England Golf boss: Dress codes will stop so many taking up the game
My fear is we have a traditional core of golf club members that are ageing, and a potential new generation put off from participating because the game is caught between two stools. How do you address that issue?
Once again, it’s down to the club to decide how to appeal to different groups.
We don’t say to clubs ‘you’ve got to change’ but we do challenge, in the right way, and share information and best practice to help them make and own their decisions.
It’s important to look at issues such as: Where is the club? What’s its position in the local community and golfing market? How strong is the club?
We should talk about positive ways of attracting and retaining members and not immediately highlight the barriers.
If the first thing I am thinking when I go to a club is ‘what do I have to wear?’ – rather than ‘let’s go and have some fun’ – we’re not doing the right thing, are we?
Were you excited by the buzz that Get into Golf brought?
I’m not lying when I say I was nervous. You should be nervous about anything that’s new and different.
It’s great that we now have some 300 clubs signed up and we have thousands of activities online and people taking part.
Get into Golf is now a very focused campaign. We are targeting men and women who are 25 to 45-years-old– and we know these two groups have huge market potential for golf.
Yes, we have to cater for the 65 to 75-year-olds but we have got to start thinking about the 10, 15 and 25-year-olds coming into the sport.
What is Get into Golf?
Get into Golf aims to inspire people to give the sport a go by offering low-cost or free beginner activities at clubs across England.
In the last four years, more than 180,000 people have taken part in activities and over 22,000 of them have gone on to join clubs.
More than 300 clubs in England offer Get into Golf activities, which can be found and booked on the Get into Golf website.
Why does it bother you what I wear?
The time has come for golf’s obsession with dress codes to end
What golf’s obsession with dress codes says about us
Pictures courtesy of Leaderboard Photography
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.
