Every golf season throws up something different.
There are shots we are proud of and some we would like to forget about, that’s the Yin and the Yang of the sport we all love.
If you are at the time of year where you are asking the question of how to improve your golf game for next year, thinking about some of the key shots you hit in the past season can be a great starting point.
Tracking data is one thing, but we don’t think of data when we recall good or bad rounds of golf; we think of the key shots that created or destroyed a good score.
Channeling these vivid moments can help us spot patterns in our game, which can be useful in helping guide our strategy for improvement.
You can recall fondly having a purple patch with the driver, or putting a new lofted-fairway wood in the bag, creating more birdie opportunities on long holes.
However, your wedge play may have cost you shots, leaving you to contemplate the work you need to do to tighten this area of your game.
The point of reflection is to make an objective plan of where you need to work on while celebrating what went well. As we enter the twilight of the season, we’ll help you analyse your year objectively.
There are three key areas to focus on, which are:
- How To Analyse Your Golf Game - Spotting The Patterns
- A Little Analysis Can Go A Long Way
- The Role Our Equipment Plays
How To Analyse Your Golf Game - Spotting The Patterns
Our mind becomes a library of captured moments from previous rounds. If we think hard enough, we can picture every detail surrounding the shot we are recollecting.
What hole were you on? What was the situation? Did you have a good score on the go, or were you in a commanding position in your match? What was the thought process that led you to pull out the specific club from your bag?
It goes on and on, and we don’t differentiate these thoughts between the good and the bad shots.
When you look at the wider picture of your year, can you categorise departments of your game that worked well?
You may have had a stellar year with the driver, where, regardless of the pressure, you could pull out your driver and know you were going to hit a great drive.
The flip side is you could have had a lousy year on the par threes. Even with the ball on the tee and no more than a mid-iron in your hand, finding the target was a real struggle, leading you to shy away from entering the twos sweepstake when it was competition day.
Pros experience the same thing and talk about it freely.
In a recent podcast, the now-former DP World Tour player Mike Lorenzo-Vera talked about how his poor driving was a key factor in his decision to retire. Lorenzo-Vera developed a destructive shot off the tee, which he could never get out of his system, regardless of the work he put in on the range.
With minimal analysis, we can start to see patterns develop in our play, which leaves us satisfied and disheartened in equal measure.
Regardless of playing ability, when we play good golf, everything seems automatic and easy.
On the course, we see the shot we want to execute with ease, we see how the ball will fly, where it will land, and how it will roll out.
That then leads to a swift and confident selection of the club we want to execute the shot with.
It doesn’t matter how difficult the shot is we are about to attempt, our zen-like focus in our pre-shot routine tells our playing partners that we have got this under control and we’re ready to pull off a great shot.
We strive to play golf like this for as long as we can; it feels like the ultimate high, and it gives us an insight into how the best in the game must feel playing week in and week out.
However, golf is a great leveller, and when the bad moments come, they never seem to end.
On the course, we always seem to be attracted to the out-of-bounds off the tee. If we keep the ball in play, we always end up with that awkward yardage that leaves us between clubs.
If the ball does find the fairway, it ends up in the only divot. If we miss the fairway, the ball ends up in the juiciest rough, which even the USGA would want to avoid pros getting into when they set up U.S. Open venues.
As for bunkers, it goes without saying that every time we enter the sand, it’s to try and extricate a plugged ball.
This exasperation puts us in a foul mood, which escalates as the round continues.
A Little Analysis Can Go A Long Way
We can easily analyse the raw data of our golf game, such as fairways hit or the number of up-and-downs made during a round. We’ve covered how you can go about doing that in more extensive detail here.
However, when it comes to analysing the shots and the clubs that either gave or drained your confidence, you have to ask yourself a set of different questions.
You don’t need to overthink the process either; you can uncover the answers by thinking of the following:
-
What shots consistently felt comfortable this season?
Think about the ones you didn’t have to talk yourself into. -
Which situations triggered hesitancy or doubt?
Approach shots over water, tight tee shots, downhill chips, etc. -
Which clubs felt like allies, and which felt like strangers?
There is a difference between “not perfect” and “never trusted.” -
What were you thinking over your best shots?
The state of mind matters just as much as the mechanics.
Reflection isn’t about finding flaws. It’s about identifying what makes you play instinctively and what gets in the way.
