From the Clubhouse: What do you value about being a golf club member?
What is it about a golf club that draws us in? Is it the easy access to tee times, the shared sense of community, or the opportunity to get into competitive action?
On this week’s From the Clubhouse, a podcast from National Club Golfer, Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin, take a detailed look at why so many of us pay out considerable sums of money each year to be part of a club.
Steve, who has recently moved clubs, gets onto the couch and talks about some of the teething issues he has had settling into a new environment, while Tom examines whether clubs could do a better job of looking after members who might be wavering.
The pair also look at the best time clubs should have their renewals and consider what might change in the near future as a sport where participation has surged on the back of the Covid pandemic now faces up to a cost-of-living crisis.
Some of their conclusions might surprise you, so sit back and allow them to explain all…
Why do you love being a golf club member? Are you considering your future at your club? Let us know your experiences by tweeting us.
More on golf club membership
- This unique club membership model could help golfers through the cost of living crisis
- ‘Club membership should be fair for all’: Are the days of playing whenever you want coming to an end?
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.
