This week on PaddyTalks Golf, powered by ForeGolf Custom, I sit down again with Mark Ruddy, a leading voice in golf club management and participation, whose work behind the scenes is shaping how golf clubs think about culture, community and long-term sustainability.

Mark previously joined us on Episode 145 to lift the lid on life as a General Manager. Since then, his focus has evolved with the creation of Grow Sport, a project designed to help clubs grow participation, improve culture and build environments where people genuinely feel welcome.

From early experiences in golf, to going all in on the sport, to challenging long-held assumptions about what “growing the game” actually means, Mark’s journey offers a rare and honest look at the engine room of Irish golf.

We dive into:

⛳ Mark’s earliest memories of golf and the moment he fully committed to working in the game.

🧠 The reality of golf club culture, the signals clubs send (often unintentionally), and why good intentions so often fall short.

🎯 What Grow Sport is, why it exists, who it’s really for, and the real return it offers golf clubs beyond membership numbers.

🔥 Why participation, atmosphere, and belonging matter more than ever for the future of clubs.

🎒 What golf can learn from other sports and what it has overcomplicated.

😂 Quick-fire moments, honest confessions, and a Candle-Lit Dinner Six to round out the show.

A real, thoughtful and insightful conversation about golf clubs, culture, participation and how the sport can grow without losing its soul.

🎧 Listen now:

www.paddytalksgolf.com

Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all major podcast platforms.

The PaddyTalks Golf Podcast is powered by ForeGolf Custom

Book your tour-level custom fitting session now at:

www.foregolf.ie/booking

Check out all GrowSport have to offer and how they work here:

https://www.growsport.ie/

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