The NCG Podcast: This one’s with the man taking on golf’s most extraordinary quest
Everything about Jimmie James’ quest is extraordinary. Whether that was starting his year-long drive to play America’s top 100 courses at Augusta National – a course many of us will never see – or the 70,000 air miles and $25,000 it cost to achieve it, his mission to play that entire list in 365 days was a journey of discovery.
- Related: Our list of the top 100 golf courses in GB&I
- Related: One man’s goal to play the world’s top 100 golf courses
But he hasn’t stopped there. Fittingly, we met him at the Home of Golf, where he discussed his golfing odyssey, what possessed him to do it and why he now has more global ambitions.
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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.
