The Dawn Of A Bright New Era

Yesterday saw me back at Pachesham Golf Club to pick up my new clubs. As regular readers will know, I was there last week for a full custom fitting. I was open to all possibilities but in the end the Ping G25 won the day through the bag (http://threeoffthetee.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/a-decision-has-been-made.html)

The great thing about Pachesham is not only are they an independent fitter, but they offer a full hand over session. I was back with the big chief, Andrea Timms and despite little warm up we were back in the teaching bay with a bucket of balls. Now I usually start any session with a few wedges but Andrea had me straight in with seven irons. The first were inevitably a little inconsistent but once I'd hit a few and loosened up I was right into it. The ball flight was much better than my Taylormade Tour Preferred's and I was hitting the seven iron at least a club further.

Andrea kept it interesting by handing clubs at random so I never knew what was coming. He was fantastic and offered a few swing tips along the way which helped me begin to start nailing ball after ball. The driver was a particular problem but the new G25 is much longer. It is 10.5 degrees but we've tweaked it down to 10 degrees to give a better flight. I hit a couple of ropey ones. This was down to "new club syndrome" and wanting to try and stick it in another postcode. Once I settled down and started swinging smoothly again the results were great. The last club we hit was the 20 degree hybrid (equivalent to a three iron). I nailed the first. The second was as good but the third was as good as I can hit it. There were still twenty balls left but I was done. That was the perfect place to stop.

So I am now the proud owner of a full bag of Ping G25's. I have the driver set at 10 degrees, a 3 and 5 wood and a 20 degree hybrid. The irons are 2.25 degrees upright and I've got 4-PW. The pitching wedge is 46 degrees and so I've added the Tour Wedge in 52 degrees and a 58 degree wedge with a wide sole which should be useful for heavy rough and particularly bunkers.

Of course it is no good having shiny new club if you have no idea how far you hit them so this morning was a get to know you session with the new bats. I hit them great. It was hard to judge distances accurately as the range was into the wind and it was blowing around 10-15mph and at least a one club wind so I struggled to get any accurate information. My biggest worry about the G25 compared to my old clubs was how chunky they looked. I spent a while around the putting green and started to get a real feel for the vital short shots.

The final part of the jigsaw is how they play. Put another way could I use them to great effect. Well, I hit five wood to the back of the first. On the second I hit a drive as far as I've ever done and then deposited a five wood into the right hand green side bunker. I've never been close to the green before. Granted the bunker shot was poor but so far so good. I made a simple par at the next after another good drive and short iron and then hit a monster three wood at the fourth to leave a miserly 78 yards. I stuck it to eight feet and narrowly missed birdie.

I didn't play the fifth well but still made a simple bogey (net par). The sixth has always been a problem and it was playing 172 yards into the wind. I put a poor swing on it and it came up short. I played another ball as I was only practicing and it was left but came up pin high. I made a nasty treble bogey courtesy of a three putt. I was concerned at the seventh that playing down wind the hybrid may be too much club and find the hazard that crosses the fairway so I took a four iron. I hit it a tad right. I was left with 218 yards and so went with the hybrid. I stuck it to ten feet. How easy are these clubs to hit? I was a too optimistic trying to hit eight iron into the wind at the 139 yard par three and it came up short. I repeated the error at the ninth trying to muscle a four iron from the semi-rough some 188 yards into the wind. Great strike but wrong club.

The back nine started well with a solid drive and a good approach. I missed the green left on the par three eleventh into sand but splashed out stone dead to save par. I made another sand save at the next, stroke index 1, after finding the fairway and then tugging my seven iron . I came up short again at the thirteenth. Playing 183 yards straight back into the wind I hit the four iron shot great but just came up some ten yards shy. In still conditions it was undoubtedly the club. I wasn't scoring but just trying to get a feel for yardages and what I can do with the new clubs.

I hit a great drive at the fourteenth. It played down wind but I put it past where my old driver would go. I hit a seven iron 165 yards and stuck it to six feet and made the putt for my first birdie with the new sticks. I dropped a shot at the next but then made an up and down par at the tough sixteenth. I only hit hybrid at the penultimate hole but found the heart of the green for another stress free par and closed the deal with a closing bogey (net par) when I missed the green from semi-rough after my second took a wicked bounce forty-five degrees left.

All in all I am as happy as Larry. The good ones were far better than I expected and the bad ones were still playable. I am playing in the first round of the Nike matchplay pairs with my regular partner and fellow Royal Ascot member Mike Stannard tomorrow. We are away at Maidenhead but I am confident of a good showing.

I have to reiterate that the fitting session last week opened my eyes to a lot of different things and if you are thinking of changing clubs, then a custom fit really is the way to go. If you are able to get to Leatherhead I would definitely recommend Pachesham Golf Club as the place to go. Of course those that have followed Homers Odyssey for a while will know that I am the king of false dawns. This however feels something different. I feel in control of the club and can feel where it is in the swing. I still need to work on the short game but tee to green I am now in a very strong position.

Of course the proof of the pudding will be how they play. I am going to play as much as I can this week with the weather set fair. I will work on the short game and then go into the monthly stableford next Saturday and the better ball pairs event at Royal Ascot next Sunday. If I can make fairways and greens the scores will improve and if I shoot good numbers handicap cuts will take care of themselves. I am as excited as I have been for a long time with the change of equipment and as my lessons continue to refine the swing then the future is bright and I am standing at the dawn of a bright new era.