I eagerly took up the invitation, if only to see if there was any truth in the hype surrounding club fitting. I was also rather keen to find out if there would be any immediate and notable improvements despite playing no more than two rounds of golf a month.
I brought my own set of Nikes along, which have stood me in good stead the past four years or so. Admittedly, I have recently been keeping an eye on special deals to see if a change of clubs would see me break 90 with greater frequency – or rather 100, based on my last round of strokeplay.
Neil started off by suggesting I use my 6-iron to establish a marker in distance and direction. This would be measured by technology similar to that used to track balls during golf coverage on television. My distance was between 175 and 190 yards, but my direction was rather dismal, at times resembling the golfer I was on the course only a few days earlier.
I was then asked which shaft I preferred along with the type of club. A TaylorMade club head was fitted to my steel shaft and off I went again. The club head itself did feel better and look better, and with that in mind I teed up.
Of the ten or so balls I struck, only one misfired, with around seven following almost the exact same trajectory. Coupled with the vast improvement in accuracy, I was now hitting the 6-iron an extra ten to 15 yards, often carrying beyond 200 yards.
My driver was out next. I have been using it for at least two years and I believed the loft of 9.5 degrees was perfect due to my excessively quick swing speed. After a few wayward drives with my ‘trusted’ driver, Neil suggested I use a driver with a 12-degree loft, and while I was not convinced, I took him up on his offer. Once again, there was a marked improvement. Not only did I gain a dozen yards or so in distance, but more importantly, my accuracy improved vastly, which is vital when you can hit a ball 303 yards off the tee.
Despite my obvious enthusiasm at the time, and in writing these words, I have not been offered my set of complimentary clubs, but I do know where I will be going when I eventually have the cash in hand to put my Nike clubs on Ebay or drop them off at my favourite charity shop.