From the Clubhouse: Would you put in every score for handicap? We did!
WHS, ball roll backs, club competitions – our club team are back with a bang and controversy is never far behind
Enjoyed the summer break? Our From the Clubhouse team are back and they’ve got plenty to get stuck into.
Listeners will remember that Steve Carroll pledged to submit a score for handicap from every round he played until the end of October. Three and a half months in, he gives Tom Irwin an update on how that’s going and how it’s affected his golf.
The duo then consider the remarkable comments from England Golf on the R&A and USGA’s proposed Model Local Rule for a golf ball roll back, and look at why the governing body have taken this step and whether action needs to be taken on hitting distances.
And Steve gets on his soapbox once again to argue for a change in the way we play our club competitions.
You may not agree, but you’ll be intrigued all the same. So let’s get stuck in!
The From the Clubhouse podcast is produced in association with TaylorMade Golf.
Click the link below to listen to the From the Clubhouse Podcast
What do you think? Is golf about every score counting? Have England Golf got it right on the ball roll back debate and what do you think of Steve’s plan for club competitions? Let us know by leaving a comment on X, formerly known as twitter.
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; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.