While not totally quit playing the game I only play 4-5 times a year now. The last two years I have actually starting watching a few tourneys on TV (mainly the majors) and what has surprised me is the incredible distance the new players are getting off the Tee. I remember Couples, Love, Norman and others being considered long drivers off the Tee, but their distances back then would not even have them in the top 15 of driving distance today. My question is has the drivers improved that much, or is it like athletes in other sports and they have just evolved that much?
A question for golfers
- Thread starter divinnole
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The old balata balls. Even if you did not lose any balls it would still take 3 balls to get through a round they would scuff up so bad. Especially with the square groove irons.
Fitness is a part of it, but it is surely more a result of equipment improvements (ball, clubhead, shaft). Easiest way to see that is by looking at the distances the guys on the Seniors tour are hitting it nowadays. The top 10 are all hitting it just shy of 300 yards. Twenty-five to 30 years ago (when those same players would've been at their physical peaks in terms of strength), none of them hit it within 25 yards of that distance.
A few of them might now have better workout/fitness regimens, but they sure as heck aren't all stronger than they were when they were 25 years old.
A few of them might now have better workout/fitness regimens, but they sure as heck aren't all stronger than they were when they were 25 years old.
Mostly equipment. I've seen guys add 30 years instantly by switching drivers (cough @smhnole ).The stuff from the last 5-7 years is a huge jump in performance over what was even available about 15 years ago. Back then, it was all about how big the driver could get. Now it's about aerodynamics and, without relying on trampoline effect, making the ball explode off the face.
Think there's a big difference between driving average and max driving length. Jack could have crushed the ball much further than his average and beyond most of the field of his day, but that wasn't the tact he took on every hole.
Tiger's approach (and the shift in the modern era) has been much more aggressive, and you see more guys like Bubba and DJ taking more calculated risks than much of the rest of the field.
That said, the difference in length between the longest hitters and "average" tour pros is not that great. Equipment has certainly leveled the playing field. The ones benefiting the most are the shortest hitters, who can now "keep up" by averaging around 280 yds off the tee. To a short driver, that 30 yard bump is significant. They can now approach the greens with mid irons rather than fairway woods. The long knockers are then approaching with lower irons.
Historically, the big hitters tended to lose their advantage when it came to short game and putting. Seems to still be the case, generally speaking.
The advantage of being long off the tee is completely dependent on the course they're playing that week.
I did not think the golf ball you used mattered too much. For my birthday, however, my wife got me these srixon balls. These things seem to go 20 yards longer than the others I've been hitting including pro v1s, etc... Could be my swing obviously, but I don't think so.
Mostly the equipment but the fitness also helps. One of the shows on golf channel did an episode on Greg Norman a year or two ago. The driving distance players are getting these days was brought up. Greg took out an old persimmons wooden driver he used to use on tour and hit a ball. He then hit a ball with his current driver and the ball carried much farther. He pointed out that he is the same guy with the same swing and the ball went much farther with the new driver.
In the balata, persimmon days the pro swing was all about control and hitting the ball dead square. "Swing in a barrel" was the method used to ensure a square hit which limited the swing speed. Any sway in the swing was a no no. Now that the drivers are so forgiving you see guys taking baseball swings, driving at the ball as hard as they can. You see the head moving off and behind the ball on the backswing. The old timers could have done that too but we're smart not to, they never would have gotten away with it. Now that you can get away with maximum swing speed it makes sense guys are getting as fit as possible to increase swing speed. Pre titanium the game wasnt about power, it was about finesse and control. I'd venture to say that putting used to be better, particular on longer puts. The old timers on average were farther from the hole cause the weren't hitting 9 irons and wedges on approach nearly as often
We're talking about the difference between the balls of 30 years ago and today...
The old balata balls were the standard for players who wanted good control and a ball you could spin. If you hit it square there was not much difference in the length. However if you did not make contact "on the screws" the offline shots were very bad. The ball would easily scuff and in fact if you were really hitting the ball with the sweet part of the club face about 6-7 holes was all they would last. If you ever thinned a shot then you may as well throw it in the woods because it would have a big grin cut in the cover when you got to it. They were actually more expensive then the top Pro-Vs are today, and that was 20 yrs ago.
There are a huge number of factors that go into the difference. Technology of the clubs and balls is a big part of that. Overall training is a big part of that as well. Another huge part that does has to go with equipment is the shafts. Technology in the shaft and the choosing of the right one, is huge. There are a ton of options out there and with the launch monitors and other testing measures to get the perfect equipment, this is obviously a big part of the change. Look at the persimmon wood and crappy steel shaft that Jack had in the club in that picture. Equipment was all standard and off the rack back then. Now, nothing is standard. Even putters are tweaked to the individuals liking.
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