, which is either quaint or cruel depending on your current heatwave situation.The episode itself is
I Lost 13 Balls at One of Scotland's Best Links Golf Courses
Ross and Colin are back with a proper mixed bag this week. Colin's been living his best golfing life at two very different Scottish gems, the windswept championship links of Western Gailes and the quirky Old Tom Morris charm of Cullen, though the Gailes part of Western Gailes lived up to its name and cost him somewhere north of thirteen balls. Ross, meanwhile, is preparing for an Open qualifier by
Cut your Golf Handicap: Practice Routines, Speed Training & Smart Strategy
Big news opens the show: Ross has made it back to scratch for the first time in roughly 16 years, and the lads pick apart exactly how he got there. It turns out most of the battle was in his head, with old handicap barriers (that stubborn 0.5, the dreaded jump from 6 to 5) doing more damage than his swing ever did. The fixes were refreshingly human: their weekly chats keeping him accountable, thre
He Built a Launch Monitor at Home for $500 (And It Matches Trackman)
Ross is off the grid this week, so Colin holds the high handicap fort alone and brings in a guest who sits at the other end of the spectrum: Coleman Rollins, better known online as Coleman Golfs. Coleman is a near scratch software engineer who got so fed up with launch monitor prices that he did the only reasonable thing and built his own, an open source unit called OpenFlight. The two quickly dis
Golf Chipping Practice Drills That Work on the Course (PLUS Scratch Heartbreak, Spider Putters & 5-Wood Bump-and-Runs)
Follow us at @bothsidesofpar and grab the newsletter here. Episode SummaryRoss very nearly gets to scratch this week - painfully nearly. He talks through a round where one missed short putt on the 18th left him sitting at 0.5, along with the classic golfer’s curse of knowing you should stick to process while your brain quietly screams, “go on then, make history.” Colin, naturally, offers sympathy
Golf Trolley Roundup (Push or Self-Driving?) PLUS pick the Yellow Tee on your Next Medal?
This week, Ross takes us through the highlights of playing the iconic Wentworth West Course, diving into his five favorite holes and what makes the experience special.The boys also tackle a deep dive into modern golf trolleys, sharing tips and insights for anyone considering an upgrade. Then they discuss whether you should take advantage of the WHS rules around using whatever tee suits you in comp
A £5 Golf Drill, a 1-Under Round, and an Amazing Scottish Links Nobody Talks About
This week Colin and Ross catch up on a productive stretch of golf, with both of them quietly sliding down the handicap charts. Colin is dropping into the low twenties and threatening more cuts, while Ross casually drops in a one under round that takes him to 0.7, the sort of update only a low handicapper can deliver with a straight face 😆 Before any scorecards come out, there's a proper gear nerd-
How to Play the Old Course at St Andrews (Plus new tour balls & Machrahanish)
Colin's riding high this week after slashing his handicap from 28 down to 24, the result of a 19-over medal win at his home club. The secret? Putting the driver back in the bag, hitting five iron off every tee, and committing to the kind of smart, course-managed golf the lads have been preaching for months. Ross is on his own quiet roll too, knocking in four birdies across a casual nine-hole round
Scott Fawcett: The Course Management Secrets That Lower Scores
Colin and Ross sit down with Scott Fawcett, the brain behind the DECADE Course Management System and the man who caddied for a then unknown Will Zalatoris when he won the Texas Amateur and the US Junior back in 2014. Scott has worked in some capacity with roughly a third of the PGA Tour, holds three quantitative degrees, and once played pro golf himself, which is how he discovered the unromantic b
Portugal's Fastest Greens Left Us All Traumatised 😯 Plus Ross' 170mph ball speed
We'd love to hear your feedback - what can we improve about the show? What do you want to stay the same? Email us at: hello@bothpar.comThis week on Both Sides of Par, Colin reports back from a lads' golf trip to Portugal, where he tackled three courses near Cascais including the stunning Oitavos Dunes, a links-style track with greens so fast they left everyone slightly traumatised. Despite scores
Why Ross Left the Driver in the Bag on Every Par 5 (And Shot Level Par)
Colin and Ross are back with a spring-in-the-air episode that finds both of them actually getting outside for a change (Scotland hitting double figures apparently counts as tropical). Colin, flying the flag for the high handicappers, reports back on the swing drills he's been grinding through at home, specifically the towel-under-the-armpits connection drill and the now-infamous chair-behind-the-b
What it takes to get to Scratch (& the wedge bounce world record!)
In this episode of Both Sides of Par, Colin and Ross bring in a special guest, Bruce, for a deep dive into golf from every angle of the handicap spectrum. What starts as a casual catch-up turns into a fascinating journey through golf-mad childhoods, living on top of legendary courses, and the bizarre paths that lead players from early obsession to scratch (and beyond).They swap stories about growi
I gave AI my golf swing data & it diagnosed everything!
Colin and Ross are back with a practice-heavy episode that covers everything from AI assisted swing diagnosis to the ongoing plague of slow play in modern golf. Colin kicks things off by sharing his weekend project of rigging up a massive monitor in his shed so he can actually see his launch monitor data while hitting balls. He then walks through the results of feeding all his swing data into Clau
How to Cut Strokes by Thinking Smart on the Golf Course (& Trying to Qualify for the Open!)
