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Has golf technology gone too far?

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  • Has golf technology gone too far?

    I didn't mind when the large head drivers were invented to help people get extra distance or the balls that give you more spin. But with the latest advances, I can't help but feel like things have gone too far. I am talking about the clubs that help to correct slices and the clubs that make mis-hits less painful.

    Maybe I am just old-fasioned when it comes to this subject. I just can't help but feel that it is better to correct your swing than to have a club do it for you.

    Agree or disagree?

  • #2
    Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

    Swing changes are my preferred method. But if equipment makes you better by it's self, it is no contest to simply purchase that item. You are still staying in your old groove and that is just too hard to pass up.

    Will having equipment take you to some super-human level? That will never happen. You still have to have your whole game in check to be competitive.

    Tour pros gain advantages from this equipment in special areas (like longer drives, or more accurate shots) where they previously didn't have these abilities, then this is up to the player to decide. As long as the equipment is approved, use it. Let the rule makers change the rules to keep the game within the spirit of the game.

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    • #3
      Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

      hi
      Ping were the first club maker to use cavity back clubs with heel toe weighting and that was in the late 60s so you have have more forgiving clubs for over 50 years. you had a major change in golf balls in 1972 when the small British ball was dropped in favor of the bigger American ball and the game changed to more of a hit the ball high game and clubs changed to give you the "hit the ball high so it drops on the green" game for the handicap player.

      i think in the pro game they should limit the ball flight to 280 yards and then we would not see 4 of greens that are par 4 at St Andrews being driven by most of the field and most of the bunker not being in play for the pro golfer.
      we cant keep making the courses longer and most of the great courses of the worlds have at least 1/3 of there bunkers that are not in play in the pro game as there set about 240/260 yards and there carried with ease with most of the pros now but are in play for us handicap player.
      if you ever play St Andrews then you will instantly understand what i mean.
      it was be easy to have a ball thats limited as the ball used at the moment is limited so all balls fly the same distance and i think its set at 300 yards with no wind hit by a robot.
      they dimples control the time the balls in the air.
      have a ball for the pros and a ball for the handicap players as you already have this with people like tiger playing Nike balls that are not on sale to the public.
      cheers
      bill

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      • #4
        Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

        I read an article somewhere stating, that despite these enormous improvements in equipment, the average handicap of the male golfer in the USA hadn't changed a bit over the last 20 or so years.

        Now, I understand that a billion parameters relate to that equation, but as long as it doesn't result in everybody playing off massively lower handicaps than we would have otherwise, I honestly think that the entire "golf technology gone too far" discussion "has gone too far".

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        • #5
          Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

          I read some years ago that some consideration was being made to produce a new competition ball that would reduce the distance it could be hit, courses would not need to be extended and the tour game would be more difficult to win. The base specification of this new ball was that it should have to float in water.

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          • #6
            Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

            Change your focus.

            The modern rules of golf are being changed to effect 1% of the golfing population - and that is the worlds' elite.

            And of course, the R&A are a bunch of wusses, following the lead of the idiotic USGA (who are by and large in bed with the major golf equipment manufacturers).

            Does changing the grooves to put less spin on a urethane covered ball really do anything but hurt Joe Hacker?

            When the USGA put the 460cc limit on the size of a driver head, I bought a 1000cc model just to see what it would be like. It's a bear to swing, and I hit it no further than my current driver.

            When the USGA put a .830 COR maximum on drivers, I bought a 0.900 driver (and at least the R&A allowed the .860 for a couple years afterwards) - the difference was a handful of yards.

            //soapbox


            Now, as a fitter, I'm glad to have options for those players that WON'T take lessons - closed faced and offset drivers to help keep the ball from slicing. Thin faced irons to allow more forgiveness than ever.

            I'm all for the elite professionals having to play dialled back equipment - even to say that they all have to play blades and hit balata balls, and hit persimmon woods. But to make rule changes that truly, substantially effect 1% is horrible.

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            • #7
              Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

              Originally posted by LowPost42 View Post
              Change your focus.

              The modern rules of golf are being changed to effect 1% of the golfing population - and that is the worlds' elite.

              And of course, the R&A are a bunch of wusses, following the lead of the idiotic USGA (who are by and large in bed with the major golf equipment manufacturers).

              Does changing the grooves to put less spin on a urethane covered ball really do anything but hurt Joe Hacker?

              When the USGA put the 460cc limit on the size of a driver head, I bought a 1000cc model just to see what it would be like. It's a bear to swing, and I hit it no further than my current driver.

              When the USGA put a .830 COR maximum on drivers, I bought a 0.900 driver (and at least the R&A allowed the .860 for a couple years afterwards) - the difference was a handful of yards.

              //soapbox


              Now, as a fitter, I'm glad to have options for those players that WON'T take lessons - closed faced and offset drivers to help keep the ball from slicing. Thin faced irons to allow more forgiveness than ever.

              I'm all for the elite professionals having to play dialled back equipment - even to say that they all have to play blades and hit balata balls, and hit persimmon woods. But to make rule changes that truly, substantially effect 1% is horrible.

