Both Sides of Par: Golf Podcast for Every HandicapBest 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 Fawcett lag putting thinking all played their part.) Ross, meanwhile, endured a traumatic fortnight playing off one, resisted the urge to throw everything in the bin, and is back to scratch. His chipping is still the problem child since moving to the tight heathland lies at Farnham, so he's out on the practice ground with a heavy training wedge and a kilo strapped to his wrist. Colin, like any good friend, asks whether that's helping or whether Ross has just become one of those Instagram spoof videos. The middle of the show is a proper iron shopping session. Colin's second hand TaylorMade Stealths have shed their ferrules, which is all the excuse he needs. The lads tour the categories from blades to game improvement, cover why cavity backs forgive your worst swings, why a modern 7 iron is basically a 5 iron from 30 years ago, and why Ross can't stop buying Srixons. Colin's shortlist runs from the Srixon ZXi5+ to the Mizuno Pro S-4 (which he suspects are too good for him) to Takomo's direct to consumer irons at around half the price. Since you can't hit those before buying, Ross shares a marker pen test for checking your lie angle and makes the case for paying an independent fitter for your specs first. Ross then confesses to yet another purchase: a mint, left handed Odyssey two ball putter from eBay, which has sent the Scotty Cameron to the naughty corner. There's lead tape and glued in metal pellets too, because of course there is. The show wraps with a reminder of why open competitions are the cheapest way onto great courses (Royal Dornoch for £60 instead of £360), and a look back at last week's chat with Colin's dad, a former head greenkeeper at Lahinch. The lads are still kicking themselves for not getting him on before the Walker Cup. Episode Highlights 🟢 What changed for Colin on the Jubilee Course: one driver weight adjustment on the second tee, two thirds of fairways hit, and a lag putting mindset that had the 15 footers dropping 🟢 The nine ball up and down game Ross learned from Dalmahoy pro Scott Dixon: three easy lies, three medium, three hard, with a target score of 18 🟢 Colin's frank question to Ross: do wrist weights and heavy wedges improve your chipping, or just give you more to think about? 🟢 Iron categories decoded, from blades to players distance to game improvement, plus the physics of why a cavity back gives you a bigger sweet spot 🟢 How to buy irons online without a fitting: Takomo's fitting quiz, Ross's marker pen lie angle test, and why £75 with an independent fitter could be money well spent Gear & Resources Mentioned 🟢 Last week's episode with Colin's dad on links course design: https://bothpar.com/episode/how-links-golf-courses-are-designed-bunkers-greens-and-strategy-explained 🟢 Jubilee Course, St Andrews Links, where Colin carded his best nine: https://www.standrews.com 🟢 TaylorMade Stealth driver, with the adjustable weight Colin finally moved back 🟢 Scott Fawcett and DECADE Golf, the course management system behind Colin's lag putting approach: https://decade.golf 🟢 Farnham Golf Club, Ross's new home club: https://www.farnhamgolfclub.co.uk 🟢 Momentus Short Game Wizard, the heavy training wedge Ross is practising with (mostly found second hand), plus a 1kg wrist weight 🟢 Scott Dixon, Head PGA Professional at Dalmahoy, who taught Ross the nine ball chipping game: https://www.scottdixongolf.com 🟢 Muir of Ord Golf Club, Colin's lush parkland practice ground: https://muirofordgolfclub.co.uk 🟢 Nairn Dunbar Golf Club, Colin's links option with the snooker table lies: https://nairndunbar.com 🟢 Srixon irons: Ross's ZX7s, the Z-Forged blades he resisted, and the new ZXi5, ZXi5+ and ZXi7 range: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/srixon-sxi5-zxi5-plus-zxi7-irons-what-you-need-to-know 🟢 TaylorMade RAC combo irons, Ross's favourite set