In this week’s episode of the NCG Top 100s Podcast, host Tom Irwin travels to the stunning Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Club, where he sits down with co-owner Stuart Imeson, a figure who as a unique career path.

Stuart shares the remarkable story of his rise through the ranks at Dunstanburgh. Starting as a Greenkeeping Apprentice, he became Course Manager at just 18 years old, later taking on the role of General Manager during a challenging period for the club. Working closely with the club’s owner, he helped guide Dunstanburgh through financial and operational uncertainty - experience that ultimately paved the way to becoming a co-owner of the golf club.

The co-owner provides rare insight into the real costs of owning and running a golf club, and explains how Dunstanburgh supports other local clubs by offering machinery rentals.

Tom and Stuart also discuss Dunstanburgh's rapid rise in popularity, shining a spotlight on why the North East of England remains one of golf’s most underrated destinations. They argue that the region’s golf offering rivals the famed North West coast in quality - yet at a level of value for money that’s increasingly rare in the UK. The pair celebrate the unique charm of Northumberland, where rugged landscapes and genuine hospitality create a memorable backdrop for golf.

They also discuss how Dunstanburgh continues to evolve - both in terms of course conditioning and visitor experience - and the innovative ways the team is continuing to boost the club’s profile.

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How did golf course bunkers become such a defining — and sometimes divisive — feature of the game?

In this episode, NCG Top 100s chairman Dan Murphy and host Tom Irwin dig into the origins of bunkers and what the golden age architects really intended when they carved them into their designs.

We explore how bunkers have evolved over time, what they cost to maintain, whether they truly pose a hazard, and why they’ve become such a talking point in modern course design.

From history to controversy to creative solutions, we go deep into the sand to find out why the golf world has gone stark raving bunkers.

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In the latest episode of the NCG Top 100s Podcast, host Tom Irwin is joined by Ladybank Golf Club captian, Colin Priestley.

The pair discuss the beauty of Ladybank and why Tom believes the golf course is a sleeping giant within Fife golf with the club being surrounded by other Top 100s ranked golf courses such as Crail, Kingsbarns, Leven Links, and most notably the courses that are located in the town of St Andrews.

Ladybank is one of the game's historic venues with the club being founded in 1870s and originally laid out by Old Tom Morris.

The golf club has played host to Final Qualifying for The Open on a number of occasions, and famously hosted an exhibition match in 1983 between Jack Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros, drawing in crowds of over 5,000 spectators. The Golden Bear, and arguably golf's greatest ever player, is an honorary member of the golf club.

The course sits 43rd in our NCG Top 100s:Scotland ranking and 88th in our NCG Top 100s: UK Value list, showing the pedigree of the golf course.

In this fascinating discussion, Tom and Colin share their stories of why they think Ladybank deserves to be talked about in the same sentences as Fife's other great golfing venues.

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