The NCG Golf Podcast

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…

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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!

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Welcome back! For our first episode of 2025, we’re joined by special guest Jason Fox. You’ll know him from the popular TV series SAS: Who Dares Wins.

But the former Royal Marines Commando and Special Forces Soldier turned renowned author and media personality is also hugely keen on golf – having got into the sport after the Covid lockdowns.

After partnering recently with clothing company Stromberg, he joins our Matt Chivers to chat about the positive effects golf can have on mental health, what the sport means to him, and how tackling it might be one of the biggest challenges he has taken on…

Listeners should note that, at times, some explicit language is used. 

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We’re not saying we’re in full on Christmas mode, but in this episode of The NCG Golf Podcast Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin reveal their must-read golf books.

The pair go through all their favourites – the best fiction, non-fiction, instruction, and travel books. What are their perfect choices? Tom and Steve believe they’ve got something for everyone.

So if you’re still looking for a great gift, or you just want to know what golf books need to be on your shelf, listen in and take notes!

Read our comprehensive list of the best golf books: https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/best-golf-deals/best-golf-books-list/

Buy one of our best golf books here!

The Golf Omnibus: https://geni.us/4oY5W

Nice Jumper: https://geni.us/I8w3ORs

Chasing The Legends: https://geni.us/JbTc

Phil: https://geni.us/QsaQ

A Good Walk Spoiled: https://geni.us/Bm4Z

The Greatest Game Ever Played: https://geni.us/TflSz0

A Season In Dornoch: https://geni.us/hp9Ua

Links From the Road: https://linksfromtheroad.com/products/volume-1

The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses: https://geni.us/qHzLCR

The Spirit of St Andrews: https://geni.us/EsRBdg

The Golf Courses of the British Isles: https://geni.us/3udja

Five Lessons: https://geni.us/qv9qDMB

Golf Is Not A Game of Perfect: https://geni.us/RraifBU

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Reports the American players will be paid to compete at Bethpage Black next year have caused quite a stir.

Is it beyond the pale, or is it a paradox that the people who the galleries flock to see don’t benefit financially from the massive biennial event?

Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin get stuck into the debate in this week’s episode and, as you’d expect, they’ve got some firm views on the subject.

Does it besmirch the competition, or is it only fair? See if you agree with Tom and Steve!

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Dynamic pricing has been in the news. Yes, we did pay over the odds for an Oasis ticket. But could it have its place in golf?

We all know the weekend tee times that are the most popular, so what if you could pay more to guarantee a spot? What if 7-day fees altered depending on the specific time you wanted to play?

In this week’s episode of The NCG Golf Podcast, Tom Irwin returns to join Steve Carroll and debate this lively issue.

We also talk about England Golf Jeremy Tomlinson’s appearance last week, and, yes, we still can’t get away from the World Handicap System. We ask whether you should have to submit every score for your handicap.

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We’re joined this week by England Golf chief executive Jeremy Tomlinson.

It’s a pretty action-packed episode as we discuss a host of club golf topics with the governing body’s chief executive.

He addresses the ongoing criticisms of WHS, considers how golf club membership is looking and whether the post Covid boom is now peaking.

We also look at whether traditional clubs are being more open to different formats of play and get into the latest on the Respect in Golf movement. 

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The weather’s getting colder and the days are getting shorter. 

But don’t put the clubs away as winter arrives. This is a perfect time to get a grip on our golf game sand make them better.

When it comes to using data to do that, we have never had it so good. And on these week’s episode, Steve Carroll is joined by NCG’s equipment expert Hannah Holden to show how you can use numbers to your advantage.

We’ve got some fabulous Shot Scope data that can get your golf into shape – without you necessarily having to spend hours on the range. So let’s get stuck in!

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Ranking golf courses is risky business. One person’s heaven is another’s hell. Yet we all love a good list, don’t we?

We’ve got another one for you at National Club Golfer and this week, Steve Carroll is joined by our Top 100s chairman Dan Murphy to talk about our review of the best courses in Great Britain & Ireland.

You will find courses in positions that make you happy and courses in positions that make you cross.

But join Steve and Dan as they discuss the countdown, pick out some of their favourites, and try to analyse the current trends in courses we all love to visit.

Check out the list in full at nationalclubgolfer.com/top100

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Steve Carroll is joined by Sam Cooper to talk about his new journal and website project – Links From the Road.

Sam went on a road trip we all wish we could take. With a set of clubs, his partner, their dogs, and a van, he toured 225 links courses around England, Scotland and Wales.

The journey changed his life. Now a well-known podcaster, and an associate golf course architect with Clayton, Devries and Pont, he has branched out into writing.

Talking with Steve about the first of a multi-volume set that retraces his steps and details the courses he played, it is quite the conversation.

If you love golf courses, you have to listen…

The first volume of Links from the Road is launched on October 16. You can pre-order it right now at linksfromtheroad.com

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