I really wonder where club technology is going to go now that the driver face, MOI, clubhead size, and shaft length have been capped. I just don't see anymore major advances. There will always be pretty new clubs out on the market, but I seriously doubt that any will be revolutionary.
Wanna bet? Words to that effect have been uttered after almost every newest and latest thing has been invented and released to the public. I just can't wait to see what's next!
Wanna bet? Words to that effect have been uttered after almost every newest and latest thing has been invented and released to the public. I just can't wait to see what's next!
Yeah, it was said before. But that was back when there weren't limits to everything. As soon as something comes out nowadays, there becomes a rule against it's development. I would be willing to bet that the next series of rules are going to be against the ball and how far it is "allowed" to travel now that clubheads are maxed out.
Yeah, it was said before. But that was back when there weren't limits to everything. As soon as something comes out nowadays, there becomes a rule against it's development. I would be willing to bet that the next series of rules are going to be against the ball and how far it is "allowed" to travel now that clubheads are maxed out.
So you're saying that nothing new will ever be invented to circumvent USGA Rules? It's sad to think that what we have now is all we'll ever have. I hope there's a lot of OEM R & D specialists out there that think differently!
So you're saying that nothing new will ever be invented to circumvent USGA Rules? It's sad to think that what we have now is all we'll ever have. I hope there's a lot of OEM R & D specialists out there that think differently!
I am sure there will always be things coming out, but based on my limited knowledge, I just don't see how we are going to be able to hit the ball much further with a limit on the clubface rebound. All the metals in the world can be created, but they aren't going to be able to rebound any past the limit. The MOI thing is to hit it straighter and have more forgiveness on off center hits. The only variables left are the shafts and the balls. Shaft design can come a long way (as it already has), but it's mainly aftermarket as OEM clubmakers hardly ever include the good shafts in their clubs.
Balls can always be made to go farther, but you will have to sacrifice something like spin or softness for it. I'm always interested in seeing what the next big thing is too, but I just don't see any revolutions in clubhead design coming anytime soon.
I am sure there will always be things coming out, but based on my limited knowledge, I just don't see how we are going to be able to hit the ball much further with a limit on the clubface rebound. All the metals in the world can be created, but they aren't going to be able to rebound any past the limit. The MOI thing is to hit it straighter and have more forgiveness on off center hits. The only variables left are the shafts and the balls. Shaft design can come a long way (as it already has), but it's mainly aftermarket as OEM clubmakers hardly ever include the good shafts in their clubs.
Balls can always be made to go farther, but you will have to sacrifice something like spin or softness for it. I'm always interested in seeing what the next big thing is too, but I just don't see any revolutions in clubhead design coming anytime soon.
I agree. I think we've reached the pinnacle (pun intended) of golf club design. I don't think they can mess with the balls because there's only so much the companies can do with them. For them to start really curtailing the limits of the ball would mean the end of golf as we know it. I mean, who wants to go watch Tiger, Vijay or Daly play when they know that they're gonna be limited as to how far the ball will travel? JMHO, Simp
The USGA regulations put on clubs are there to keep golfers from getting too much of an advantage based on what certain forms of technology can do. There have always been rules for equipment conformity. A player that can properly use a 50" driver with a hot face and a 500 cc head will be able to hit the ball farther than a more accomplished player using a conforming club.
These rules are not there to limit less experienced players. They are there to keep conformity within the Rules of tournament play. The USGA is not restricting the weekend hacker from purchasing a non-conforming club and using on the weekend in a recreational round of golf. You just can't bring it to a tournament.
All sports where players use their own equipment have restrictions. You can't use a baseball bat that is drilled and corked. There are restrictions on the amount of curve you can have on a hockey stick. There's rules in every sport.
The USGA is not restricting the weekend hacker from purchasing a non-conforming club and using on the weekend in a recreational round of golf. You just can't bring it to a tournament.
While that is true, you technically can't keep a legal USGA handicap if you play with a non-conforming club during a round. So, for the weekend golfer, you can play the clubs, but your handicap doesn't count.
While that is true, you technically can't keep a legal USGA handicap if you play with a non-conforming club during a round. So, for the weekend golfer, you can play the clubs, but your handicap doesn't count.
That's a good point, but for the recreational player, I don't think that's an issue. On the rare occasion that I actually get out to play a round of golf with customers, I have to laugh at some of the things they do during a round of golf. Gimmies, missed tap-ins, incorrect dropping procedures, etc. If you take a gimmie, you technically have technically taken an x and have to post your handicap max for the hole. If you miss a tap-in, it counts.
The way I see it, there are two kinds of players: the recreational player out to have fun and the competitive player (net or gross). The recreational player will (and in my opinion, should) take all the advantages they can get. The tournament player will stay within the USGA guidelines with equipment selection for competitive play. I don't think either option is right or wrong, it's just a preference.
I remember reading in a magazine earlier this year how with all the technological advances, the average score has only increased a stroke or two in the last ten years.
It's my opinion that the only statistic that technology has improved is driving. Scores will never go down dramatically until technology produces equipment that makes people better chippers and putters without increasing practice. That's where all the missed strokes are for most players.
That's a good point, but for the recreational player, I don't think that's an issue. On the rare occasion that I actually get out to play a round of golf with customers, I have to laugh at some of the things they do during a round of golf. Gimmies, missed tap-ins, incorrect dropping procedures, etc. If you take a gimmie, you technically have technically taken an x and have to post your handicap max for the hole. If you miss a tap-in, it counts.
The way I see it, there are two kinds of players: the recreational player out to have fun and the competitive player (net or gross). The recreational player will (and in my opinion, should) take all the advantages they can get. The tournament player will stay within the USGA guidelines with equipment selection for competitive play. I don't think either option is right or wrong, it's just a preference.
I remember reading in a magazine earlier this year how with all the technological advances, the average score has only increased a stroke or two in the last ten years.
It's my opinion that the only statistic that technology has improved is driving. Scores will never go down dramatically until technology produces equipment that makes people better chippers and putters without increasing practice. That's where all the missed strokes are for most players.
While that is true, you technically can't keep a legal USGA handicap if you play with a non-conforming club during a round. So, for the weekend golfer, you can play the clubs, but your handicap doesn't count.
That's if you're honest and keep the integrity of the game, who's to say there are those who play illegal equipment and yet post scores to their USGA handicap, who would contest their friends of family on it?
Poor old working man's golfer - everything's got to be on a plate!
How about tennis rackets 5 times the size or baseball bats three times the diameter made of some ultralightweight materisl so that little leaguers can hit the ball out of the stadium???
Everyone (including top amateurs and pros) should wise up to the golf industry which has become a "fashion industry" - which other game (apart from tennis to some extent) has allowed itself to be changed (not always for the better) by a manufacturers cartel?
Golf may be slightly easier for a hack but it has always been easy to shoot 100 - one can do it with a 5 iron and a putter on any course and always could.
Do we really believe that players of old ENJOYED THE GAME ANY LESS becasue they didn't have the latest Kryptonite driver - I doubt it. Having played for more than 5 decades it's always been fun for me even though it has become considerably deskilled.
how many pros are actually using the SQ driver at the moment? i know Tiger has decided against it as he cited that he can't work the ball the way he wants with the SQ, although he admits it goes miles, and relatively straight too.
December 1st, 2005, 05:29 PM
Words to that effect have been uttered after almost every newest and latest thing has been invented and released to the public. I just can't wait to see what's next!
It's sad to think that what we have now is all we'll ever have.
I hope there's a lot of OEM R & D specialists out there that think differently! 
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