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Golf innovations....what are the best innovations in golf?

Tadashi70

Tadashi70

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I started playing with an old set of Northwesterns irons, Wilson SW and Persimmon woods...oh and some chipped up putter and a dayglow orange ball
For 30 years I have been involved in this wondeful game we call golf. I have seen the evolution of the game on a daily basis. Metal, Titanium and now composite woods. Irons have evolved, balls fly and clothes cool. So Many innovations so little time.

What has been the best innovation over the past 30 years? What has just changed the landscape of golf?


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I would guess the best innovation has been GI irons, I would think it made the game somewhat easier for the masses to get a pretty good ball flight and there kept many of them in the game instead of quitting in fustration. That may not be the reality of GI irons at all, but that is what I imagine.
 
Graphite shafts and stonger, lightweight metals for 'woods'. Lightweight, flexible, sturdy, and nowdays, you can get one to match just about any swing. Golf balls too. Used to be you could go through 7-8 balls a round even though you didn't lose any.
 
For me, the increased driver head size..lol
 
I am going to have to say white club heads. Game changing!!! :D

I would really say the materials and process used to make club heads. Just a straight comparison against the clubs from 25 years ago and they are now SO much easier for the average golfer to hit well. Part of that can be attributed to shafts, but I really believe that most of it is due to club heads across the board.
 
Fittings. Being able to have a set that is matched for you in every way conceivable. Buying a suit off the rack is OK and will suffice, but going to a tailor and having cut, sewn, hemmed, and blocked for you really makes a difference not just in looks, but in confidence. Same thing in Golf!
 
I think it's the metal wood or as TM once called it, the Pittsburgh Persimmon. Can you imagine a 460 cc wooden head or an adjustable wooden head?

There are many great improvements that should include the course maintenance equipment and methods but my vote is for the metal wood.
 
Beowulf said:
Fittings. Being able to have a set that is matched for you in every way conceivable. Buying a suit off the rack is OK and will suffice, but going to a tailor and having cut, sewn, hemmed, and blocked for you really makes a difference not just in looks, but in confidence. Same thing in Golf!
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I could not agree with you any more....
 
DawgDaddy said:
I would guess the best innovation has been GI irons, I would think it made the game somewhat easier for the masses to get a pretty good ball flight and there kept many of them in the game instead of quitting in fustration. That may not be the reality of GI irons at all, but that is what I imagine.
Click to expand...

+2. Really everything has evolved. All clubs are better, balls are better, walking carts & bags are better, shoes are better. The list just goes on and on. Having played 35+ years everything just seems to be better.
 
Big headed drivers(Big Bertha), Forged irons and wedges and Multicore balls.
 
Anything that made the game easier for beginners (some have mentioned it, perimeter weighting, graphite shafts, lighter material, etc.). To grow the game to the casual gamer which benefits the game overall.
 
Big headed drivers, just for the sound if nothing else :D
 
I think this question is a no brainer. The biggest and best innovation is by far the only piece of equipment we use every shot..... The Golf Ball has changed soooo much. Think of the balls offered 20 years ago vs the balls offered today. Todays Range ball would have been innovative back then lol. Companies like Bridgestone, Titleist, and Callaway have such a wide offering of balls to fit any type of player. Shafts, MOI advancements, Wall thinkness technology, game improvement irons.....all are really important and innovative, but dont come close to the strides made in the Ball department.
 
No_Three_Jacks said:
I think this question is a no brainer. The biggest and best innovation is by far the only piece of equipment we use every shot..... The Golf Ball has changed soooo much. Think of the balls offered 20 years ago vs the balls offered today. Todays Range ball would have been innovative back then lol. Companies like Bridgestone, Titleist, and Callaway have such a wide offering of balls to fit any type of player. Shafts, MOI advancements, Wall thinkness technology, game improvement irons.....all are really important and innovative, but dont come close to the strides made in the Ball department.
Click to expand...

So if nothing else had evolved, do you think the game would be easier today with the improved ball alone. Not breaking balls, just wondering. I played in the days when irons were the size of tee spoons and persimmon woods had zero forgiveness. I would not want to go back. I agree that the ball has come a long way, but to me, no more so than clubs.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
So if nothing else had evolved, do you think the game would be easier today with the improved ball alone. Not breaking balls, just wondering. I played in the days when irons were the size of tee spoons and persimmon woods had zero forgiveness. I would not want to go back. I agree that the ball has come a long way, but to me, no more so than clubs.
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Putting the question another way:
Would you rather play a round with modern clubs and old ball, or modern ball with old clubs?
 
Beowulf said:
Putting the question another way:
Would you rather play a round with modern clubs and old ball, or modern ball with old clubs?
Click to expand...

Neither. I have no desire to go back. Just saying it is a lot more than just the ball. Both clubs & ball are equal in importance as far as evolution goes. Both have comes a long way since my first set around 1970. To me it is like saying todays tires make todays cars better than thirty - forty years ago. It is a lot more than just the tires.
 
