The NCG Golf Podcast

This week Steve and Tom get stuck into the new pilot in Ireland giving clubs the chance to alter the Playing Handicap allowance in competitions. It’s coming to the rest of GB&I in 2026. What difference will it make?

Will it help low handicappers? Will it finally stop some of the complaints about the World Handicap System? What do you think?

Also, spring is coming, and so are the first events of the 2025 club golf season. Whether it’s the Captain’s Drive-In, or the opening medal of the year, we’ll soon be back in competitive action with trophies on the line.

But is it too early? Are our courses ready?

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Welcome to the Halfway House – our new weekly quiz and questions pod. Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin try to outdo each other with a trio of posers, they answer your questions, and go head-to-head in a quickfire debate.

Whether it’s Rules Corner, our new Fairway or Foul feature (which this week asks if clubs should hand money back to members whose courses have been shut for extended periods), or if you’ve just got something you want to get off your chest, your involvement in this new podcast is crucial.

So have a listen and then get in touch with us. Send us your quiz questions, tell us what to debate, give us your rules or WHS queries. We don’t mind what it is. You are in charge. You can contact Steve at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com

It’s a twin-pronged podcast this week. First Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin discuss the fascinating USGA statistics that reveal the probability of beating your handicap. What are the odds of shooting 40 points? We have the answers.

And is The Players the moment when the golf season really gets under way? In the build up to the so-called 5^th major at TPC Sawgrass, we get into the golf course, our experiences of playing it, and hear from a key member of the greenkeeping team. We also reveal who is going to win!

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World Handicap System guidance says regular informal events like roll ups and society scores should be classed as organised competitions and players have a responsibility to ensure they return their scores.

But what if they don’t? With the principles surrounding social golf still cloudy five years into the new system, are we saying that those who refuse are breaking the laws of handicapping? Are they cheating?

Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll examine what the guidance says and evaluate what it means for the club game. Are we a step closer to every score counts?

Website: https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/

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Trendy canvas bag or huge tour monstrosity? Are you a pencil lumper or someone who couldn’t get round the golf course without a trolley?

In this week’s episode Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll delve deep into golf bags and how they can reveal a lot about who we are as golfers.

Do you give yourself shoulder injury by bolting on  100 bag tags? Is a valuables pouch a must have accessory?

Do you get giddy about dividers? We’ll try not to make this a seedy 60 minutes but if you’ve ever found yourself staring covetously at a single or double strap in a golf shop then this podcast is for you…

Tom Irwin has been spending a lot of time at the range. Co-host Steve Carroll hasn’t hit a practice ball in about six months.

In this week’s podcast, though, the two come together to talk about the driving range experience. Is there an etiquette about turning up to improve our games? What should we wear? Should we block out the world with headphones or take in the whole community experience?

Tom’s also got some very funny stories about when he worked in a driving range as a younger golfer.

The duo don’t duck tour matters this week. With LIV Golf now guaranteed spots in the majors, the pair discuss whether the assimilation of the breakaway league into the tour biosphere is now complete. What next for the professional game?

What do you really think of the World Handicap System? Tell the truth, because we now know the answer.

We asked the question in our massive NCG Club Golf Survey, filled in my more than 3,000 of you, and what you told us was really surprising.

Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin get stuck into the results, and analyse what they mean, and we also discuss dress codes – after you told us emphatically what you thought about those too.

While these two topics may have been oft discussed, your insights shed new light on an always interesting debate – so get listening!

NB: There is some explicit language in this week's episode.

Planning a golf trip in England this year? Want to click off a trophy course, or just fancy a day out? Don’t do anything until you’ve looked through our new list of the Top 100 courses in England.

Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin are joined by NCG’s Top 100s chairman Dan Murphy to assess the risers, fallers, and obviously reveal what we think is the best layout in the country.

Who makes up our panel? How do we assess how one course is better than another? Dan and Tom also go through the top 10 in detail and assess what makes them so special.

Check out the list in full on our website at nationalclubgolfer.com

Have you had your emails yet? Membership renewal time is almost here. You’re either already being asked for cash, or your about to get the news ahead of the new season in April.

But how many of you are planning to renew? How many of you think you’ll be quitting? Are your annual subscriptions going up? Do you think your golf club membership represents good value?

We know the answers. As part of a massive survey of club golfers, filled in by more than 3,000 of you, we asked you all sorts of questions about you, your game, and the way you play and think about some of the big questions.

In this episode of The NCG Golf Podcast, Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin unpack what you had to say about membership and give their views on what your answers suggest.

It’s a must-listen for golfers who may not have made up their minds, and for anyone at clubs looking to get a handle on the wider membership picture in 2025…

Have you thought about booking your summer golf trip? Are you keen to tick off a Top 100 course on your travels? Prepare to get your wallet out.

Steve Carroll has been looking at the peak summer green fee prices for all the layouts listed in NCG Top 100s Great Britain & Ireland list and it makes for sobering reading if money is an object.

So what does it cost? What is the most expensive course on the list? What’s the cheapest? Is the average golfer being priced out of a great experience, or do we just need to accept that good things cost money and that we can always choose whether or not to fork out?

Steve is joined by regular co-host Tom Irwin to go through the numbers. If you’re planning a golf holiday this year, you simply need to tune in.

Apologies for a little bit of background noise in the opening minutes of the podcast. Bear with us, it does get better!