Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll are joined by special guest Jeremy Tomlinson, England Golf's chief executive. We discuss in detail the governing body’s 'Respect in Golf' campaign – a movement which aims to promote greater understanding and embrace equality, diversity, and inclusion in the sport. Jeremy also talks about the World Handicap System, membership numbers in the country, iGolf and iPlay, as well as what England Golf have got in store as their Centenary year really gets into gear. We hope you enjoy the chat. Elsewhere as we bring season 2 to a close: We’ve finally played some golf! Can we ..read more

A major championship needs a major guest and we’ve got one for you as Ian Woosnam joins The NCG Golf Podcast ahead of The Masters. Also previewing the Barbados Legends Championship at Apes Hill, which is kicking off the new Legends Tour season in May and is hosted by the 1991 Masters champ, podcast hosts Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll dig deep into next week's tournament with one of the game’s all-time greats. We relive his green jacket victory, get some advice for those of you travelling to the tournament for the first time and, of course, ask him who’s going to win! Elsewhere this week: Tom ou ..read more

Don’t misread the date. It’s not an April Fool. The big World Handicap System changes are here and, from April 1, the way you play your club golf WILL change. If you’ve forgotten what’s coming, never fear. Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll have enlisted the help of David Kernohan, Scottish Golf’s Head of VMS and Handicapping, to go over the major headlines. He’ll help you get to grips with Course Rating minus Par, fourball betterball scores, and all the big alterations. We also discuss where the WHS successes have been and where the system could still be improved. Elsewhere this week: Free relief f ..read more

If you could pick one person to try and explain the madness of men’s professional golf, surely Iain Carter would be top of the list. The BBC’s golf correspondent has enjoyed an unparalleled career – covering all the major tournaments for radio and online – and is the author of a series of best-selling books. His latest, Golf Wars: LIV and Golf’s Bitter Battle for Power and Identity, bids to make sense of the conflict between the rival tours that has threatened to tear the sport apart. Iain joins Steve and Tom to discuss his new tome, the internal warfare that is still splitting the game, and w ..read more

Food and beverage (or F&B as we call it in the trade) can be a financial black hole for your golf club. But we all want good food and a well-priced pint when we turn up in the clubhouse after a round. And we want it at a discount. It’s our little perk for paying our subs each year, right? But managing a good offering is a massive challenge for clubs and, this week, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll focus in on the issue as part of our The Price of Club Golf series with GCMA Insights. What are the numbers like, how have costs increased, and should we temper our expectations? Elsewhere in this epi ..read more

We don’t know about you but, for us, The Players is where the golf season really starts. This one is special. It’s the 50th edition and Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll kick off season two of The NCG Golf Podcast by previewing the ‘fifth major’. The pair, who’ve both taken a spin around Sawgrass, break down the course and discuss their favourite moments. Did they get out of 17 alive? Rory McIlroy and Sepp Straka tell us what the championship means to them and Tom has set Steve a fiendish quiz testing his knowledge of the PGA Tour’s flagship event. But that’s not all. Far from it… What did we make ..read more

What is it about a bit of denim that sends so many club golfers round the twist? Author Clive Agran set our social media alight this week when he asked why such an innocuous fabric causes so much offence. Never ones to shy away from a bandwagon, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll get stuck into some of the old stereotypes. Does what we wear really say something about how we act on the course? Prepare to hear Steve lose his rag. We’ve also got a packed show for you as Season 1 of the podcast reaches its climax. Here’s what you don’t want to miss… Has bad behaviour gone too far at the Phoenix Open? An ..read more

It’s membership subscriptions time again and maybe some of you are being asked to fork out a little more than last year.   Where do those fees go and what part do they play in the running of your golf club? Are joining fees really a tax on membership, an expression of loyalty, or a vital part of a golf club’s armoury?   Steve Carroll has started a series of pieces for the Golf Club Managers’ Association, and NCG, and he discusses these two key themes on this week’s podcast with Tom Irwin.   Elsewhere Steve has a particular issue with people who moan about the rules, and can he s ..read more

He had a legendary career that brought worldwide success and a Claret Jug.   But Paul Lawrie is also steeped in club and grassroots golf. The Paul Lawrie Golf Centre, in Aberdeen, has served as the perfect introduction to the game for countless new players.   His Tartan Pro Tour also provides vital playing opportunities for professionals who dream of a spot on the Challenge and DP World Tour.    He joins us on The NCG Golf Podcast to talk about juniors, dress codes, accessibility to membership, the cost of golf, and, of course, we ask him to take a trip down memory lane and ..read more

New drivers, irons, putters – the big equipment brands are launching their latest products and the prices may not be for the faint-hearted. It doesn’t matter how you dress it up, £500 is a chunk of change for a new driver and a through-the-bag set will run into thousands. What goes into the pricing? Is it about profit or is the technology, research, and effort that goes into making new clubs worthy of our investment? Tom Irwin and NCG equipment editor Hannah Holden have been at The PGA Show, in Orlando, scouting out the newest releases. They discuss what’s been going on in Florida and answer t ..read more