              Lengthening courses merely plays into the hands of the equipment makers and big hitters.

              Instead, you could always make the landing area at 300yds 20yds wide and ensure that off target shots cam't make the green with a wedge that way you create some risk / reward equations.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                Originally posted by bdbl View Post
                Lengthening courses merely plays into the hands of the equipment makers and big hitters.

                Instead, you could always make the landing area at 300yds 20yds wide and ensure that off target shots cam't make the green with a wedge that way you create some risk / reward equations.

                My club has greens like that already Robin, but they made most of them 6 yards wide with humping great bunkers either side. I totally agree with you.

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                • #9
                  Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                  hi Robin
                  i think they did that at this years Open and also the USPGA and the rough was so hard you had to keep it on the fairway to score. with the Open it was the wind that made the course so hard but you still had to play on the fairway.
                  i still like to see a couple of par 5s that the big hitters can reach in two as its still take some skill to hit a 250 yard 3 wood to a green and have it stay there a bit like Padraig on the 17th at USPGA.
                  cheers
                  bill

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                    Oh I agree with that Bill, I juist want to see the balance between distance and accuracy adjusted and players made to think their way round the course rather than tinkering with technology restrictions.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                      Hmmmm. I'm under the impression that the entire golfing world has been suckered into believeing there's such a thing as "game improvement clubs".

                      I've seen people (and done so myself) hit habitual monster slices with severely offset drivers and irons, and as for "draw bias" drivers, well, you still have to hit a draw.

                      It's a massive money making scam that is so deeply ingrained into golf that it's become the acceptable norm. It's very clever on the part of the manufacturers as they've tapped into the "I must have it now" mentality of todays consumers who are willing to spend silly money for immediate results rather than spend time and effort working on their swings.

                      Ironically, they'll still flail away at the game (and the ball), get nowhere, but then spend another £300 next week in an attempt to buy an instant game.

                      Technology changes don't mean diddly in relation to actually taking shots off your game. The handicaps prove it at amateur level, and I don't think the scoring is much better in the pro game than it was 40 years ago. The only time it is better is at tourneys like the Bob Hope where the fairways are 60 yards wide and the greens are an acre each. 25 under wins. A hard course and conditions make it hard for everyone.

                      The longer ball? The courses have been made longer, so it doesn't make any difference at all. If the ball was restricted, a short hitter will just hit it even shorter and the long hitter won't hit it as long, but he will still be proportionately longer than the short hitter, so guess what? They'll shorten the courses again because 500 yard par 4's will be a drive and 3 wood for the long hitter, and a par 5 for the short guys.

                      Anybody trying to say that players in 1965 couldn't spin a wedge out the rough needs their head read.

                      In short, learn a better game because you can't buy one. Period.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                        hi Neil
                        when i was saying that we should have a restricted ball for pro games. it did mean that the shorter golfer would hit proportionate less distance but it would also mean that when the course was designed say 100 years ago then most of the bunkers and hazards would be "in play" again and make the course play like it was designed.
                        St Andrews must be the easiest "OPEN" course. with huge greens and 4 of the par 4s drivable from the tee. almost half the bunkers don't come in play for the pro golfer unless the winds blowing really hard.
                        its one of the oldest courses and not a challenge when guys are shooting rounds of 8 and 9 under each day, the bunkers at ST Andrews are a nightmare to get out off and all are deep but most only come into play around the 240/250 yard mark. this puts most of the fairway bunkers as no threat to the pro golfer. its not only St Andrews that is like that most of the older great course are getting like that and the only way to keep the hazards in play is to make it longer off the tee as some have done but not all courses have the room to do this.
                        when you only hit 250 yards off the tee then St Andrews can be such a hard course to play even on a mild day as it so hard to keep out the many deep bunkers. take the bunkers out of play but hitting 280 off the tee and its not the same course. the advantage to the long hitters is as much as 6 shots a round.
                        cheers
                        bill

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                        • #13
                          Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                          My biggest annoyance is the rough on tour.
                          Hit it 10 yards off the fairway and you are buried in the rough
                          hit it 40 yrds off the fairway and you are on a nice walkway with plenty of people to help you find you ball.

                          I think the walkways should be marked as GUR and the players forced to drop on the far side of them.
                          Hospitality tents and stands should be OB.
                          Bunkers should not be smooth raked, put them back like Nicklaus had them.


                          and finally
                          Let them use range balls

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                          • #14
                            Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                            Neil,

                            I think Bill has a good point. At many older courses like my club the competition tees cannot be moved back any further, there just isn't room. I don't think a restricted ball should be used by club players but would make the tour comps more competitive in the way course management would be more of a deciding factor.

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                            • #15
                              Re: Has golf technology gone too far?

                              I think it would be interesting having all the pro players using the exact same equipment / balls.

                              Not all the time, but I would love to see an event where they all had the same gear. I think it would be interesting viewing.

                              I think technology has gone too far with gadgets more than equipment. These GPS devices, come on what's wrong with the good old fashioned markers at side and middle of fairways!

                              I'm just jealous that I'm so bad that the yardage markers don't make any difference to me knowing how far I need to hit!!

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