Where It All Starts

I've been playing golf since I was a teenager but it has always been an on/off relationship and It wasn't until recently I took my clubs back out of storage and decide I wanted to play more frequently (Thanks Conor!). I am, by any reasonable measure and in the eyes of most, bang average at it. That feels like the right place to start.

I picked golf up the way many people do, It starts with golf on the TV and then you are dragged along for a game by a friend who plays frequently, they convince you it will be a casual thing and before you know it, you are completely and utterly hooked by the life, the social aspect and the etiquette.

The thing is, I thought I was OK at golf. Turns out I was wrong and not only am I average at golf but I’ve been playing with clubs that were actively making me worse. Standard length, standard lie, shafts that are not only too soft for my swing speed but in the case of my iron shafts also high launch. Not ideal for someone who is 6'3" and can consistently generate a 7 iron club head speed of 95mph The clubs I currently have are designed for someone who hits the ball much slower. My body was compensating without me knowing it, early extension, an over the top path and notably wrist roll at P6, all of this contributing to an aggressive slice on any shot i played.

Fast forward to the present day and this is where I decided it was time to pursue lessons from an established local PGA professional, this would be where these persistent faults would be identified and a battle plan drawn up on how to fix them.

The first lesson was almost akin to an assessment so that he could see what he was working with. The second lesson was more of a fitting/lesson to gauge if my clubs were to blame for a number of issues. It was then we decided a fitting would be the best outcome and I decided we should start with the irons.

So I got fitted. TaylorMade P790s 4-PW , +1 inch, 3 degrees upright, 120g x-flex shafts, midsize grips with two extra tape layers. Completely custom and tailored to me, the comparison was night and day when testing different x-flex shafts , shaft weights and different grip choices (I highly recommend anyone who is being fit for clubs to make grips top of the list). Clubs no longer felt incredibly light, my grip felt more natural and not like I was trying to choke the life out of the club, my sequencing and swing path started to fall into place and most of all my slice started to disappear. I started to look like a golfer. The difference at impact was immediate, the ball actually felt like it was supposed to be there.

That fitting is where this idea came to be and where the site really starts.

bangaverage.golf is a personal record of what happens next. Every round gets logged not just the good ones. Scorecards are honest, scores are real, there are no mulligans and no creative accounting. The development plan is documented. The bag changes as fittings happen. The handicap goes on here when it's official.

You can follow along via the scorecards & what's in the bag pages, both of these will let you track my rounds, current bag and accessories as I update them. There's a score progression graph on the homepage that will eventually show gross vs net once the handicap is official.

The goal is sub 85 by the end of 2026 and single figures by the end of 2027. I'm telling you that publicly so I can't quietly forget I said it.

I’m working with a local PGA professional, fitting as many practice sessions in at the indoor simulator or outdoor range as possible and most of all trying to make the most of the weather and play as much golf as humanly possible

The p790s should hopefully arrive soon so that I can work on dialling them in and work towards smoothing out my swing and any faults. Once I have achieved some consistency then we get the wedges scheduled in for a fitting and then the driver & woods after that.

I have a plan and whether the game cooperates or not is another matter entirely.

Let's find out together.