OT: "ADVANCES" IN SPORTS EQUIPMENT

[RockyMTblue2]

Last year, after many years away from the game, I started to get back to golf. While I had known that materials and designs of shafts, club heads, etc had changed quite a bit, I had failed to appreciate how much these changes had altered the dynamics of the game. Even with the controls on golf ball design/materials, the potential to hit the ball longer and straighter has gone way up. Even putter materials had enhanced the ability to develop feel and stroke on the greens. I am not an advocate of returning to wooden shafts! I do feel somewhat conflicted about these changes. They make the game easier for lots of folks, so that encourages people to pick up the game. But I also feel like it is a different and diminished game.

To some degree it parallels what happened to tennis as racket materials and design took the sport in the direction of crushing power and little else.

Wondered whether any of the golfers on the board have considered and have a view about this evolution of the equipment?

 

[VAMike23]

Last year, after many years away from the game, I started to get back to golf. While I had known that materials and designs of shafts, club heads, etc had changed quite a bit, I had failed to appreciate how much these changes had altered the dynamics of the game. Even with the controls on golf ball design/materials, the potential to hit the ball longer and straighter has gone way up. Even putter materials had enhanced the ability to develop feel and stroke on the greens. I am not an advocate of returning to wooden shafts! I do feel somewhat conflicted about these changes. They make the game easier for lots of folks, so that encourages people to pick up the game. But I also feel like it is a different and diminished game.

To some degree it parallels what happened to tennis as racket materials and design took the sport in the direction of crushing power and little else.

Wondered whether any of the golfers on the board have considered and have a view about this evolution of the equipment?

I have often thought that it would be interesting to field a new tournament called The Persimmon Open during silly season. The longer shaft length enabled by lighter clubheads and the reduced sidespin enabling straighter shots have both dramatically altered the nature of tee shots in golf.

The golf ball is also substantially longer, straighter and more durable (at least compared to balata) than it was in years past.

IMHO the problem arises when the first two factors (i. drivers and other metal woods; ii. the ball) are allowed to progress so far that many of the games classic/legendary tracks must be literally overhauled in order to test the world's best players. Not to mention all the other existing private and municipal courses that cannot be easily lengthened or altered without great expense.

Since the equipment has already progressed so far, I would be in favor of severely restricting further developments lest one day places like Augusta become a pitch & putt. It's really only the manufacturers who would lose out in this scenario. Amateurs love to have clubs that make the game easier and easier with each passing year, but I don't sympathize with them

 

[Alydar]

I haven't a link but I read that despite all the progress in club and ball design the average score among amateurs remains the same.

 

[boontonbomber]

I have often thought that it would be interesting to field a new tournament called The Persimmon Open during silly season. The longer shaft length enabled by lighter clubheads and the reduced sidespin enabling straighter shots have both dramatically altered the nature of tee shots in golf.

The golf ball is also substantially longer, straighter and more durable (at least compared to balata) than it was in years past.

IMHO the problem arises when the first two factors (i. drivers and other metal woods; ii. the ball) are allowed to progress so far that many of the games classic/legendary tracks must be literally overhauled in order to test the world's best players. Not to mention all the other existing private and municipal courses that cannot be easily lengthened or altered without great expense.

Since the equipment has already progressed so far, I would be in favor of severely restricting further developments lest one day places like Augusta become a pitch & putt. It's really only the manufacturers who would lose out in this scenario. Amateurs love to have clubs that make the game easier and easier with each passing year, but I don't sympathize with them

regarding the effect equipment has on making courses obsolete, the usga has an simple approach that works out well at the u.s. open : longer and thicker rough, and narrower fairways. as for the eqipment making the game easier and easier for amateurs, you must not play much golf.

 

[VAMike23]

regarding the effect equipment has on making courses obsolete, the usga has an simple approach that works out well at the u.s. open : longer and thicker rough, and narrower fairways.

Well they've always done that for the Open. And you can certainly do it to a certain extent to most courses. My point is that this can't continue ad infinitum.

as for the eqipment making the game easier and easier for amateurs, you must not play much golf.

How's that?

 

[Icebear]

Problem is that on courses open to the public narrowing fairways and lengthening the rough has been proven to lengthen the time taken per round and therefore reduce green fees and profits.

 

[boontonbomber]

Problem is that on courses open to the public narrowing fairways and lengthening the rough has been proven to lengthen the time taken per round and therefore reduce green fees and profits.

i don't think that most public courses have done much in the way of toughening their layouts. rounds are too long as is, and the amateurs really don't need to have the courses toughened up. contrary to what some may think, i don't that the advances in technology have made the game a whole lot easier for the amateur. the short game, after all, is still where most of the scoring occurs. on the other hand, i think more tour venues should, and could, be toughened up by playing around with the rough and fairways. most golfers and fans that i know rather enjoy seeing the tour players struggle a bit. unfortunately, the players don't feel quite the same way.

 

[VAMike23]

i don't think that most public courses have done much in the way of toughening their layouts. rounds are too long as is, and the amateurs really don't need to have the courses toughened up. contrary to what some may think, i don't that the advances in technology have made the game a whole lot easier for the amateur. the short game, after all, is still where most of the scoring occurs. on the other hand, i think more tour venues should, and could, be toughened up by playing around with the rough and fairways. most golfers and fans that i know rather enjoy seeing the tour players struggle a bit. unfortunately, the players don't feel quite the same way.

We can agree that the short game is where most amateurs (and even many pros) lose strokes. I'm talking about making the game easier to play, i.e. get a decent full shot up in the air--which is where most amateurs get the fun out of golf. Otherwise they'd all spend hours on their short games, which they don't. Except the better amateurs who know what they're doing.

In the years since advanced metal woods, cavity-backed irons and various 'game improvement' clubs have taken over, I don't recall running into an amateur golfer who does not:

(1) have quite a bit more difficulty getting solid contact and getting the ball airborne with older blades;
(2) achieve get a much straighter ball flight off the tee with the typical modern [metal] driver, as well as added distance, since off-center hits on old-fashioned (wooden) clubs are penalized so much more;
(3) have greater success hitting today's hybrids from 180 yds and out, as opposed to long irons (which again were often blades back in the day).

Of these, (2) is the most impactful on the game because often times you can put a miserable hack swing on the ball with today's ginormous coffee-can drivers and it's still going to go out there a fair bit, perhaps even reasonably straight (I'm not saying dead center of the fairway). Lord only knew where the ball would go when you hit it way off-center with a traditional wood driver. Literally. It never ceases to amaze me the kind of swings that produce fairway-bound tee shots with today's drivers.

 

[huskyrob1]

I think the improvement in club design has been great for the game....I'm all for it.....

 

[Icebear]

i don't think that most public courses have done much in the way of toughening their layouts. rounds are too long as is, and the amateurs really don't need to have the courses toughened up. contrary to what some may think, i don't that the advances in technology have made the game a whole lot easier for the amateur. the short game, after all, is still where most of the scoring occurs. on the other hand, i think more tour venues should, and could, be toughened up by playing around with the rough and fairways. most golfers and fans that i know rather enjoy seeing the tour players struggle a bit. unfortunately, the players don't feel quite the same way.

Very true. Nor will those courses do anything that lengthens the time to complete a round.