In this episode of the From the Clubhouse podcast, Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin discuss the increasingly popular iGolf system and its impact on club membership

Just mentioning the words “independent golfer” is enough to send some of your clubs into a sweat.

But England Golf’s iGolf scheme now boasts some 30,000 subscribers and the initial fury that greeted the plan to give players who were not members of a golf club an official handicap has all but subsided.

Have golf clubs, though, really got to grips with nomadic players and the benefits they can bring?

In this week’s From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf, Steve Carroll and Tom Irwin get into a wide discussion about independent golfer schemes – considering how they originated and evolved, how they work, and their potential pros and cons.

We ask whether independent golfers have had an impact on golf club membership, and whether it’s time for clubs to go further as the sport negotiates a cost of living crisis.

Let’s get stuck in…

Now listen to our views on independent golfers in the From the Clubhouse podcast, in association with TaylorMade Golf

What do you think? Are you an independent golfer? Do you enjoy having an official handicap and what is your relationship with golf clubs? Should you be allowed into competitions? Let us know with a tweet.

For more information on the independent golfer scheme in England, visit England Golf’s iGolf website.

More podcasts from National Club Golfer

Steve Carroll

A journalist for 23 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former captain and committee member, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the national Tournament Administrators and Referee's Seminar. He has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying and the PGA Fourball Championship. A member of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap.

Handicap: 10.9

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