Teflon

During my school days I spent some time in goal. There were more than a few occasions when I was unfortunately given this moniker. In fact, if memory serves me well, it was also a term used to describe my wicketkeeping every now and then. In my defence the gloves I was using in both football and cricket were hardly top of the range. Grip matters.

There were times I'd be standing up to the stumps wearing what can best be described as a pair of cymbals. Now my teammates showed no sympathy in that I reacted to the nick and got in the right position, only to see the ball bounce out.

Similarly in football they were equally critical. Despite a gale force wind blowing and a pitch bearing closer resemblance to the fields of Passchendaele, there was a ludicrous expectation that the ball should be effortlessly plucked from the air. When it inadvertently slipped from my grasp and onto the head of an opposing striker I was promptly sent to Coventry: possibly in the hope that Steve Ogrizovic would help improve my ball handling.

Bearing that not particularly illustrious history in mind, it should come as no surprise that I've recently been having golf grip issues. I really had not realised quite how worn my Tour Velvets were. In comparison to my new grips they were like bars of soap. After my practice session yesterday I am hoping that the lighter touch will lead to much improved ball control. That certainly seemed to be the case yesterday.