As the weather finally turns and the golf season edges closer, Colin and Ross dive into the excitement (and frustrations) of getting back on the course after a long, wet winter. They chat about early-season conditions, upcoming competitions, and the reality of shaking off rust.Ross shares insights from a recent lesson and opens up about the challenge of managing emotions on the course - highlighti
Inside the Srixon Factory: How Custom Golf Clubs Are Really Made
In this episode of Both Sides of Par, Ross takes Colin behind the scenes of a visit to the European headquarters of Srixon. From walking into a building covered in a giant image of Shane Lowry to seeing signed tour bags from Hideki Matsuyama, the experience felt like a golfer’s version of Willy Wonka’s factory.Ross shares what actually happens inside a professional custom-fitting facility: how sha
Why Winter Golf Separates the Thinkers from the Hitters
This week on Both Sides of Par, Colin and Ross explore what really happens to your golf game during the winter months — and why the cold, wet season might actually be your biggest opportunity to improve.From course closures and muddy fairways to the unseen importance of drainage systems, they unpack why some courses survive heavy weather while others struggle. There’s also a deeper look at how cou
Rain, Drainage & Practice Gains – The Hidden Side of Winter Golf
In this episode of Both Sides of Par, Colin and Ross tackle the realities of winter golf in the UK - relentless rain, course closures, and why some layouts cope far better than others.They dive into the often-overlooked science of golf course drainage, sharing insights from a greenkeeper’s perspective and exploring why what’s beneath your feet matters more than most golfers realise.Plus, they get
Why Hitting Fewer Balls Could Transform Your Golf Practice Sessions
Let us know what you want from the show! Email us at hello@bothpar.com, as tell us:What parts do you want more of?What do you want less of?What else could we cover that would make the show unmissable for you?Thanks!On today's episode:Why Hitting Fewer Balls Could Transform Your Practice SessionsThe £15 Training Aid That's Actually Worth Using (SimStick Review)How One Scottish Course Uses Dramatic
Stealth vs QI 35, Impact Stickers, and Staying Calm When Your Round Wobbles
Let us know what you want from the show! Email us at hello@bothpar.com, as tell us:What parts do you want more of?What do you want less of?What else could we cover that would make the show unmissable for you?Thanks!Colin and Ross kick off with another cracking competition find – a three-person team event at Cleveland Golf Club in Yorkshire that has Colin planning a road trip from Newcastle to Edin
New Clubs, AI Caddies & the Tech That's Changing How We Practice
Let us know what you want from the show! Email us at hello@bothpar.com, as tell us:What parts do you want more of?What do you want less of?What else could we cover that would make the show unmissable for you?Thanks!Colin and Ross brave the Scottish winter to discuss everything from broken driver faces to AI-powered golf coaches. Colin shares his experience switching from TaylorMade to Ping after h
The Putting Practice Drill That Actually Works & Two Scottish Opens Worth Entering
Let us know what you want from the show! Email us at hello@bothpar.com, as tell us:What parts do you want more of?What do you want less of?What else could we cover that would make the show unmissable for you?Thanks!Ross and Colin check in on their golf weeks, with Ross bringing tales of solid scoring at his home course Wokefield—carding a couple under and one under par despite a few mid-round wobb
Back Nine Strategy Secrets, Putting Practice Setups & Why Teenagers Sleep on Fairways
Let us know what you want from the show! Email us at hello@bothpar.com, as tell us:What parts do you want more of?What do you want less of?What else could we cover that would make the show unmissable for you?Thanks!Colin and Ross kick off this week's episode with Colin fresh off the course after sneaking in seven holes at Inverness Golf Club during a rare sunny winter morning. The lads dive into a
130mph Swings, Frozen Greens, and the 300ft Drop
In this episode of Both Sides of Par, Colin (the high-handicapper) and Ross (the low-handicapper) dive into a week of extreme contrasts, from chasing professional-level clubhead speeds to navigating the literal "frozen" greens of the Scottish Highlands.Whether you are looking for tips on speed training, debating the merits of a new driver, or looking for high-value course recommendations in Scotla
Unlocking Speed: How to Add 25+ Yards to Your Driver (Plus Scotland Golf Trip Ideas)
Want to add serious distance to your game? In this episode, Ross breaks down exactly how he increased his driver clubhead speed from 106 to 121 mph and gained 25-30 yards of carry distance—without changing his entire swing.You'll discover the simple step drill that transforms swing speed, why the mental side of speed training matters as much as the physical, and how raising your ceiling automatica
Unlocking the UK's Best Golf Opens: Your Guide to Affordable Play
In this podcast episode, Colin and Ross explore the vibrant and accessible world of open golf competitions in Scotland and around the UK. They highlight the financial benefits of participating in these events, allowing passionate golfers to play renowned courses at a fraction of the typical green fees. Key competitions and websites like happygolf.co.uk are discussed, along with personal anecdotes
What's in our Bags, 2025 Courses, and Practice Planning
Colin and Ross embark on a new podcast journey, discussing their shared passion for golf equipment and experiences. Despite having a lengthy podcasting background in various topics, this marks Colin's return to his childhood interest in golf. Ross, a long-time Srixon enthusiast, shares insights about his current gear choices and the benefits of graphite shafts for reducing physical strain. Through
