Not entirely. Players back then did not have the time to spend on the range like today, or call the mfg. to help with clubs, or call their swing coach, if that was a thing back then. Fitness either. Traveling to the next venue ate up a lot of that time, and bad diets did not help, eating fast food along the way. So, skills were honed on the course a lot of the time, and most played every week, as the money was not good, no matter how tired they were. Equipment did not help either. Ok, so a mfg. would build a set for them, or a course pro would do it, using a certain brand. If a pro broke a club, most likely would have to do without it the rest of the weekend, unless one could be found in the pro shop, or local stores. Swings were built "around" the equipment back then. Lee Trevino used to align himself about 10*-12* left of target, just to hit his target. And he is considered to be one of the greats of the game. Jack Nicklaus is known to be a long hitter back in the day, outdriving most oponents by 30+ yards, at about 280-290 yards. Those old drivers were very UNFORGIVING, unlike todays clubs. So I think skill level, all things being equal, was on plane with the equipment that was available at that time.
As a side note, can I ask how old you are?