Moisture wicking materials/fabrics. Shorts, pants, shirts (ls and ss), gloves, socks, hats, visors, underwear?

All makes the game that much easier and comfortable to play no matter what your skill level. The game is hard enough, why feel uncomfortable with what you're wearing to begin with before even taking a swing?
 
I think bringing fitting to the average player is a pretty cool advancement. Eight years ago only pro's were able to have this advantage. We all just went to the golf store and and bought average length clubs with average lie and average loft. HAHA

Remember playing balata's? One mis-hit and the ball was ruined! No thanks.
 
Beowulf said:
Putting the question another way:
Would you rather play a round with modern clubs and old ball, or modern ball with old clubs?
Click to expand...

I would definitely rather play a round with modern clubs and an old ball. Those balata balls were great around greens. I do think that the golf ball of today is better in every way, but clubs have changed the game much more. I still have 3-4 old wood woods. Every once in a while I'll take 1 or 2 to the range to remind me how much better the new drivers and fairway woods have become. Besides the control just look at the distance gains!

Irons? The GI irons have made the approach and trouble shots MUCH easier to do. Again, I have a couple of old MB 5 irons that I occasionally take to the range to make me concentrate on tempo and ball striking. Then, when I go back to my new irons, they are much, much easier to hit.

Despite the improvements in the clubs and balls, according to many articles I've read, the average score has not improved much in the last 20 years. I think that fittings for new clubs have started to change players thinking. Off the rack used to be the only way to get new clubs. No demo days. Trial and Error. Expensive way to get into the game.

I think lessons have evolved tremendously. With the launch monitors, computers to help instructors find and correct swing flaws, and the average student can also see what the instructor is trying to change. With the way GolfTec teaches and the computer help for practice sessions, with a little work, improvement comes more quickly.

All in all, from hickory shafts to the latest graphite offerings, club heads, balls and instruction, golf has become a more enjoyable sport. For the price of around $45-65 a round, where else can a person spend 3 1/2-4 hours with your buddies (and girl friends) for usually a great time? That's less than $6 an hour!

Just my .02
 
HoosierGolfer said:
Neither. I have no desire to go back. Just saying it is a lot more than just the ball. Both clubs & ball are equal in importance as far as evolution goes. Both have comes a long way since my first set around 1970. To me it is like saying todays tires make todays cars better than thirty - forty years ago. It is a lot more than just the tires.
Click to expand...

Speaking of tires!!! I remember when I was in college that a year didn't go by when I didn't change a flat tire once or twice! Good analogy.
 
Canio said:
I would definitely rather play a round with modern clubs and an old ball. Those balata balls were great around greens. I do think that the golf ball of today is better in every way, but clubs have changed the game much more. I still have 3-4 old wood woods. Every once in a while I'll take 1 or 2 to the range to remind me how much better the new drivers and fairway woods have become. Besides the control just look at the distance gains!

Irons? The GI irons have made the approach and trouble shots MUCH easier to do. Again, I have a couple of old MB 5 irons that I occasionally take to the range to make me concentrate on tempo and ball striking. Then, when I go back to my new irons, they are much, much easier to hit.

Despite the improvements in the clubs and balls, according to many articles I've read, the average score has not improved much in the last 20 years. I think that fittings for new clubs have started to change players thinking. Off the rack used to be the only way to get new clubs. No demo days. Trial and Error. Expensive way to get into the game.

I think lessons have evolved tremendously. With the launch monitors, computers to help instructors find and correct swing flaws, and the average student can also see what the instructor is trying to change. With the way GolfTec teaches and the computer help for practice sessions, with a little work, improvement comes more quickly.

All in all, from hickory shafts to the latest graphite offerings, club heads, balls and instruction, golf has become a more enjoyable sport. For the price of around $45-65 a round, where else can a person spend 3 1/2-4 hours with your buddies (and girl friends) for usually a great time? That's less than $6 an hour!

Just my .02
Click to expand...

I have read the same about average scores pretty much staying the same even with all the advancements in technology. I know our club record was set in the 60's and still stands today. Hard to believe. Just goes to show that skill is still needed no matter what clubs or balls one plays.
 
I would think most people would say the golf ball?

The layers and the materials it's made out of just makes things easier for amateurs I would think and just have made golf courses change
 
I'm going to mention something I haven't seen anyone else say and that is GPS. I am absolutely terrible at eyeballing distances, even with markers and sprinkler heads.
Just being able to glance at my iPhone and see "127 yds to pin" ,for example, almost instantly, has really helped me to improve my game as well as speed up my rounds.

I agree with the others about the balls and GI irons. Just thought GPS should be mentioned as well...
 
In my bag it would be graphite shafts. I've been leaving the driver in the truck so I won't count anything to do with it. I play basic cavity backs that were coming on the scene 30 yrs ago so that isn't really new. But a 3 wood I can get 200-225 yard drives off of is a huge improvement. Thanks Fuji, and Grafalloy.
 
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