A Special Relationship
Golf Monthly|April 2017

Every golfer has a close affinity with the clubs they use, and Nick Faldo is no exception. The Mizuno ambassador recounts the first time he discovered the Japanese brand in the mid-80s and why the TP9s became a permanent fixture in his bag.

A Special Relationship

Way back [in my career] I had to go all the way to the other side of London, to St George’s Hill, where Barry Willett was the only club maker who looked after professionals’ clubs – that used to be a two-and-a-half-hour drive pre-M25 days.

I sat with him literally all day and watched him work away on my clubs, and we’d hit balls together and that sort of thing. One day he told me about this Japanese company that was coming to Europe and showed me some heads, and I started putting mixed clubs into my bag.

And then Mizuno came to Europe with their truck/ mobile workshop and did a very clever thing. They would line clubs up outside the workshop and pros would come down and pick them up, look at them and put them down. I’d been watching this and looking at these clubs and I put a few in my bag. I then joined another brand, but they were going through a transition, trying to modernise, which wasn’t working. The boss let me put Mizunos in the bag, so I went back to Barry and said: “Would Mizuno make me a set of clubs with just numbers on them?” They said yes.

An unforgettable moment

I got those clubs in Greensboro, North Carolina, the week before The Masters in 1987. I’ll never forget that moment. It was snowing and I went to the range with these brand new clubs. I hit them for the first time and it was genuinely like hitting butter. I know that phrase is often used to describe feel, but the clubs had such a soft feel compared to anything else I’d ever experienced. That’s when I put the good old TP9s into my golf bag.

Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Golf Monthly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra April 2017-utgaven av Golf Monthly.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA GOLF MONTHLYSe alt
A GRAND ESTATE
Golf Monthly

A GRAND ESTATE

Goodwood in West Sussex may be steeped in ancestral history, but about 20 years ago it elected to take its golf offering down a very different route...

time-read
6 mins  |
January 2025
The Tees Valley
Golf Monthly

The Tees Valley

Jeremy Ellwood potters about along the famous north-east river for a couple of days, basing himself at Rockliffe Hall, one of England's finest golf hotels

time-read
3 mins  |
January 2025
The Western Cape
Golf Monthly

The Western Cape

Along with its stunning scenery, vineyards and welcoming climate, this region is home to a wealth of fine courses

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
Murcar Links
Golf Monthly

Murcar Links

The 20-mile stretch of coastline northwards from Aberdeen is home to no fewer than four links in the Golf Monthly Top 100.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
How to play the chip-and-run
Golf Monthly

How to play the chip-and-run

The chip-and-run is one of the most useful shots in anyone’s short-game arsenal but most golfers don’t use it enough.

time-read
2 mins  |
January 2025
Is your angle of attack correct?
Golf Monthly

Is your angle of attack correct?

You can add serious distance to your drives if you get the upward angle of attack into impact correct

time-read
1 min  |
January 2025
LEARN FROM THE BEST!
Golf Monthly

LEARN FROM THE BEST!

Star players' signature shots... and how you can play them

time-read
6 mins  |
January 2025
Confessions of a golf club fitter
Golf Monthly

Confessions of a golf club fitter

Is everything always as it seems in the customfitting bay? We ask someone in the know how you can avoid some of the more unscrupulous practices

time-read
7 mins  |
January 2025
Dining at the TOP TABLE
Golf Monthly

Dining at the TOP TABLE

Aaron Rai's Wyndham Championship victory has elevated his career to a new level. But, as he tells David Facey, he's taking nothing for granted...

time-read
8 mins  |
January 2025
Is golf too expensive?
Golf Monthly

Is golf too expensive?

The cost of membership, greens fees, gear and more can give our game a bad rap. Is that fair or are there more affordable ways to play? Michael Weston investigates...

time-read
9 mins  |
January 2025