Augusta bound? The club golfer chasing his Masters dream
Is there anything more special for golfers than the first glimpse of the azaleas at Augusta in early April? For most of us, The Masters beckons the start of the season but how many of us have actually managed to see the sport’s most hallowed fairways with our own eyes?
I’ve entered the ticket ballot for years, tried to put some pounds together to buy a package, but all to no avail.
Then NCG’s Top 100 Tour offered a potential lifeline.
With a first prize in the inaugural running of a trip to Masters Sunday, all I needed to do was negotiate a qualifying event and then win the grand final at Ganton.
So I found myself in a corner of Kent, at the delightful Littlestone, with my golf bag and a Masters dream.
See how I got on in the latest episode of Club Golf Journeys…
About NCG’s Top 100 Tour
The Top 100 Tour in association with TaylorMade presents a fantastic opportunity for golfers to play some of England and Scotland’s finest courses while battling it out for tickets to the 2020 Masters and fantastic prizes courtesy of TaylorMade.
Following the publication of our Scotland’s top 100 courses we have increased the number of qualifying venues from five to 12, with six being played in England and six in Scotland.
This will see us visit Northamptonshire County, Irvine, Beau Desert, Royal Ashdown Forest, Monifieth, Burnham & Berrow, Gailes Links, Longniddry, Moortown, Ladybank, Cruden Bay, Littlestone in 2019.
The top three players at each event will qualify for the Grand Final at Fulford Golf Club where two VIP tickets to the 2020 Masters will be on offer to the winner. Players who finish in the top 25 of the Order of Merit will also qualify for the Grand Final.
Our leading event sponsor TaylorMade have fantastic prizes on offer that can be won with the top three golfers receiving prizes at each qualifying event.
NCG’s Top 100 Tour is back for 2019. Click here to find out how you can enter.
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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.
