Why are most golfers today rubbish?

[bobmac]

When I started playing golf about 150 years ago, I had the following...

Dunlop rubber shoes
A half set of cut down irons, a 3 and 5 "wood" an old cut down putter (none of which were custom fitted) and any ball I could find. No waterproofs or umberella and a small carry bag with a broken zip in the big pocket.
We had no 150 markers and certainly no laser/gps/yardage charts.
We had no junior coaching or video analysis /iphone apps/vidoe cameras and any other app you can think of.
The course was playable with the greens probably running about 6 on the stimp.
We had no "proper comps" as juniors because we weren't considered good enough to be allowed to play off the white tees.
But luckily, one of the juniors dad would organise a comp for us and put up a sleeve of 3 balls for the winner.
Fortunately, as the junior section grew we were allowed to have more comps but always off the yellows, never the whites. By the time I was 16 I was off 2 and not the lowest junior.

Anyway, my question is why is it with every gadget and amazing technology we have available today, some golfers still cant break 80?

Custom fit everything.
Electric trolleys
GPS
Video lessons
GI clubs
GI balls
GI wedges
Swing gurus
Mind gurus
Short game gurus
Putting gurus
Masses of free info on the internet.
Etc etc etc

I wonder if golf has become more of a sport you improve by getting the best kit rather than practicing with what you've already got.
When was the last time you bought a piece of golf equipment because you needed it not because you believed the advertising hype which told you it would improve your game?

So, with all the improvements we have today, why aren't there a lot more "good players" out there or is it simply that today's technology helps the average golfer play a little better without having to do too much practice?

 

[Doh]

Good question Bob.I was talking to Malcolm Hill ex pro at our place the other day who's son Andrew has over 150 county caps although is just over 50 himself now.

Malcolm was saying the very same thing, that these so called good players look better than they are because of the equipment they have now. we were watching a county match together at the time.

Malcolm has the claim to fame the he lead the open once after the first round. (please dont ask me when) I aslo asked Andrew when he last changed his clubs he told me 10 years ago?

 

[Imurg]

Is it because these days we don't have the time to practice as much as those in the days of yore?
With Job, Family and a million other commitments it makes getting a meanigful practice session AND a round of golf in per week much trickier than it was.
We just have less spare time.
So the advances in technology help us to maintain a standard rather than the improvement you would expect. I'm sure that if we were all able to practice 3-4 times a week and play 2-3 times then handicaps would fall.
But that's simply not going to happen.

 

[GeordieAggro80]

I have to agree. I started playing at 13 and had my dads old 3 wood and 4 ladies irons and a putter. Only played with balls that I had found. I played for a couple of years maybe once a month. Then at about 16 or 17 game up playing a round a year max for 12 years until i started again about 9 months ago.

Even now i have my dads old wilson irons, a 2nd hand 5 wood and use crappy balls. I figure that if i can get good with this tat and maybe down to SF in a year or two then I will reward myself with decent irons, drivers etc.

My mate who plays off 24 is so funny. Top of the range powakaddy, expensive clubs, new drivers and still hits it worse than me.

I think most people should get good with old worse equipment then buy all the devices you mentioned to help when they are of a lower standard.

Each to their own I suppose

 

[Jabba]

In relative terms, golf is cheaper than it has ever been. More of us now are "social golfers" because club membership represents a small percentage of our disposable income. I think that when golf was more expensive and clubs were harder to gain entry to, the average golfer will have been more hardcore than todays counterpart.

I also think the amount of technology and information can sometimes be counter productive. Many people think that watching a video, buying custom fit clubs or taking a lesson is a substitute for spending time practising rather than augmenting hard work.

 

[One Planer]

For the most part Bob, I agree with you, but isn't this the same with most sport?

Take the advancements in Tennis as an example. With Modern rackets players now hit the ball alot harder/faster and with more forgiveness than say in the 70's with wooden rackets. This in mind why doesn't Britain have a better standard of Tennis player?

Isn't golf just moving with the times and technology?

As for reasons as to why there aren't more better players, I honestly can't answer that. Maybe golf isn't glamourous enough to entice children to take up ther game at a young age, as lets face it Football is a far more popular sport. Or, could it be that the professional game is moving further and further away from the amateur game and we play with expectations based on what we see on TV?

Given enough time, I would like to get to single figures. I will never get to scratch or even sub 5, mainly because I have a young family and cannot devote as much time to practice as I would need to get to this level. If i were 15 again, then maybe.