of all time 🟢 Mizuno Pro S-4 irons, the review that sent Colin down the rabbit hole (pitched at scratch golfers moving into single figures, so his suspicion may be right): https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/its-official-the-new-mizuno-pro-s-4-irons-prove-we-have-an-all-new-irons-category/ golfalot 🟢 Takomo Iron 101 MKII, the direct to consumer game improvement set at the top of Colin's list: https://takomogolf.com/products/iron-101-mkii 🟢 Takomo Iron 201, the players distance alternative: https://takomogolf.com/pages/iron-sets 🟢 Takomo Fitting Tool, the online quiz Colin walks through: https://takomogolf.com/pages/fitting-tool 🟢 Caley Golf, the Scottish direct to consumer brand: https://caleygolf.com 🟢 Odyssey Ai-ONE 2-Ball putter, Ross's eBay bargain: https://www.golfbidder.co.uk/odyssey-ai-one-2-ball-db-putter 🟢 Scotty Cameron putter, currently in the naughty corner: https://www.scottycameron.com 🟢 Dave Pelz, the short game guru who invented the two ball alignment idea: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Pelz 🟢 Lead tape, for Ross's plan to bring his wedge flight down 🟢 Banchory Golf Club: https://banchorygolfclub.co.uk 🟢 Royal Dornoch Golf Club, played by Colin and Bruce for £60 each through an open: https://royaldornoch.com 🟢 Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club, where Ross played an open for £25: https://www.dalmahoyhotelandcountryclub.co.uk 🟢 Golspie Golf Club: https://www.golspiegolfclub.co.uk 🟢 Drumoig Golf Course, with a course report teased for next time: https://www.drumoiggolfhotel.com 🟢 Lahinch Golf Club, where Colin's dad was head greenkeeper and host of the 2026 Walker Cup: https://www.lahinchgolf.com 🟢 No Laying Up, who Ross reckons would have been all over the Lahinch connection: https://nolayingup.com 🟢 Curtis Cup 2028 at Royal Dornoch, pencilled in for some on course coverage: https://royaldornoch.com/2026/08/14/dates-revealed-for-2028-curtis-cup/ 🟢 Both Sides of Par on Instagram for practice clips, drills and Colin's new irons when they land: https://www.instagram.com/bothsidesofpar Weekly Competitions No new opens this week as the season winds down, but Ross gives a reminder for the Banchory open flagged a few episodes back, and a nudge to keep using opens to play top courses for a fraction of the green fee. 🟢 Banchory Golf Club Open (as mentioned on the show) Location: Banchory, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire Date: Ross believes Saturday 10 October 2026 (check with the club before travelling) Cost: £30 when first featured More info: https://banchorygolfclub.co.uk 🟢 Banchory Golf Club Texas Scramble Open (the next open currently listed) Location: Banchory, Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire Date: Saturday 24 October 2026 golfempire Format: 18 hole Texas Scramble, teams of four, any gender, handicap index up to 54 golfempire Cost: £80 per team (£20 per visitor, £15 per member) golfempire Tee times: 08:30 to 13:26 golfempire Booking: https://visitors.brsgolf.com/banchory/#/open-competitions/60/teesheet Chapter List 00:00 Handicap Check In: Colin Down to 22, Ross Back to Scratch 00:47 Why Ross Didn't Panic After a Handicap Wobble 01:27 Colin's Best Nine Yet on the Jubilee Course at St Andrews 05:34 Ross's Chipping Struggles and the Short Game Wizard 08:27 Should You Practise Chipping Off Different Lies? 13:48 Do Training Aids Overcomplicate Your Game? 18:04 Golf Iron Categories Explained: Blades to Game Improvement 23:11 Ross's Srixon Irons and the Case for Combo Sets 26:37 Why Cavity Back Irons Are More Forgiving 28:03 Colin's Shortlist: Srixon ZXi5+, Mizuno Pro S-4 and Takomo 34:31 Checking Your Lie Angle and Getting Fitted Before Buying Online 39:42 Ross's New Odyssey Two Ball Putter and Lead Tape Experiments 42:48 Open Competitions: Banchory and Bargain Green Fees 44:02 Colin's Dad, Lahinch and the Walker Cup 46:17 Wrap Up and Where to Find the Show