Do pro golfers hit harder than in the past?

A result of where another thread I started went got me thinking about a related subject:  I've read on this forum that in years past, with persimmon woods... pro's just didn't hit as hard as they do today: the equipment would punish miss-hits too much.   I'd be curious to know if there is any hard evidence for this.  I suppose the best evidence would be clubhead speeds, but even that would have issues when considering different technology like graphite vs. steel.  Changes in player injuries could be evidence to consider as well, but the effects of more "pre-habilitation" on the part of players would be a confounding variable.

And of course, this also leads me to wonder if it's true that distance is more important than accuracy, if that has always been so for the game, or if its just a result of modern technology?

Just to avoid any confusion on the OP's part, the Norman referred to is Greg Norman, not Moe.

Greg Norman's swing looks brutal in how much he's moving his pelvis and flexing his lower back (of course he looks like he has more natural flexibility too).  Ben Hogan, not so much.  I wouldn't describe it as an easy swing but it looks like he's using different parts of the body, more like a baseball player.  Still, it would be interesting to know how fast their clubheads were moving.

Greg Norman was the greatest driver in the history of the game. Staggeringly long AND very accurate. He was several levels above and beyond his peers. Technology levelled the playing field.

There were players like Andy Bean who hit it a long way but not straight.

If Norman were in his prime now (and Nicklaus), the distance they would get with modern drivers would be frightening.

McIlroy probably could have competed with wooden drivers. He isn't holding back very much nowadays, but he is so smooth and balanced his power is partly hidden from view.

This is just my guess but I'd bet most of the 11mph difference is due to graphite shafts and hollow titanium clubheads.

Were most pro golfers just not in very good shape back then?  What was the attitude towards physical fitness and golf?

Greg Norman, Hogan, and Nicklaus all look like they have bodies with conditioning suited to their golf swing.

BTW... what is the whole waggle Jack Nicklaus is doing in that video?  I just don't see many people doing that sort of thing now days.  Practice swings, yes, but not waggles.

Yes, Nicklaus in the early 60s carried a fair but of weight. He was extremely strong, though. [quote]Lot more of the Craig Stadler types back then than now. [/quote] None that I can think of who were quite as big as Kevin, though. When Craig was being called "The Walrus" he was substantially slimmer than his son is at a similar age

I'm absolutely not disputing the fact that swing speeds have increased, you know much more about that than I do. I am, however, sceptical about the supposedly improved athleticism of most pro golfers. Obviously Woods, McIlroy and a bunch of others show the evidence of long hours in the gym. I wonder, though, how much better the more heavily-muscled Woods is than was the slimmer, lighter version that turned pro and ran away with the Masters? Plus, many top pros are conspicuously overweight. Westwood (who also spends a fair bit of time in the gym) is fatter than "Fat Jack" was in his fat period, and there are plenty of tour pros who look flabbier than he does. People in the fifties and sixties were, in general, slimmer and fitter than they are today. Golfers may not have worked out much, but if one looks at footage of Nelson, Hogan, Palmer, these were not couch potatoes.

Tiger always worked out, the slimmer version was still in much better condition than most.  You don't have to be big to be strong and fit. Conversely, if you have a gut and moobs then you're likely not eating healthy or spending much time in the gym which doesn't mean you're not strong but possibly not well conditioned.

When I was 20, a friend of mine and I went to the PGA Team Championship at Laurel Valley. (The team championship, played under a variety of names, was a golf tournament on the PGA Tour from 1965 to 1972. It was only considered an official event from 1968 to 1972.)

I know the pros today are hitting ridiculous distances, but watching Jack Nicklaus drive a ball at age 30 is indelibly etched into my brain. The distance, trajectory and accuracy was something that no one on the tour at that time could duplicate.  And to see him hit the driver live, up close, and in person was incredible.

I've seen Tiger, Phil, Bubba, Angel and most of the long hitters live in the '94 and '07 U.S. Opens at Oakmont, and just can't get as excited about their drives as I did watching Jack. In all fairness, it might have been my youth that made Nicklaus seem larger than life, but I wasn't a Jack fan at the time - Arnie is my all-time favorite. Watching Jack came with the territory that day, since he was Arnie's partner. But after you saw him, there was no denying that he was the dominant force on the tour. Very impressive.

mvmac, here's a question: how do you rank Sam Snead with the driver?  Prior to Jack Nicklaus' emergence, Snead was considered the best driver on tour, if not in history (at that time).