From the Rough: SOS

Since I believe that my swing is about as technically perfect as it?s ever likely to be, I am obliged to look elsewhere for something that will move my golf on and my handicap back down. Dismissing cheating as an unacceptable option, I instead turned the spotlight ? as so many of us do ? onto my equipment. Although a completely new set with entirely different characteristics is an appealing proposition, my indisputably desperate finances ruled it out. I therefore settled for something of a compromise and, rather recklessly for someone as impecunious as myself, metaphorically rushed out and bought just one new club.

With a string of scores over the last few months that could best be described as pathetic, I must confess that my motivation was itself a hybrid somewhere between a panic buy and retail therapy. In the past when I have wondered if I would ever achieve another par, I have sought solace in a new putter and have consequently flooded Ebay with a bewildering range of unsuitable implements. This time I was determined to be more creative in my club selection.

For someone who is invariably in a seemingly impossible situation out on the golf course, the very name ?recovery? has almost irresistible appeal. The very thought that here was a club that could recover almost any situation accelerated my pulse faster than a golfer in swimming shorts and tee shirt being ejected from the clubhouse at Muirfield.

Although my original intention was to stop there and leave you waiting until the next episode to find out how I go on with it, much as they do in East Enders, I can?t contain myself. Although it isn?t the answer to my short game woes, it is spectacularly effective for long shots out of an indifferent lie. Extraordinarily forgiving, it?s infinitely easier to hit than a three or four iron. I also like the way it looks, the sound it makes on impact and, of course, the name.

Could this be the start of the long road to recovery? You may or may not learn more next time (cue East Enders music).