From the Clubhouse: Have clubs got to grips with golf’s controversial handicap scheme?

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

• NOW READ: iGolf – England Golf’s ‘historic’ handicap scheme – is now open
• NOW READ: One year on: How England Golf’s handicap scheme took off

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.

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