Fairway to go

My new grip is proving a bit of a distraction

Saturday's golf lesson was brilliant, I resolutely stand by that, but today was the grim reality of how much work I need to do to bed in the change.Taking a new grip onto the course isn't really advisable but I was under the expert stewardship of our assistant pro. First off though wow. Playing with someone who knows how to play the game is a real eye opener. Most impressive were his shots from bunkers and a couple of up and downs he made to save par. A solid nine holes from him (level par) and some great advice, support and encouragement for me for which I was really grateful.

As for me there are two stories today. The first is that I struggled massively hitting anything over 100 yards. I've moved from pulls to thinned/topped slices. A lot of it is due to the new grip feeling alien and not hitting down on the ball as a result. After we completed nine holes we headed to the practice area where Warren gave me some more advice and worked with me for a bit before heading off to hone his putting ahead of tomorrow's Europro competition. I wish him luck.

The second story of my round was my short game. What. A. Difference. We played the back nine and short game was strong. On 10 I duffed my third shot into a bunker, played a good shot out and sunk the putt. On 11 I missed the green right and got up and down for par. On 12 I missed the green left and got up and down for bogey. I had a couple of others where my putts didn't drop and am really happy with how that part of my game has developed. Despite hitting the ball like a cross eyed chameleon (I'm not sure about lizard's general proficiency at golf but I'm assuming it's not great) I blobbed the 15th and scored 16 points. To do that when I couldn't hit a ball for love nor money is a positive sign. When the new grip setlles I mean business but until then, I've got a fair way to go...