The NCG Golf Podcast

Have you ever considered leaving your golf club? How many of your clubs upped your fees last year and are they going to do it again? What keeps you loyal? We asked you about golf club membership in another big NCG survey filled in by more than 1,000 of you and Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll break down some fascinating results. We reveal what you are saying about golf club membership, and whether we’r...

Music playing, phones buzzing, dress codes pushed to the limit – and that’s before we even start dredging up unrepaired pitch marks and unraked bunkers. Was good etiquette about fitting in, and is it now about tolerance and acceptance instead? Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll dig into the etiquette question – from pace of play to course care. They share some stories and ask whether standards are dying...

We surveyed 3,390 golfers from across the UK and beyond to ask what they really thought about the World Handicap System Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll reveal the results – breaking down what the data really tells us, where the system is working, and where golfers believe it is falling apart. We’ll discuss issues around trust, fairness, general play scores, and whether you think WHS truly reflects abi...

It’s probably the most fundamental part of the World Handicap System but how many of us really understand Course Rating? This week, Steve Carroll is joined by Gemma Hunter, The R&A’s assistant director of handicapping, to discuss this vital piece of the puzzle. How does it work? How is the data put together? Do clubs get to see it? Is it all just about length? The NCG Golf Podcast is produced...

It offers a cheap way to get an official handicap and players don’t need to be a member of a golf club. Whether it’s iGolf or OpenPlay, independent golfer schemes have been very successful over the past few years – and have also been a useful foot in the door for players wondering if membership is right for them. But with many pundits suggesting numbers could take a hit this year in the face of co...

Should you have to show basic competency before you are let loose on the fairways and greens? Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll ask this week whether rules, etiquette, pace of play, and safety should be tested before players are allowed out onto the course. Would you sit an exam to play golf? The NCG Golf Podcast is produced in association with GolfClubs4Cash. Website:  https://www.nationalclubgolfer.co...

We can’t see off 2025 without a huge quiz and there are reputations on the line as two podcasts collide. Steve Carroll, the pride of The NCG Golf Podcast, takes on NCG Top 100s Podcast’s very own Dan Murphy for bragging rights with Tom Irwin as your quizmaster. Who will come out on top in this test of golfing knowledge? The NCG Golf Podcast is produced in association with GolfClubs4Cash. Website: ...

There are two certainties at Christmas – countdowns and a good old-fashioned lookahead. Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll get out their crystal balls – even though 2026 is only a week away – to predict what might happen in your golf clubs next year. Will there be a membership crisis? Will you still be able to use cash at your club and what lies in store for the golf professional? The NCG Golf Podcast is...

What always has you shaking your head on the golf course? What are the rules that no one can get right?  Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll reveal the regulations that are flouted most - and most of them have come straight from you! Whether it's dodgy drops, provisional balls that aren't, or what you get up to in bunkers, this is your line-up of the most broken rules in our sport.  The NCG Golf Podcast i...

England Golf’s decision to postpone any changes to handicap allowances ends another turbulent year for the World Handicap System. With dissent as strong as ever – outlined in the many emails you send to us every week – Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll discuss the latest developments and ask what the next 12 months hold for the embattled calculator. Will WHS finally start to settle down? Does there need...

Vital to the running of a golf club, or paralysed decision makers that just get in the way? Do we still need golf club committees and, if so, how could they be improved? Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll have some experience in this field. Both have served on golf club committees and they debate the pros and cons of these institutions. Who are they meant to serve, and are they achieving that? Do clubs s...

Green fees that seem to never stop rising, clubs asking for more from their members, and have you seen the price of equipment? Is it all too much? After a new player survey revealed rising costs and affordability continued to be a concern for club golfers, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll discuss whether those fears are perception or reality. Are green fees getting out of control, or is it just market...

Are distance measuring devices a vital tool that speed up play, or a menace making golf too easy? This week on The NCG Golf Podcast, Tom and Irwin and Steve Carroll debate whether tech like rangefinders, GPS watches, and lasers have gone too far. Do we rely on them too much? Would the game be more fun – and more traditional – without them? And are the rules around their use too complicated for mos...

