Vintage distances

Sweep

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I enjoyed a re-run of the 1985 Open at Royal St George's on Sky this morning. One thing did stand out though. The par 5 14th was playing 503 yards. Often forgotten two time major champion David Graham was in contention and played the 14th (admittedly into the wind) with driver and 3 iron to 140 yards out and then 6 iron.
I started playing 3 or 4 years after this Championship and 503 yards would have taken me 3 mighty and straight blows to hit the green and it would have been a rare event to hit the green in regulation. It struck me that today, at nearly 30 years older, I would probably need driver, 4 hybrid and half a wedge (wind depending) at the most and I would be licking my chops at a 503 yard par 5.

All this just proves:
1. How much equipment has improved over what seems like a long time, but is actually only 31 years.
2. That distance isn't everything. My scores are not much better now than they were back then.
3. That distance and better equipment don't make you that much better, pro rata. If they did I would be going round Royal St George's in the same or better scores than David Graham did in 1985 and I am most certainly not.
4. Considering that those guys thought they had amazing equipment, what are golfers in 31 years going to be using?
 

drewster

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Had a similar conversation with one of our seniors who has been a single figure golfer for over 40 years now. He feels that new equipment has made the biggest difference to the masses and entry level golfers in that it's much easier to drive with a 460cc TM bucket than it was with a classic persimmon number from the 70's/80's, new SGI irons are easier to hit obviously than previous bladed models etc,etc but scoring for "players" hasn't got that much easier as a result of advances in technology in hardware and balls.
 

shewy

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was watching shell's world of golf and thinking the same 200 yard 1 iron, 6 iron these days to the pro's. I was actually thinking I hit my irons the same distance as the pro's 30 years ago!
 

Coffey

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I also think the approach to golf has changed a lot. Modern day golfers are a lot fitter and stronger and spend a lot of time in the gym (most of them anyway). Also more research into golf swings and how to generate more power than there was previously.
 

cliveb

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2. That distance isn't everything. My scores are not much better now than they were back then.
We might be hitting the ball further than in the past, but are we any straighter?
There's a problem with hitting the ball a long way if it's not straight - you're going to end up even more in the trees/cabbage/OOB, which is going to have an impact on your scores.
My wife doesn't hit the ball that far, which means that even when she goes off line (which I have to admit isn't that often) she's still in play. Which probably explains why she routinely beats me :eek:
 

351DRIVER

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Had a similar conversation with one of our seniors who has been a single figure golfer for over 40 years now. He feels that new equipment has made the biggest difference to the masses and entry level golfers in that it's much easier to drive with a 460cc TM bucket than it was with a classic persimmon number from the 70's/80's, new SGI irons are easier to hit obviously than previous bladed models etc,etc but scoring for "players" hasn't got that much easier as a result of advances in technology in hardware and balls.


Agree it makes golf an easier game for those that are new, i mean i learned with persimmon woods and a new golfer good have 50 goes and not get the ball in the air.

The year on year incremental improvement in equipment slowly erode golfer skill, i could once hit the Taylor Made original Burner 300 yards pretty consistently, a couple of decades since using that club i am like everyone else completely used to seeing a 460cc head *twice the size. I never drove a 460cc club any better than the original TM club, i used to have a tighter swing as you could not miss by much.

I know this to be true for me at least as once i forgot my driver and arrived at the range clubless, they leant me the original TM club that i used to love and i did not even finish the basket, thins, mi***** horrible (I was off 4 at the time).

If you said to 1980 golfer here is some 2016 equipment, he would play way better instantly, but his swing would probably start to get looser as bad swings were not punished with horrible shots.
 
D

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Don't forget to factor in longer courses. 30 years ago a 6,500 yard course was a bit of a brute and any par 4 over 400 yards took 2 really good tonks to get there.
 
D

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So with all this new equipment why are handicaps not significantly coming down?

Because course length increases and new people arriving to the game with High Handicap plus there is a good number of Amatuers that no matter what improvements are made with equipment they just won't improve their HC - be that because of ability , time to play or indeed practise.

But to balance it out - there are more Cat 1 golfers playing now than there were ten years ago
 
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Don't forget to factor in longer courses. 30 years ago a 6,500 yard course was a bit of a brute and any par 4 over 400 yards took 2 really good tonks to get there.

Very true, where I grew up playing late 80s the 2nd was 440yds par 4 - with persimmon woods it was a good drive and a good 3 wood to get home, not easy - if you did make 4 it meant something. Play a balata ball and you'd be even further back. When I acquired an early TaylorMade Burner 7.5 deg with stiff steel shaft around 1989 it instantly gained me 20yds. Nowadays 440 would be drive and 5/6 iron.
Just don't know if technology has really made the game any better over the years, we enjoyed golf back then as much as any generation and didn't feel held back by equipment.
 

harpo_72

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Modern clubs are delofted, partly for length but also because of their launch qualities. Drivers are too big and have promoted the bomb and gouge game, although I cannot see any of this modern bunch having a the longevity that Nicklaus, player, Langer etc... but the golf ball I think has made the biggest difference.
 
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guest100718

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Don't forget to factor in longer courses. 30 years ago a 6,500 yard course was a bit of a brute and any par 4 over 400 yards took 2 really good tonks to get there.

in the 1960s the pga tour average drive was 270. so they may have had to hit a drive and an 8i on 400 yd hole.
 

HomerJSimpson

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I grew up with wooden clubs and balata, wound balls and for me a top drawer drive out of the screws was 220 yards. Things changed, certainly for the handicap golfer with metal woods and surlyn covered balls. My distances definitely increased. However courses then got longer and longer, especially off the whites. I still struggle to get home in two on anything over 440 yards
 

DCB

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I can remember ditching my McGregor 3 & 5 woods and trying the new fangled metal woods. I had a cheap and cheerful Petronas Impala 3 & 5 wood. The difference was night and day. I could hit the Petronas 5W as far as the old McGregor 3 W.
 

clubchamp98

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I also think the courses are firmer and faster with modern equipment cutting is lower on fairways.
green speeds have increased .
but agree with the ball is the main reason.
and custom fitting of shafts.
a modern pro v1x would smash a persimmon driver in a matter of weeks
 
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Gopher

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In the recent game, just one word... Tiger.

He has normalised 450 yard par 4's to be driver, 9 iron.
 

Face breaker

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I'm going down the route of 'shorter is better' myself at the moment, first off I shortened my driver down to 44" but still couldn't hit it straight, further yes, straighter no...

As of this past Wednesday I'm back to using my 18* hybrid off the tee with much better results accuracy wise and none to shabby distance wise either (210-220 off the T) so our '456yd/par 5/9th' uphill, wind behind saw me with a birdie, that was rescue, rescue to 155yds then a 7i to the middle of the green leaving me a 15' putt which I canned, get in !!!

Learned this little trick from playing with the 'ladies captain' in a mixed match she only hits her drive about 150 but manages to par everything with the odd birdie/bogey chucked in for good measure of course...

So this is the scenario, Wednesday I'm stood on the 4th tee, a group of 4 have already tee'd off but are letting me through so I rock up on the tee, rescue in hand, they're giving me some strange looks and bang I've nailed it a treat and am past their longest drive by about 15-20yds, I thanked them for kindly allowing me through, breathed a sigh of relief that I didn't cock it up and walked on with the biggest grin you'll ever see smacked across my face from one ear to the other, complete car wrecked the rest of the hole but hey 'with a drive like that' who cares, I couldn't of been happier, proves a point though, distance isn't everything...:thup:
 
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guest100718

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sorry it was the top 10 who averaged over 270
with nicklaus at 276.
 
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