Introducing the Mizuno #YourGame2016 project...

Three readers join Jezz Ellwood in a quest to achieve specific goals in 2016 with Mizuno's expert help, starting with a full Performance Centre fitting

Some golfers are happy to just roll up every week, potter round the course and look forward to their next game. Some… but not many! For if you scratch beneath the surface, ambition still burns fiercely in scores of golfers.

Many ambitions are handicap- or score-based - getting as low as possible or shooting a personal best. For some, it may be as simple as making that first ever par or birdie. Others long to improve a part of the game they know is holding them back. Others still have their eyes set firmly on a particular club, county or national event.

When it comes to the crunch, most of us still want to improve and achieve more in the game tomorrow than we were able to today. It was for golfers such as these that Mizuno decided to team up with Golf Monthly for this season’s exciting Mizuno #YourGame2016 project.

Mizuno has long been renowned for crafting the finest forged irons on the market, and for introducing countless game-improving technologies as part of its commitment to helping golfers of all abilities get the most out of their games.

For #YourGame2016, Mizuno wanted three Golf Monthly readers to reap the benefits of a custom-fitting session for a full set of Mizuno clubs at its Celtic Manor Performance Centre, before embarking on a season-long quest to achieve their goals.

The chosen trio would also be kitted out with a full complement of Mizuno apparel, gloves, balls, bag and accessories so they would also look the part as they set off in pursuit of their goals. There would then be a further series of money-can’t-buy Mizuno experiences throughout the season to encourage them along the way.

It was no surprise, then, that over 700 golfers put themselves forward via the entry form on Mizuno’s website, each going to great lengths to state their specific golfing goals for the year and present a strong supporting case.

When the combined Golf Monthly/Mizuno judging panel sat down to sift through the entries, they were amazed by the collective ambition of the nation’s amateur golfers. There’s little doubt that most do still have a burning desire to improve.

In addition to the anticipated handicap and scoring goals, several other entries really caught the eye. One lady playing off +1.2 wanted to qualify for the Ricoh Women’s British Open; another scratch golfer wanted to turn pro and make it out on to the Europro Tour; yet another wanted to climb 400 places on the World Amateur Golf Ranking to be eligible for The Amateur Championship.

There were scores of ‘wannabe’ scratch golfers, club champions and county champions, and a host of golfers for whom single figures was the Holy Grail, all of which made the judging process far from straightforward. But after much deliberation, the panel eventually whittled it down to their chosen three....

Liam Frean is a 19-year-old student at St Andrews who plays off 3 and wants to get lower, but perhaps more importantly, give himself the chance to win some scratch events.

“I play a huge amount of competitive golf and have a real love for the game,” Liam said. The panel was impressed with his average of two hours practice a day!

For the now-retired Peter Jones, the goal was the magic figure of 9.4 that signals a golfer’s arrival among the single-digit elite. Currently off 11, Peter plays over 50 competitive rounds a year, while also practising regularly.

The panel particularly liked the ambition conveyed in his sign-off line: “With the help of Mizuno, I hope to achieve my goals for 2016… and then set new ones!”

The final member of our Mizuno triumvirate is Dan Barlow, a 15-handicapper with his eyes also set firmly on single figures, who plays and practises as much as family life permits.

Dan confessed to being undecided as to whether or not custom-fitting could really help inconsistent golfers. “I am also a massive Mizuno fan, but am scared that I am not good enough to use Mizuno equipment,” he admitted. This, however, had not prevented him snapping up a set of MP-32s from his local charity shop!

Golf Monthly’s Jezz Ellwood is joining our Mizuno #YourGame2016 trio as he battles to prove that an iffy golf swing and being the wrong side of 50 needn’t bring an end to golfing ambition.

Stuck on 5 for several years, Jezz now has renewed designs on making it down to 4 for the first time, having come agonisingly close in the past.

To find out more about our Mizuno #YourGame2016 quartet and their golf games follow the links below...

Liam Frean, 3-handicap: 'To get my handicap down and have a chance to win scratch events'

Peter Jones, 11-handicap: 'To get down to 9.4... or maybe even lower'

Dan Barlow, 15-handicap: 'To get down to single figures'

Jezz Ellwood, 5-handicap" 'To get down to 4 for the first time ever'

Then find out how their initial fittings went at Celtic Manor...

Liam Frean, 3-handicap - Celtic Manor Mizuno Performance Centre custom-fitting

Peter Jones, 11-handicap - Celtic Manor Mizuno Performance Centre custom-fitting

Dan Barlow, 15-handicap - Celtic Manor Mizuno Performance Centre custom-fitting

Jezz Ellwood, 5-handicap - Celtic Manor Mizuno Performance Centre custom-fitting

As the season progresses, look out for regular updates and reports as they get to benefit from Mizuno’s ongoing support, whether competing on the prestigious Mizuno Golf Pairs Tour, teeing it up at The Grove the day after the British Masters, or perhaps even receiving one-on-one advice from a Mizuno tour pro.