I have a little confession to make. Since we last met there has been a new addition to the bag, and it has come through third-party channels.
Don’t worry, it’s still a Titleist club. I clocked another year on the planet in May and my reward for surviving that 12 months was a Cameron & Crown Futura 5MB.
It’s so beautiful that I briefly considered leaving it in its wrapper but into the bag it went and the results have been startling.
It’s funny how things turn out. After Titleist dropped off a bag full of custom-fitted clubs at the back end of last year, it was the driver that caused most consternation in the run-up to the start of the season.
But while I’m still prone to putting it in the left rough from time to time, my stats over just short of a dozen competitions this year have shown marked improvement.
I’m hitting the fairway, on average, eight per cent more this season (up from 38% to 46%) and I’ve gained nine extra yards.
We went through some pain but there’s no doubt that, with what’s admittedly the most troublesome part of my game, I’ve seen measurable improvement.
While that was a lovely surprise, my putting stats were still leaving much to be desired. As I explained last month, I’d experienced a huge drop off – especially in the medium range.
Ultimately, I just wasn’t quite comfortable set over the ball and, as we know with putting, look and feel are everything when it comes to being confident about finding the cup.