That awareness is the real foundation for improvement. From here, we can make conscious decisions for next season, rather than just buying a new golf club and hoping for the best.
The Role Our Equipment Plays
There is an expression that references the fact that a good workperson never blames their tools.
In golf, our clubs are often the brunt of poorly executed shots. Clubs are thrown, stamped into the ground, and in the most extreme circumstances, a golf shaft is snapped.
We fall in and out of love with our golf clubs very easily, and for many, the secret to a better game is simply buying the latest golf equipment.
There is always a bit of a high when we drive away from the nearest retailer with the latest and greatest club or clubs in the boot. We are confident that an answer has been found, and we can shoot better scores.
However, when you are faced with a hole that you traditionally play badly, your new clubs aren’t going to know the difference, and the chances of hitting a bad shot remain high.
Why is that? Because we carry the mental scar tissue of flared drives or poor iron shots coming short or going well long.
Buying new wedges won’t change the nervousness we feel when chipping off a bare lie or executing a deft bunker shot.
Some golfers go the opposite way and can’t let go of golf clubs, which are deemed to be “old faithfuls”. These clubs can have grips worn down to the shaft, have zero effective grooves, or make a big play out of being made from titanium because it was the new-fangled material when the club was on the retailer’s racks.
While we might have a bunch of good memories associated with these clubs, there comes a point when they become more of a hindrance than a help.
We notice something might be a miss when a regular playing partner rocks up with a new driver and suddenly blasts it 30 yards past your best effort, or gets more height and accuracy from a new set of irons while hitting two clubs less than you.
We also start to wonder whether it’s time for a change when we experience a less-than-perfect strike, and we become more scathing of terrible ball flight and direction.
Golf clubs do have a shelf life, and if you are serious about making long-lasting improvement starting next year, it’s time to make an honest assessment of what changes you need to make to your bag setup.
Driver technology is a clear place to look at first.
If you’re using a driver that’s over five years old, you could still hit it well, but where major advances in new technology have been made is in off-centre hits.
Improved centre of gravity, high MOI, and smart face technology help to maintain consistent ball speeds and directional control on the poorest of strikes.
Add in improved aerodynamics and more extensive use of carbon composite materials, and you could gain even more distance.
We’ve also seen the rise of the mini driver in recent years, with clubs like Callaway’s Elyte mini and TaylorMade’s R7 Quad mini, providing viable alternatives to the driver in extreme circumstances, or a first fairway wood option.
External weighting and adjustable hosels make it easier to dial in the desired shot shape and trajectory, which can help boost your confidence when you pull the big dog out on the tee.
From a custom-fit golf clubs perspective, driver models fall into three distinct categories: a base model, a low spin model, and a friendly high MOI model, which are consistent through manufacturers such as Cobra, Titleist, and PING.
Selecting the correct driver head is one part of the equation. Still, maximising performance comes from getting the right shaft fitted to the driver head.
Lead manufacturers offer a variety of weights and profiles coupled with flex options to ensure that fitting the right shaft has never been more achievable.
Creating the perfect driver, or any golf club for your bag, comes down to the custom fitting process.
Custom fitting takes all the guesswork out of what’s best for your game by basing results on data captured during a fitting consultation.
A sophisticated launch monitor will collect data that the naked eye can’t pick up, and an experienced fitter is on hand to obtain your feedback on what feels good and your aesthetic preferences.
Feel and looks are still important in this day and age of data. When you pull the club out of your bag, you have to like the look and feel of it, along with any performance gains, to give you the confidence you need.
No top player has ever opted to put a club in their bag solely because it performs better than an older model but is uglier or provides poorer feedback at impact.
You shouldn’t be any different than an elite player, even if you are an 18-handicapper, and that’s why custom fitting isn’t purely based on launch monitor data.
If you’re planning to make next season your most confident yet, your golf equipment should feel like an extension of your game.
At Nine by Nine Golf, every club is custom-built to order. We match head design, shaft profile, length, lie, loft, and swing weight to your swing, your feel, and your eye.
No assumptions. No “close enough.” No off-the-rack compromises.
You can buy custom golf clubs online by browsing our website to see the extensive range of customisable golf clubs and shafts, and using our configurator to build what you need.
Of course, you can also use our website to book a fitting session tailored to the area of your game you want to improve.
Having the Nine By Nine Golf team on board will help you achieve your 2026 golfing goals.