In November 2023, not long after I'd generated my first official Handicap Index, I was playing off 28.5. Fast forward to November 2024, greatly helped by a highly uncharacteristic 81 recently, my WHS Index dropped to 17.7.
I hadn't undertaken a single lesson in that time and I was venturing out to more new courses than I probably ever had. The difference - as far as I'm concerned - is two-fold.
Firstly, I've been playing a little bit more. Nothing crazy, but certainly enough to help create rhythm and momentum, maybe 30 rounds in 12 months compared to 15-20 before that. And secondly, I had accrued 10 new clubs which were all at least a decade younger than those they had replaced.
The Nike Method Converge putter I was bought for my 21st birthday remains in the bag, as does my Wilson Staff package set sand wedge from before that. Oh, and how could I forget? The lob wedge is a Wilson ProStaff Oversize created well before the turn of the millennium, purchased from a charity shop in North Wales for £1. That is known to occasionally get me out of a jam, still.
At this stage, I'd like to point out that I have been sporadically playing golf throughout much of my first 30 years on this planet, initially going to Saturday morning junior lessons at the same golf course in Swindon that European Tour legend and two-time Ryder Cup winner, David Howell honed his craft.
However, that is where the similarities end between Mr Howell and I, with the Sky Sports Golf broadcaster remaining an excellent player alongside his increasing popularity behind the mic, and my technique - in all areas - requiring plenty of work since giving up the aforementioned lessons before my teenage years.
Nevertheless, instead of investing in lessons as an adult, I did what many misguided amateurs do and blamed my lowly ability on the tools I was using. Although, as I'm about to hopefully explain, my theory has arguably been proven correct.
The majority of my new clubs arrived just before Christmas 2023, as I decided to treat myself after surviving the first few months of my new job at Golf Monthly. My Wilson Staff package set irons were struggling as it was, given they arrived in my possession pre-2014 at the latest, and I felt that if I was to stand any chance of closing the gap on my talented bunch of colleagues - in terms of WHS Index - something had to be done.
So I wandered into an independent golf shop in my hometown and spoke to a couple of staff members, and we collectively decided that starting with a new set of irons - rather than going the whole nine yards - was the best course of action, initially.
I had a two-hour fitting session of sorts where I used multiple different brands with several varieties of shaft and club head before settling on some TaylorMade Stealth game-improvement irons. I was very tempted with a similar set of Mizuno irons, but while the ceiling was slightly higher in terms of distance, I felt the Stealth's gave me a touch more wiggle room for error (and, boy, do I need it).
Having picked them up on my drive to a nearby course so that I could try them straight away, I noticed the results immediately. With my old clubs, a rare good strike from the 7-iron was sending the ball 138 yards. But the new TaylorMade Stealth the same club was going circa 155 (distances measured via Arccos).
Towards the upper end of my bag, the fresh 4-iron was allowing me to take on 180-yard shots that I'd never previously been able to try. My old set consisted of a 5-iron and 4-hybrid, but the latter was only helping the ball go 170 at most on a good day with the wind behind. I should say, the results with said 4-iron were pretty poor at first, but once I practiced a bit more, the consistency increased significantly.
Having new clubs with dramatically updated technology in the head was breathing new confidence into my body and allowing me to relax while over the ball - safe in the knowledge that a steady swing would propel the ball forward with real purpose. Everyone knows it, but being relaxed while hitting a shot results in a much better strike more often than not.
Ever since then, I actively enjoy pulling an iron out of my bag because I know that - while the result will seldom be perfect - I now have the capability to find the target more a little more consistently.
But while the change in my game due to new irons is one thing, the biggest catalyst behind a drop in Handicap Index has undoubtedly been a new driver.
Pre-2024, I had been using a package set driver that was not helping me tackle my slice whatsoever. How rude. I say 'using', I'd given up on it so long ago, 3-wood had long been my choice of weapon off the tee. Consequently, that was restricting me to 200 yards maximum straight away - with the wind behind on a good day.
However, having explained my relative struggles at the top end of the bag to a couple of my colleagues, I later found myself in possession of a Srixon ZX5 driver, a PXG 0211 3-wood, and a TaylorMade Stealth 2 3-hybrid (yes, I am completely aware of how fortunate I am to be in this position). Those three deliveries made my aim of reaching an 18 Handicap Index a very real possibility all of a sudden.
I had gone from very rarely hitting the ball a total of 200 yards off the tee to regularly landing it 220, and those numbers were only increasing during the summer months.
Once I became used to the extra-stiff shaft of the PXG (which I cannot speak highly enough of, by the way), that club became my favorite one in the bag, just in front of the aforementioned driver, due to its confidence-inducing consistency.
And that was really the key in helping lower my handicap. I'd gone from having absolutely no trust in one driver to knowing that if I set up correctly, it would produce a fair result. The same is true with the 3-wood. It's true with all of my new clubs, actually, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say the updated equipment has been transformational for my game.
As an aside, new clubs actually made playing the same courses I always had done slightly different as I was hitting into greens from different yardages and possibly even carrying bodies of water or bunkers that I hadn't even bothered to try and take on before.
Once I had clubs I could trust, my scores began to trend in the right direction and my WHS Index continued to drop. So much so, it took me less than 12 months to achieve my initial handicap goal and record the lowest round of my life.
I don't think it's necessary to constantly be chasing new clubs as the technology will only help you so much. But there is something to be said for investing in fresh tools at most every five years as the difference will be more more obvious.
Plus, if you combine those new clubs with the occasional lesson, who knows where you could end up? As for me, learning how to properly swing each club has to be next on my list if this recent path of enjoyment is to continue...
