My high handicap really bothers me, I know intellectually it shouldn’t. I’ve been playing for 16 months and it’s coming down. But my reaction when gently told that it would have to go on the video with this article was, ‘My ego will survive, just.’
I think it’s knowing that the number attached to my skill is objectively below par, I’ve even named my golfstagram, Chasing The Cut. In the video and article below, you'll see exactly what happened when I took the plunge and went for a full custom fitting with PXG - the question being, how much of a difference can it make to a 45-handicap beginner golfer...
Although the 54 handicap limit was brought in to make golf more accessible, it will take time for people to get used to it and respect it as the ‘new 36’ many were given when they began. It’s also the assumptions that come with a high handicap, being a new golfer and a woman. How do I know what people are assuming? The ongoing comments you receive that attempt to put a ceiling on what you should be aiming for.
The big question for me has been, what can we aim for after the starter kits and programmes? The in between bit where we’re not quite matchplay or medal ready, but hungry to get much better, what would give us those slightly more than marginal gains? I entered via a gateway to golf then onto an academy, excellent initiatives when done right. But once here these low expectations can seem in direct contrast to the drive to get more women into golf.
I stand by a theory that says getting women to hit a ball and enjoy golf is the easier part of the equation. It's the retention part that all the data shows is hard. It's often put down to having children, it may be that for some, however not every woman who takes up golf has children. We need to move away from stereotyping women in clubs. Like the women's section, which by virtue of simply being a woman you join. A form of inclusion, but, inevitably it holds some women back as it doesn’t consider ability, and if social or competitive sports are your thing.
Like men, women come in many shapes and sizes, yet we are normally sold package kits with whippy shafts, lite on the custom, even when moving on from beginner sets. On one golfing website, men can choose from 77 types of custom irons; for women, just four, FOUR! On another 112 to 16. Yes, it's a numbers game where there are more male golfers, but, maybe brands need to build a better offering and we will come. More women are playing than ever and the case for a change in approach is there. Women are not one uncomplex group of customers and consumers, we are a diverse set of golfers with diverse tastes and needs. Some women like pink and turquoise but must they be on so many ‘women's’ clubs/balls/markers?
To get the best results in nearly any sport you need the right kit for you, golf is no different. Recently my half-bought, quarter-inherited, quarter-adjusted mix of clubs were beginning to feel like they were holding me back. But, I was waved off by a few people I spoke to that I was too new, not good enough to even consider wasting spending money on custom fits. It seemed I just needed to be better, I do need to improve but when I put this to PXG Master Fitter Jack Venn, he came out with the line: "Try to run a marathon in a size smaller shoes." The conversation began at Day To Play for women who work at Parsons Xtreme Golf across the globe. He was there to run a taster session for their women in the UK who don’t yet play.
It was great to be a fly on the wall at the camaraderie and warmth towards their employer. Across the world, golf days look different. In Hong Kong, it's 18-hole comp; in the US, it's the same Scottsdale, or a clinic for those who don’t yet play and a panel with their Creative Director Renee Parsons and guests. In the UK, we played games in an indoor simulator. To me any brand's commitment to women begins with how they treat their own internal staff.
Jack’s marathon analogy made sense, when you want to progress in all sports you make sure the kit fits you. When chatting with Jack and Rebecca West, their EMEA sales manager and PGA pro, she said get fitted. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity, because I really wanted to see if this could elevate my game. As a newbie golfer this was affirming and I didn’t feel like a fraud going to see if this could help me. I booked in for a custom fitting; and a few days later, I rocked up at The Drift Golf Club in Leatherhead and it was time to say hello to Brandon Bassett, a PXG fitting specialist.
Being a new golfer, swinging in front of a pro always makes my heart beat faster, but Brandon soon put me at ease. He weighed my irons, they were super light, the lightest he ever weighed! Crikey, it’s no wonder three of the heads had already twisted. Then the testing began. We tried out at least six iron combinations with different clubhead weights and shafts, and I hit a LOT of balls. Then I hit the one, and I've obviously never really fallen in love before because, I tell you, by the practice swing, I knew. I felt it, and I said this feels really good. Boom, 15 extra yards straight away.
Having attended their event for the women in their UK team, I had an insight into their philosophy. They don't make clubs for men or women but for golfers. The shafts are customised to your swing speed and style, rather than immediately being handed a 'woman's' shaft, music to my ears. And my shafts were all too whippy as I had suspected.
We moved to the woods, and now I'm not tall at all; I'm short. After being measured, I cut all my woods by one inch to match my height. My heritage is Jamaican, and we have a saying. Wi likkle but wi talawa. Small, but we're strong. I have decent clubhead speed and can hit the ball; when I connect, it goes. The results are somewhat inconsistent as my swing often gets stuck at the top, and I am hacking it down. Turns out it's not just poor form; it's because I swing fast and my club is short, there's not enough time for the clubhead to get around my body. So the decision to cut wasn't incorrect. It was, however, making me have to work harder. Whereas my irons are a great fit with the inch less.
I love data and details, so this information from a fitting specialist was like manna from heaven. I’d been adjusting my swing to work with my clubs rather than them working for me. Brandon also explained that because I have so many different shafts in my bag, including all my woods having different ones, it is hard to be consistent because I'm constantly adjusting on my way around the course.
I felt vindicated; whilst I have much to learn in golf, my kit holds me back.
The C word is what all golfers are trying to achieve, and whilst I'm inconsistent because I'm new, my bag of clubs is adding a different c word chaos. As new golfers, people give you their trash, and it's like treasure to us, but so many women I know who have taken up the game recently have been given odds and sods of kit. To try and get a repeatable swing will be challenging.
It's all a bit chicken and egg; with a more consistent swing, it feels like an investment in a custom fit is worth it because you're better, but with a kit that fits you, it's easier to become consistent.
Chatting to my friend Mary at my club, who is in her 70s, she said she thinks every beginner should get fitted. I agree. Yes, your swing will change over time, but better to have something that suits you in the first place.
When the clubs arrived I was very excited. The woods were immediately impactful. The irons gained more distance, however with an adjusted lie angle I need more time for my eye to get used to it and to adjust my set-up. Where I see that the most is in the wedges, shank central. But what I immediately loved is all the shafts feel the same and the weight of them is perfection! My drives are bombing down the fairway and the hybrid I never knew I needed is adding a new dimension to my game.
If you know you're serious about your golf, even if you're new, and even if people tell you otherwise, get fitted if you think it will improve your game. In 12 months they may need a tweak, however I am giving myself more consistency now and that will only help me improve more quickly. For women there are a couple of brands that want to fit you as the golfer you are rather than just your gender. Test out your swing speed, strength and give you clubs based on that. This is the future.
My top takeaways from my fitting:
My mixed bag was killing my swing, too many adjustments are needed around the course to deal with different shaft materials, weights and flexes.
Because I’m 5’ nothing I felt my clubs were too long. So I got measured and had a bunch of clubs cut. Whilst in theory it was correct, what I got in control I lost in accuracy. The extra inch is coming back to the woods.
So called women’s shafts are too whippy for me, shafts really ought to be matched to swing speed and I’m now A also known as senior flex.
The feeling when you swing THE club is amazing, right weight club head, right shaft before I even hit the ball it felt good and the difference when I went back to play with my old clubs was stark.
