From the Clubhouse: Augusta Syndrome is real! How does your club get through it?
What a time to be alive! The Masters is on TV, Augusta National is looking as superb as ever, and by Monday morning we’ll be itching to get the clubs out of the garage and attack the fairways at our own course.
And, yet, following the wettest March in the UK for decades, what we’re going to experience probably couldn’t be further away from those superbly manicured fairways and perfect greens in Georgia.
It’s been a challenging time for greenkeeping teams trying to get a course ready for the start of our competition season, and Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll have sought out expert help in trying to explain what’s been going on.
We welcome Sam Evans, Master Greenkeeper and Course Manager at North Hants GC, in Hampshire, and go deep on Augusta Syndrome, why some of us need to get a bit of perspective, and the challenges that are facing greenkeepers as we get into the spring.
We’ll also get into the roll back debate and Steve – as usual – has a controversial suggestion for golf club committees to give all of our courses a helping hand.
Listen to our views on Augusta Syndrome and UK greenkeeping on the From the Clubhouse podcast
Hear what we think on the From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, in the player below, or on your preferred podcast platform…
What do you think? Do we have unrealistic expectations in early season or has the education of the club golfer moved on? Let us know with a tweet.
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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.
