From the Clubhouse: England Golf on the cost-of-living crisis and World Handicap System update
Tee sheets are still busy, membership remains buoyant and, as the success of England Golf’s independent golfer scheme shows, new players continue to be attracted to our wonderful game.
While the number of rounds played may not be hitting the heights of 2020 and 2021, they remain way above pre-Covid levels – and there has been no sign in this year’s club renewals of a halt in the sport’s popularity.
And yet there are gathering clouds on the horizon. The cost-of-living crisis, spearheaded by huge energy bills that seem certain to come our way later this year, represent a big threat to our disposable incomes and could dramatically change our leisure habits.
So how can golf prepare for this and how can the authorities help? And what about other issues around growing participation for women and girls, sustainability, and the World Handicap System?
To talk about the success of iGolf, and how England Golf are meeting the challenge in some of these areas, our guest on From the Clubhouse, a National Club Golfer podcast, is the governing body’s chief operating officer Richard Flint…
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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.
