Are we in danger......

[One Planer]

Of making this game too easy?

Following on from Kids post regarding the 4 iron becoming an endangered species (That I didn't want to hijack)

Are manufacturers making the game of golf too easy?

460cc Drivers, Hybrids, SGI irons, Belly/Broomhandle putters to name a few of the advancements in the game.

What would your view be? Are these kinds of advancement making the game too easy or just more enjoyable?

 

[DCB]

Been playing the game for over 40 years and it's no easier now than it was when I started as a youngster.

Equipment may have changed for the better, but it's still the person who holds the rubber bit that makes it all work.

 

[JezzE]

Been playing the game for over 40 years and it's no easier now than it was when I started as a youngster.

Equipment may have changed for the better, but it's still the person who holds the rubber bit that makes it all work.

Is the correct answer...

Wander round your local club on any given day and you'll see scores upon scores of people making the game look anything but easy... I know, I'm very often one of them!

 

[duncan mackie]

no

the only one that has really changed to make the game any 'easier' over the last 20 years is the ball technology.

this was a recent study using a pro, one club and a whole load of trackman bits to check the data on top of the actual yardages....

"

Really not much difference between the two wound balls. The distance from the 1st ProV1 is up about 9% from the wound balls and there’s another 4% bump to the new ProV1 for a total increase of around 13% from the wound balls to the newest ProV1. This is pretty much inline with estimates I’ve heard from the professionals at Advanced Ball Striking when talking about distance increases.
The takeaway here is that if ball distance is up 13% then courses should represent a 13% length increase to have pros hitting the same clubs for approaches and playing the holes as they were intended. That means a course that was 7,000 yards would need to be played at 7,910 yards to offer the same challenges. As long as PGA tour courses are at 7,500-7,600 yards we won’t be seeing long iron approaches or 3-shot par 5′s anytime soon."

for the rest - what's easier to hit straight for one person is harder to control/shape for another; what's easier to get in the air is more difficult to hit low and hard etc etc

 

[pbrown7582]

dont think its any easier and handicaps aren't down on average, either

 

[6inchcup]

as i wrote on the post regarding the 4i my dad now in his late 70's scoffs at my clubs,and says when he played golf was a harder game to play and judging from his 1i you can see why,anybody who says it aint harder to strike a club from the 60's or earlier must be mad,the game improver clubs,big headed drivers,ball technology etc have been done to make it easier to strike the ball,how many on these pages strike the ball on the sweet spot on every stroke,the new clubs are designed to make no difference to were you hit the club face it still goes roughly straight,try that with an old persimmon headed driver or a 5i that looks like you could spread jam on your toast.All new clubs are designed to hit the ball longer and straighter that's why we change clubs and that's why they promote clubs that have bigger sweet spots because it is easier to hit the ball.

 

[muttleee]

All new clubs are designed to hit the ball longer and straighter that's why we change clubs and that's why they promote clubs that have bigger sweet spots because it is easier to hit the ball.

But how many people can honestly say they've shaved half a dozen shots off their game because they bought new clubs?

 

[chris661]

But how many people can honestly say they've shaved half a dozen shots off their game because they bought new clubs?

And the sweet spot is still the size of a pin head.

 

[6inchcup]

But how many people can honestly say they've shaved half a dozen shots off their game because they bought new clubs?

you could also ask what their h/c would be without the game improver type clubs.

 

[One Planer]

I accept that handicaps haven't dramaticaly lowered over the recent past, but that's more down to human nature, after all we're not machines.

I've seen plenty of threads on here saying how people don't think they are good enough or have the game to play blades, yet happily play the GI or SGI irons because they're easier to hit.

Pretty much the same with hybrids and long irons I.E easier to hit.

Take Mizuno's JPX Fli-Hi range of hybrids. They offer lofts up to 32* which is roughly a 7 iron!

I'm sorry, but if you can't hit a 7 iron you need a lesson not a hybrid.

The point of this thread is not to judge, I'm happy for people to use whatever helps them get the most enjoyment from the game, after all that's the point and why we play the game.

The point of the thread is more to debate how equipment is advancing to the point that the game requires less skill to play it.

 

[6inchcup]

Is the correct answer...

Wander round your local club on any given day and you'll see scores upon scores of people making the game look anything but easy... I know, I'm very often one of them!

how about a feature in the mag jeezY,get a few forum members with their clubs and play nine holes then give them sets from the 60's or 70's and compare the scores they could also use the old smaller ball.

 

[bobmac]

But how many people can honestly say they've shaved half a dozen shots off their game because they bought new clubs?

They still score the same, they just miss nearer

 

[duncan mackie]

how about a feature in the mag jeezY,get a few forum members with their clubs and play nine holes then give them sets from the 60's or 70's and compare the scores they could also use the old smaller ball.

can't we bring our own? I still have my set of tiny headed irons and laminated wooden wood

oh - and I am a grandfather...

 

[6inchcup]

i can see the advert in next months GM,the all new PING (insert prefered brand) irons,very small unforgiving heads no cavity back,leather wrap grip,very small sweet spot,guaranteed to make you hit the ball 20-30 yds shorter than your existing clubs,soon to be joined by the new piece of wood on a stick driver the all new PING Y series.

 

[JustOne]

Of making this game too easy?

Yes it's far too easy. They should consider making the hole smaller or the courses longer.... rough with tigers/lions/anacondas/land mines in would also help.

What a doddle this game is becoming... total farce!

 

[duncan mackie]

i can see the advert in next months GM,the all new PING (insert prefered brand) irons,very small unforgiving heads no cavity back,leather wrap grip,very small sweet spot,guaranteed to make you hit the ball 20-30 yds shorter than your existing clubs,soon to be joined by the new piece of wood on a stick driver the all new PING Y series.

mine go about 10yds further carry than my current irons - wood development has however had much more impact on distance.

 

[DCB]

And the sweet spot is still the size of a pin head.

What's this mythical prize you refer to as the sweet spot ?

 

[6inchcup]

mine go about 10 yds further carry than my current irons - wood development has however had much more impact on distance.

so your old fashioned clubs from the 60's go further than your new ones,begs the question why did you change?

 

[6inchcup]

:whoo:

What's this mythical prize you refer to as the sweet spot ?

ask your misses!!!

 

[duncan mackie]

so your old fashioned clubs from the 60's go further than your new ones,begs the question why did you change?

firstly they are from the late 70s/early 80s - but the 1.62" ball era.

second, as posted right at the begining of this thread, "what's easier to hit straight for one person is harder to control/shape for another; what's easier to get in the air is more difficult to hit low and hard etc etc"

in my case I am not good enough to benefit from the additional control available (read - I miss the sweet spot and the results are unpredictable) and am increasingly looking to reduce dispersion rather than be able to hit a 7 iron 10 yards further....

in fact I have just reshafted my current irons and that's reduced their distance for me by about 3% (I say about because the weather remains a huge factor for carry distances this year!). However, the dispersion has definitely reduced further too - which was my objective.