The NCG Golf Podcast

They’re divisive. They cause loads of arguments. Are golf handicaps just more trouble than they are worth?

In this week’s episode, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll discuss whether the game would be better off if we weren’t so attached to a number.

But how do you sort out players of different abilities and how do you run competitions – the lifeblood of a club season?

Tom thinks he has got an ingenious solution that might answer some of these big questions, while Steve considers whether other sports have the same obsession with them. Should they merely be golf's answer to Strava?

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Big handicaps, switching tees, a sport that is accessible to all – but is it making the game too easy? Or is there plenty still to test us in this most unfathomable of games?

It’s the Fairway or Foul debate in this week’s episode of The Halfway House, our quizzes and questions episode.

Can Tom Irwin win the day once again by asserting that golf is tough enough, or will Steve convince you it’s becoming ever easier to play?

Steve’s also got a rules question that will surprise some of you, and - following his win at The Players - we look ahead to the chances of Rory McIlroy in this year’s majors. Surely he has to win one this year?

As always, we want you to get in touch. 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 [email protected]

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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 [email protected]

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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 5th 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?

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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…

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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?

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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.

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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

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