England Golf quiz clubs on independent golfers

England Golf are talking to affiliated clubs across the country about the future of the independent golfer.

The governing body have sent out a questionnaire asking how they should engage with nomad players who aren’t members of clubs and don’t hold an official handicap.

Last September, NCG reported how England Golf were considering a proposal that would see them effectively become a virtual golf club: registering golfers, allocating handicaps and offering other benefits in exchange for a fee.

It caused uproar with some county unions, who feared it would allow independent golfers to have the benefits of an official handicap without having to be a member of a club.

Now this online canvass, which is being carried out on behalf of England Golf by Sports Marketing Surveys and forms part of its annual golf club survey, will have the aim of advancing the debate “to a point where a firm proposal on the ‘independent golfer’ can be put to counties and voting members”.

“There has been a drop in memberships of golf clubs in England over recent years – that is indisputable,” the survey’s introduction tells club managers and secretaries.

“It should not be considered inevitable or irreversible. However, golf cannot stand still and hope to improve simply by repeating the past.

“Presently, a number of commercial organisations offer unofficial handicap packages for independent golfers. In the future, England Golf could – with the approval of the clubs and counties – offer its own packages and ensure profits are redistributed within the game.”

It adds: “Golf clubs must adapt to the modern era and face up to two main challenges:

“1. How to minimise the number of members leaving clubs

“2. How to improve interaction with the independent golfer and encourage them to take up golf club membership.”

The survey explains that questions aim to shine a light on how clubs engage at the moment with independent golfers and how they would like to interact in the future.

“The end goal is simple – to boost golf club membership,” it says. “If proposals threatened to significantly undermine membership then it would be folly to continue. This is your club’s chance to have its say.”

Among the questions include:

Overall, would you agree in principle with England Golf formally engaging with independent golfers?
England Golf could in the future encourage independent golfers to engage more fully with clubs by offering a package of benefits to draw them closer to golf club membership. To what extent do you agree with the use of the following features for independent golfers if they were offered by England Golf? (Those include official handicap, green fee discounts and the ability to connect with a ‘home club’)
What fee would you consider appropriate for an independent golfer to pay for an annual package?

Respondents are asked to judge those questions on a scale from strongly agree to don’t know or, in the case of pricing, from less than £19 to more than £70.

They are also asked what the main issues or concerns would be with utilising an official handicap for independent golfers, along with the benefits.

What do you think about the questionnaire? Does golf need to do more to engage with independent golfers? Have your say in the comments or tweet me.

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.