Trying to break 90 again: my return to golf Pt 2

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After one round of golf in the past five years, Dave Tindall is trying to break 90 for the first time in more than a decade. Follow his journey here.

August 14: Any article with the subheading of ‘what’s in the bag’ usually suggests we’re talking about a top-notch professional.

If you’re like me and haven’t touched your golf bag since 2021, ‘what’s in the bag?’ said nervously. Forget shaft types, the main consideration here is did I leave a banana there?

Thankfully, rummaging through the pockets of my PING bag reveals no signs of rotten fruit; instead, just a combination of tees, random golf balls in various states of disrepair and a Jive (the Aldi Twix) wrapper.

There are also outdoor clothes that smell of mold so I have a mind to throw them in the washing machine. Forty-five minutes later, I’m taking the pieces out of the washing machine after the inner lining of the Nike waterproof upper has largely disappeared during its 60 degree cycle. Sh*t.

Thankfully, giving my clubs a good wipe down doesn’t cause any further damage. In fact, they blew up pretty well.

So, step one: if you want to be a good golfer, act like a good golfer. So, I’m going to be brave and present my ‘what’s in the bag’. Yes, these are the weapons with which I will strike.

What’s in the bag?

Driver: Titleist G25. I loved the G15 I had but I cut it when I closed the closet in 2017. This one, which came out in 2013, I have never caught.
7-wood: PING K15. I loved hitting these fairways. I hope you are still my friend.
5-wood: PING G15. Also, I used to get a decent hit on this when I was in the middle. Both fairway woods are about 15 years old now I think.
Irons: Benross (4-PW). These are very new. I bought them in 2018 after being told by a team expert that they were good value for money. The heads are small but I like what I’ve seen in the 10 or so rounds I’ve played with them.
Wedge: Benross 56 degree MDR. There is no strong opinion on this.
Putter: Nike Road Model 002. Putters, like my favorite pop/rock stars, have to look cool and this one does. Another mallet/spider thing might produce more reliable tunes but, like Ed Sheeran, I just don’t have it.

There’s enough there to keep me happy I think. Of course, I would like to enter the market and improve my team but if I fail in my goal of breaking 90, I can’t blame the tools. I am a tool.

August 16: Obviously, I can’t just walk onto the golf course yet without swinging a club in three years. Time to hit the grade.

It’s a great start to the day as my golf bag fits perfectly in the back of my Mini Countryman without me having to blink for three minutes before admitting that I can’t get past physics and that my driver will have to be removed before I can close. boot/trunk.

Luckily, it’s only a 10 minute drive to my local driving range in Esholt in West Yorkshire. Fun fact: it’s near the Woolpack pub where they filmed the British soap opera Emmerdale Farm for 20 odd years.

Part of the plan is to do things better and more professionally than ever before. Dive into tips/advice from the very pages of Golf365.com or elsewhere on social media.

I use that by watching some YouTube videos on how to plan your playing distance.

In the past I would putt 80% of the distance balls with my driver, get tired halfway through, and record the last three 100 yards right where I was aiming before walking away in desperation.

But being relieved that you finally got rid of the bad stuff is not the way to go on. Instead, I take out five balls at a time and use my routine accordingly.

First shot back

So I start with a half throw, go through the weights and actually start going into each line before hitting.

Having a limited, pre-shot system on the range seems like a smarter idea than just fishing balls out of the basket at high speed and putting spin back into play.

And although the range is a bit, the results are not too bad.

I can still swing the club and get it to hit the ball and I can handle a few creams that feel lovely on the face.

Yes, there are a few squirrelly shots but the one next to me hits it towards the net so that boosts my confidence a bit.

I still lose a lot of shots to the right – my biggest weakness from the past – but generally the short to mid irons are decent.

I only leave about 15 balls (five each) on the Driver, 5-wood and 7-wood and that’s where I catch a bit. About half of them are from the heel and sorry 40 yards on the northwest side.

I end up with 5-wood duff but maybe that’s not a bad thing. It reminds me that I’ll need another trip or two before I get to the course.

I posted the first installment of this diary on Twitter/X and was encouraged by the positive response. It seems that others are in the same situation: as long as the common people who have allowed themselves to play the game have somehow disappeared from their lives.

Enthusiasm and support will be needed here if I am to break 90 and, right now, even hitting 100 seems difficult.

But as the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu once said: “A journey of a thousand kilometers begins with a single step.”

He probably wasn’t talking about golf but I’ll use it. My first step has been taken. Forward!

READ MORE: My return to golf Pt 1: putting