Yes, co-hosts Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll really are talking about some of the ways golfers can manipulate – and outright deceive – the World Handicap System. But this is not a guidebook for any golfer with larcenous intent. The duo discuss how they can be countered and what clubs need to look out for if they suspect players may not be treating the game with the integrity it deserves. Is getting s...

Doesn’t time fly? It’s very nearly five years since the World Handicap System arrived in the lives of golfers in Great Britain & Ireland and Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin couldn’t let such an anniversary go unmarked. The duo are on familiar ground as they assess half a decade of WHS. What has worked? What hasn’t and what happens next? The NCG Golf Podcast is produced in association with GolfClub...

Who doesn’t love a Rules of Golf controversy? Just look at social media after a big decision on tour. It’s full of people debating and disagreeing. It shows how passionate we all are about the Rules and this week, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll dive headlong into a big debate about the ones they would change. With the Rules on a four-year review, we might see some alterations in time for 2027. What w...

This week, Tom Irwin is joined by Sir Clive Woodward, the England Rugby World Cup winning coach, and one of sport’s greatest leaders. The pair discuss Stryve, Sir Clive’s golf venture. Stryve's three stage process helps you understand the Basics of every shot. Each stage is packed with expert insights and coaching points, delivering the knowledge you need to help refine your technique, increase co...

What has happened to the Ryder Cup? From a pre-event pay-for-play row to the appalling behaviour on show in the galleries at Bethpage Black, it felt like golf’s image has taken a beating. Europe won the trophy but have we lost the spirit of what the near century old event is about? Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll break down the last three days in New York. Why did they ruin a fantastic golf course? Wh...

Bethpage Black is almost upon us and we’ve got a bumper preview show ahead of a mouthwatering match up between the USA and Europe. Tom Irwin sits down with Ryder Cup legend Justin Rose, who’s about to make his seventh appearance in European colours. Tom and Justin talk about his commitment to the sport through the Rose Ladies Series, barriers to participation, as well as his longevity following an...

We asked your thoughts about the World Handicap System and you responded in huge numbers – almost breaking Steve Carroll’s email. In today’s episode he joins co-host Tom Irwin to chat through some of what you said about WHS. We discuss the results of Golf Ireland’s survey of its handicap allowances pilot – where many clubs surprisingly opted not to change anything. We talk about what needs to happ...

It’s been a rite of passage in the Irwin household. Tom’s son has just received his first handicap and in this week’s episode we discuss that journey. Is iGolf a way to get new players started without the pressure of a club environment? Should clubs and courses be set-up differently to encourage beginners and younger golfers to get into the game? And a full-sized golf course is massive! Do we need...

In this episode of our special A Life in Golf podcasts, Tom Irwin chats to DP World Tour winner and podcast host Eddie Pepperell Eddie and Tom got together at The Roxburghe, where he was playing on the Challenge Tour, to discuss his career, the pressures of playing at the very elite level, the state of the professional game, and his role as a podcast star on the hugely popular The Chipping Forecas...

We haven’t nattered about our favourite subject for a while, so Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll can’t resist another yarn about the World Handicap System. Steve is finally starting to see his index fall but is surprised it’s not happening quicker, while Tom has played in some challenging conditions only to see the Playing Conditions Calculation remain stubbornly stable. The duo get into a debate about...

Tom Irwin has just returned from a week at Royal Portrush where he was both media and family man. Once he’d put away the laptop, he experienced The Open with his wife and two young children. Does the Championship do enough to engage families? Is it really doing its best to inspire the next generation? He discusses this with co-host Steve Carroll and the pair also dive into Scottie Scheffler’s four...

Day three of The Open is done, and it's the same story as most other golf tournaments: Scottie Scheffler is steaming ahead to victory. Tom Irwin and Matt Chivers sit down to reflect on the third round at Royal Portrush, what they saw and experienced, what they make of Scheffler's dominance and more fun with following Rory McIlroy inside the ropes. Tom isn't entirely happy with what there is to do...