Hedonic treadmill confessions.....

This is a bit of a "true confessions" post and I feel quite ashamed of myself. I don't imagine anyone has looked at the updates to my WITB post, so I thought I should lay it all out here. The truth is, I'm finding it incredibly difficult to get off the golfing hedonic treadmill. I think I'm going to have to delete the eBay app from my phone. It's been a bit like telling my kids to stop scratching their spots, I just can't stop myself from going back to take a look, just to see what might be there.

Driver: Despite an excellent fitting experience, the Paradym TD just didn't work for me when I got it. I was inconsistent with it and just had no confidence. Fortunately for me, there was an issue with it and it was replaced under warranty. Whilst I was waiting for the replacement I had another fitting session and that convinced me to switch to the Ping G430 LST. I've no regrets about making the change as it's performed way better for me.

3 Wood: I've always struggled to hit my 3 wood off the fairway. The Epic Flash sub-zero is a low-spin head and it's fitted with a low-launch, low-spin shaft too. I can be great off a tee with it, but I've never had much confidence off the deck. I've been so impressed with the Ping driver that I tried a Ping G430 that a friend was using and the brain cogs started turning! Would a shallower-faced 3 wood be easier to launch? Talking to Adam from custom fit at Auchterlonies about the new G430LST model about to be released, he suggested I try the last G425LST model they had in stock instead. With an appropriate shaft already installed and at £215 against £499 for the new model, it was a bit of a no-brainer. I've played half a dozen rounds with it so far and it's been so much easier to hit both off a tee and off the fairway. It's another good change and the most confident I've been with a fairway wood off the deck for years.

Hybrid: hmm, why should I be thinking about changing this when all my fitting evidence from recent years proves I've already got an excellent fitted club? Well, it only took a couple of bad shots and a special offer from Callaway used clubs to turn my eye. As they have a 14-day return policy, I ordered a Mavrik Pro to try. When I took it to the range I really liked it but it was no "better" than my old club, in fact, it was shorter and messed up my gapping. So it went back without even getting to the course.

Double trouble. Given my success with Ping woods, I started looking for G425 and G430 hybrids. I got sent an attractive eBay offer on a G430 I had on my watch list and accepted it. I was excited to try it and while it performed ok on the range, I hit it terribly on the course. It had a slightly bigger head and a similar swing weight but was 15g heavier than my old club and just had a very different feel that I just couldn't get comfortable with. It's already been re-sold, fortunately at a small profit for a change. The old Callaway lives to fight another day.

Putter(s): WHAT!! Yes, my putter addiction continues. A friend bought the TriHot 5K Three that I was fitted for at the Academy. He didn't like it so I bought it from him. I have to say that it has been a good purchase and I've seen an improvement in my putting stats since I changed. How much of that is down to the putter and how much is better expectation management post reading the Four Foundations again and stats from Lou Stagner, I guess we'll never know. Anyway, a good purchase.

But I've not stopped there and this week another eBay putter arrived on the doorstep. I just can't seem to stop myself even with the comments about my putting with the TriHot! Having taken the girls to golf practice a few times this summer, I've been surprised with how well I've putted with the putter from their starter set. It's a mallet head with a plumbers neck, so very different from the TriHot 3. Having a few shots of that got the devil whispering in my ear and my fingers hitting the eBay button again. Almost identical to my girls putter is the Ping Craz-e H model. It's not easy to find, but find one I did. I put in what I thought would be an unacceptably low offer and it was accepted. Why on earth did I do that when I'm putting well with the other one? I think there's a clue in the name of this particular putter! Anyhow, it's had a round and a half and will not be getting any more time in the bag.

One positive from that experiment is that it highlighted the impact of using a forward press with my putting. I think it is definitely contributing to a left-side miss. With this head, I could really see how much the face closed when I executed the press. It is much less obvious with the TriHot but something I need to watch/try in practice.

Can I ever really change?

So now I'm left with a 3 wood that is on eBay and attracting little interest (seems the buyers know it's hard to hit too), a couple of spare putters that really should be sold off too and the old 4 hybrid that's been out since I was fitted for a 4 iron (but I can't bring myself to sell in case I fall out of love with the 4i). Maybe I should just take them all down to the Auchterlonies second-hand shop and sell them there. But can I get out without making another purchase? Their best prices are for store credit or as a trade-in against another club.......maybe time to try L.A.B. Golf. I just can't help myself!

It's good to get this out in the open. I know I'm not the only person with this "problem", but hopefully exposing it to the sun will help do something about it! But the thing is, I really like trying new clubs, even though I know the difference will be minimal. I know it's more about me than the kit, but it doesn't stop me from wanting to try things. Maybe I should become a human club tester for the R&A or start a club review thread within the blog to keep all my experiments separate. Oh no, here I go again.....