 

[Oddsocks]

years ago when money was harder to get, and equipment was less advanced, the only way to improve was practice and ingrain your technique. Now, instead of working harder on technique to gain 30 yards off the tee, you can just buy a new stick and hey presto, a shockingly bad swing (mine as an example) can still produce a goo drive with say an r11 in hand.

Also i believe manufactures launch to much new equipment, which fools us into thinking we need the newest kit, when in reality we dont. i Have invested a lot of wedge into kit over the last 2 seasons, and the only real improvement ive seen in my game has come from the 09 burner driver (even sold the r11 and went back to it), the new rossa putter and my wedges everything else does exactly the same job as the old stuff just its just shiney!

 

[NWJocko]

Equipment, to an extent (i.e. any reasonable quality), can only have a limited impact.

Take the worst footballer in your school. Access to money and £250 boots does not make him a better player, unless he was wearing hobnails before and his physical performance should improve.

I would be interested to see numbers in terms of participation but golf is way, way more accessible (or appears so) now than when I played when I was a kid so there are a lot more new or beginners and also ladies.

You may find that there has actually been an increase in the number of "good" players but they have decreased as a proportion of a greater overall population?

I may, on the other hand, just be talking p*sh....

Edit - In my own opinion people are also less patient these days and want things immediately, hence attempting to buy a fix rather than work at it.

 

[bobmac]

Is it because these days we don't have the time to practice as much as those in the days of yore?
With Job, Family and a million other commitments it makes getting a meanigful practice session AND a round of golf in per week much trickier than it was.
We just have less spare time.

I understand what you're saying but sorry, I dont buy it.
In days of yore, people still had jobs, famillies, commitments and they found the time to practice.
Maybe it goes deeper with HID having more say today in how hubby spends his spare time. Interesting.

 

[John_Findlay]

I'd say it's lack of play, lack of practice and lack of lessons.

I only know of one of my regular golfing buddies who will go to the range to sort things out and funnily enough he's the best player.

 

[brendy]

Bob, some people simply have too much LOFT.











Lack of ******* talent.
Weapons do not maketh the warrior.

 

[Oddsocks]

Maybe it goes deeper with HID having more say today in how hubby spends his spare time. Interesting.

Is the correct answer. When i was bashing in 1 or 2 range sessions a week, plus playing twice at weekends the HC started dropping, now HID is getting the mood on with 2 games a week, so one range session has been cut, and one game has been cut, technically im playing half as much as i was when i was improving.

 

[TriggerTech]

I blame the spice girls!

 

[coolhand]

Without wanting to get too philosophical it's not just a golf problem but one with society in general.

Everyone wants the quick fix; become a celebrity so you can get rich without putting any effort in, even if I don't try at school I have a right to go to university, I can't be ar**d practicing golf I'll just buy more distance/consistency

Although I have to admit on a personal level it's more to do with the fact that gone are they days when wives where happy being unpaid housekeepers.

 

[Robobum]

I slightly disagree Bob.

If you were a junior off 2 today you would still be unlikely to be the lowest at your club. You would also be unlikely to get accepted into a lot of county and national comps as that handicap is too high.

Now if you are talking about us "rank & file" golfers then yes, absolutely. But then there are so many other things that either command or attract our time that the easy fix with some shiny new gear is too hard to resist.......I mean, the advert said it is guaranteed to go 30yds further after all!!!

 

[Durango]

Alot of people I see stand far too close to the ball...after they've hit it

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Because with all the shiny new technology, there is always something else for people to blame before accepting that the issue is probably them

 

[john0]

Why are most golfers today rubbish?

I put it down to rubbish teaching!

 

[Evesdad]

I think it's society as a whole, we are total consumers. Money is king both partners will now work, we are bombarded with marketing to buy stuff we don't need. Instead of fix it buy a new one attitude, I'm not saying I'm any different! But it transcends to golf to, instead of fixing our swings with practice and lessons we buy new gear looking for the magic component that will get us playing great golf.

With both partners working time constraints are higher, people work more weekends now etc. How many shops were open on a Sunday 20 years ago etc. As with juniors etc playing football is easy, pick up football and play in park street etc wherever. Golf needs kids being dropped off picked up etc it's also time consuming. Kids also have more pressure time wise school work, peer pressure, other sports, computer games etc.

 

[bobmac]

So both parents work extra hours to be able to afford to buy the new gadgets that we cant play with because we're spending too much of our spare time working?