Golf Club technology

[MVP]

Over the last ten years do you guys/gals think that modern technology in golf including clubs and balls has changed the game for the good. Have you benefited from clubs such as Hybrid/rescues, spinmilled wedges and New putter technology such as white hot inserts etc.
Have your scores improved dramatically since you have upgraded your kit.
Are there much benefits from manufacturers latest irons.
eg have Ping G10s Come a long way Since the G2s , Callaway X20s How different are they from the X16s.
Also those who use bladed clubs have you seen a big improvent in the new blades.
Do you think there is overall a better/wider choice for golfers of today!

 

[Gasp]

Sometimes when I go to the range I take my old 7-iron, an 80's blade made by George Nicol. I do this because the feed back is much more precise i.e. off centre hits are much more noticable in feeling and in distance lost therefore it helps my ball striking. So I'm sure that technology has helped even in blades (although my cci forged are not strictly blades). However I read somewhere (sorry to be so unspecific) that average handicaps have not changed in 40 years. So that would infer that technology hasn't helped the average golfer. This may be because it's always been the short game that's important in scoring and here technology has been less telling....
Sorry about the long winded post.

 

[RGuk]

I think things have come on a lot, as someone who was in the wilderness of non-golfing for too long.
I've come back, got a bigger and better driver, a shiny new 3 wood (which is hugely better than the old one) and an unruly (but good) hybrid.
My scores are hard to judge on a new course with a fluctuating swing and "differently designed" kit, like a driver that always goes left instead of right!!!

I would guess that if/when I get my game back in shape, 1) I'd expect to reach a few more greens and 2) have more options when a fairway wood is out of the question. A couple of shots a round maybe. Can't see better putters making any difference. Won't be upgrading my irons as yet, sweet then and sweet now, don't want more offset or high trajectory kit for this element of my game. As for the wedges....don't get me started....I'm yet to see anyone doing better with high-spin kit, short game (as ever) is in the hands of the player and how much time you can give to developing feel and touch.

For what it's worth the 3 wood goes further and better than a succession of old Callaway woods, but it's got 1/2 inch longer shaft and 1 degree less loft, so the extra yards are easy to explain. What I like about it is the sweet sound and flight off a good clean hit.

Dave

 

[hellbunker]

its interesting that avg hcaps haven't changed in 40 odds yrs... i think its 18? i've always played blades; hand-me-downs from my pop, who was of similar frame etc... i wouldn't like to "artificially" improve my hcap with cavity backs.... gimmi blades any day.

ps. they should reduce max number clubs to 12 and make the max loft 56 degrees.

 

[bunkered]

I think it has helped the pro golfer more than the club golfer, lets face it they can now hit a ball 200 yards out of deep rough over a bunker and stop it next to the pin

 

[Atticus_Finch]

Here is a quote from the BBC website....

"According to statistics in America, since 1980 the average professional has become only 11 yards longer and is hitting six per cent more fairways."

This may not seem a big difference, but for pros every percentage means everything. 11yards means 1 less club to hit into the green, which in turn will mean better accuracy and smaller birdie putts.

A better statistic to give would probably be average scores over the last 20 years, but I can't find any.

On a different note Hellbunker, Some may say that your handicap has been "artificially" improved by using steel shafted clubs and 2 piece golf balls.
Not me though.

 

[Gasp]

http://www.golf-brain.com/info/newletter/newsletter110506.asp

This is where I read that stat.

 

[hellbunker]

yeah the steel shaft;golf ball thing is a fair point....and not one lost on me. However, in my opinion, the forgiveness that a cavity backed club gives you is by far and away the single biggest enhancement in golf.

There is no "standard" equipment any more making it almost impossible to compare anybody against anybody else.

 

[Atticus_Finch]

Sorry HB, but I couldn't let you away with making such a contentious statement as that.

I do agree with your P.S statement though about limiting lofts on wedges.

The only thing you can compare anyone against I suppose are the courses, but they're changing them so much these days that it's almost impossible to do that now.

 

[hellbunker]

i was being a bit naughty... i don't think there is a sport where there total parity? Its like comparing Woods against Nelson or Hogan... how can you? other than looking at the W column. yet the technology has made it almost uncomparable...

 

[medwayjon]

I think that as equipment advances the courses are changed to compensate. This keeps scores consistent and handicap averages steady also. If the gear was making the game sooooo easy pros would be finishing tournaments -40!

 

[muttleee]

"According to statistics in America, since 1980 the average professional has become only 11 yards longer and is hitting six per cent more fairways."

I once heard Lee Trevino point out that the lawnmowers they cut greens with when he started out weren't as good as the ones they cut fairways with now! I don't know if that's a big factor or not but you would think that shorter grass would mean longer drives. Or am I crazy?! Obviously Lee was talking about a time long before 1980 but still, maybe improvements in course maintenance have helped lengthen drives a bit. You would also think that better prepared greens would mean smoother rolling putts and therefore more likelihood of holing them - and thus lower scores.

 

[viscount17]

Couldn't find scores for the us open, but The Open and the masters are here. There's a remarkable consistency between the two, which seems to confirm Atticus' post.

http://www.golfblogger.com/index.php/golf/comments/british_open_champions_and_courses/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/us_masters/1912890.stm

 

[daveyboy17]

"The advent of the rubber ball was instrumental in creating an entirely different method of striking the object... I hold the firm opinion that from this date the essential attitude toward accuracy was completely lost sight of. This was the start of the craze for length and still more length."
Harry Vardon quote in the 1920's i think!!!!Great man!!!

 

[MVP]

ps. ..... and make the max loft 56 degrees.

Why on earth would you want that ???

 

[viscount17]

The larger (US) ball has apparently been one reason for the increased ranges, so presumably reverting to the smaller (British) ball would reverse the trend.
Not sure of the logic here unless it's that if the ball were lighter it would not necessarily travel further for the same force.
Alternatively leave the clubs as they are and make the ball heavier?

 

[USER1999]

A huge part of it must be the grass length on the fairways(which has got shorter), so if fairways were not shaved, the ball wouldn't run out. Also, get rid of US style receptive greens. Also grow the rough and narrow the fairways where the big boys hit, reintroducing risk/reward.

Leave the equipment alone?