From the Clubhouse: We need to have a talk about 18 holes
Is it time to review golf’s gold standard? The From the Clubhouse team consider why we play 18 holes and whether a modern game deserves a rethink
You think it’s always been this way – but you’ve been living a lie.
On this week’s From the Clubhouse podcast, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll explore the origin of 18 hole golf, why it’s a completely random number, and whether we should think again as modern life – and family demands – impinge on our leisure time.
Do we need to take 9-hole golf more seriously, and should we offer a more varied competition structure at our clubs?
Elsewhere, slow play continues to rears its head as the row over Carlota Ciganda’s penalty at the Evian Championship rumbles on. Do we do enough at club level to get us round the course quicker?
And Steve has been on his travels again and has played the most insane golf course he’s ever seen. He gives you the lowdown on Bishop Auckland, in County Durham.
From the Clubhouse is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf
What do you think about 18 hole golf? Should 9-hole golf be treated more seriously? Is Carlota Ciganda right about slow play? Let us know your thoughts with a tweet.
- NOW READ: Do we really need 14 clubs in our bag?
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
