From temporary greens to rules that can catch you out, winter golf brings many challenges – and it will be upon us. again before we know it.

This week, Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll get into the realities of keeping your game going through the colder months. Can you be bothered if you’re not on proper greens? Should fairway mats be anywhere near your club? Should we just stick to the driving range instead?

They also ask whether junior golf is becoming too focused on producing elite players at the expense of enjoying the sport. Should we measure success by how many youngsters are still playing as adults, rather than how many future scratch golfers are produced?

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Podcast co-host Steve Carroll shot one of the best rounds of his life but failed to get the big handicap cut he craved, because he fell agonisingly short of the threshold for an exceptional score in the World Handicap System.

He gets into the subject with co-host Tom Irwin, with the pair asking what makes a round something completely out of the ordinary.

Should there be a sliding scale for different handicaps? Is the bar set too high?

Elsewhere, Tom thinks he’s just played in the best competition on the planet. You can be the judge.

And can you mark a playing partner’s ball on the green? You’ve all done it, but are you at risk of picking up a penalty?

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It’s decision time for members of The Glen. They’ve been asked to vote on a partnership that could bring millions of pounds of investment into the club.

What would you think if your club was considering something similar? How much control would you trade or, if it’s a sale, would you expect a dividend?

Tom Irwin and Steve Carroll get into the topic this week, as well as recounting what happened in the big Course Rating match at Dumbarnie last week. Who came out on top and can you play off scratch if you just switch tees?

They then get stuck into formats – should we give foursomes move love? – and this time it’s Tom posing the Rules question to Steve. Can you play a practice round before a competition?

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