How many times have you sat in the clubhouse with a post-round drink and heard one of your playing partners mutter something along the lines of: “If I could just get the ball in play off the tee, I’d be a single-figure player.” Those sorts of comments are made the world over, for one simple reason: the majority of amateur players hit at least one wayward drive a round that leave them hacking out of a bush, dropping behind a hazard or reloading off the tee. Surely if we could just find the short grass, even at the expense of distance, we’d all shoot better scores?
That was the hypothesis we were keen to put to the test at West Hill Golf Club in early November. The idea was to play a round as normal in the morning, then start every par 4 and par 5 from the middle of the fairway in the afternoon. However, the start distance would be bespoke to each player, with our four-ball comprising myself (9.6), Neil Tappin (3.9), David Taylor (18) and Alison Root (16) – four players from across the handicap spectrum.
