{"id":1045,"date":"2005-10-27T12:00:05","date_gmt":"2005-10-27T17:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/uncategorized\/nonsense_in_the_technology_debate\/"},"modified":"2005-10-27T12:00:05","modified_gmt":"2005-10-27T17:00:05","slug":"nonsense_in_the_technology_debate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesandtrap.com\/b\/swing_thoughts\/nonsense_in_the_technology_debate","title":{"rendered":"Nonsense in the Technology Debate"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"R&A\"The Secretary of the R&A, Peter Dawson, has recently opened himself up for Q&A from the golfing public. Recently, a man named Neal Walker Coventry wrote in to ask “Should something be done to prevent technology’s influence on the game?” In this day and age, “technology” is being blamed for just about everything that’s “wrong” with the game of golf, and the Secretary’s answer to the question bothers at least one of the self-appointed guardians of the game. On his blog, Geoff Shackelford, a small-time author and golf course architect, replies with the blather<\/a> typical of his side of the technology debate.
\n
\nThough I replied on his blog, experience has taught me that valid, opposing points of view do not always survive on his site, instead falling victim to Shackelford’s own hand, mouse, and the “Delete” button in his blog’s administrative area.<\/p>\n

But first, Mr. Dawson’s answer:<\/p>\n

\n

Modern equipment has certainly helped golfers of all abilities to improve their performance and this is generally to be welcomed. At top level, skill remains the dominant factor in achieving success, as evidenced by the fact that the same players – Tiger, Vijay, Ernie, etc – consistently head the rankings. If technology had taken over, then this would not be happening. Clearly, there could come a point where technology renders courses too easy and the challenge of the game is diminished. It is the responsibility of the R&A and the United States Golf Association to ensure that this does not occur by setting the equipment rules to limit the impact of technology. Course set-up, of course, has a part to play as well.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

And Shackelford’s response:<\/p>\n

\n

So like, if Ernie and Tiger and Vijay start to not consistently “head the rankings” (and what great rankings they are), then that could be a possible reason to consider that technology has overtaken skill?<\/p>\n

You have tolove the stuff where Dawson and his U.S. counterpart talk about how technology has made the game easier and that’s a good thing. But that they are prepared to step in when it becomes too easy and they are monitoring that closely. But how will they gauge that?<\/p>\n

Someday they’ll understand that it’s not about hard or easy, but instead, how the game is played and what elements of skill somehow got the sport to this point (and why some of those elements were worth protecting). But they would have to understand what those elements were, wouldn’t they?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The “anti-technology” side of the game (and Shackelford, along with Gary Player, is currently one of only two people listed in the anti-technology at our own “Which Side are They On?<\/a>” article) typically relies on factless, groundless, baseless emotional arguments to support their point, and Shackelford is perhaps one of the worst offenders in this arena. Should my comment fall prey to Shackelford’s touchy “Delete” button, I’ve revised my comment and posted it here.<\/p>\n

Once more, Shackelford kicks in some factless bashing, this time of one of the organizations he hopes will some day see his point of view and banish technology (all of it?) from the game for good. First, Shackelford attacks “the rankings” despite the fact that several, including the Official World Golf Ranking, the money list, the Vardon scoring average, the number of wins per year (and so on) all agree: Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Vijay Singh, and a few others are pretty darn good. There will obviously come a day when Tiger is not atop the rankings, but at such a point in time, I figure that the top 10 will still be rather stable. In other words, the names will change, but their stability and the recognition as “top golfers” will remain the same. Shackelford is being too literal (or incredibly dense, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt) when he knows darn well what Dawson was saying because it suits his purposes.<\/p>\n

Next, Shackelford latches on to Dawson’s assertion that technology “… has certainly helped golfers of all abilities to improve their performance…” Lacking any factual basis as to the degree of help given to pros, duffers, twice-a-year players, single-digit handicappers, and everyone in between, Shackelford ignores the fact that any measurement as to how much technology has “helped” golfers must include several difficult-to-measure factors including course conditioning, weather conditions, player conditioning and strength, understanding of the golf swing, and more.<\/p>\n

Perhaps technology advances in the past 10 years have benefitted duffers 50% and PGA Tour pros only minimally. If that was true – and based on what I know of the game, I suspect it’s reasonable – I’d take it. A good number of people quit the game each year out of frustration. Driving distance has increased about 30 yards over the past 30 years, but once again that number includes several factors outside of the technology of drivers and golf balls. That trend, one could say, has been going on since the beginning of golf. There was once a time, in fact, where dimples were being driven twice as far as non-dimpled golf balls. Less than half a yard per year since 1940 is hardly a quantum leap in performance, particularly when no single technological advance can account for even most of the distance increase: player and course conditioning, understanding of the golf swing (particularly with the use of launch monitors), and club and ball improvements.<\/p>\n

Shackelford closes his entry by saying that “Someday they’ll understand that it’s not about hard or easy, but instead, how the game is played and what elements of skill somehow got the sport to this point.” In addition to lacking any proof that illustrates that the ruling bodies don’t already understand this, Shackelford’s comments illustrate a severe lack of logical capacity: in any given tournament, players have access to the same equipment, the same course, the same playing conditions, and the same opportunities prior to that for learning. The only<\/strong> difference, then, is skill and a bit of luck. Removing luck, because as Ben Hogan said, “the more I practice the luckier I get,” skill is<\/strong> the determining factor.<\/p>\n

In fact, the only way to diminish skill as a determining factor is to provide different equipment to competitors or otherwise change some of the constants, like making anyone named after a feline hit from a different set of tees or something. I’ll say that again: the only way to change the fact that skill is the sole determining factor in competitive golf is to change the rules for some but not for others. Those supporting a “tournament ball,” take note.<\/p>\n

In response to a later comment Shackelford made on the same entry (this bodes well for my comments surviving the “Delete” button), I said:<\/p>\n

\n

You’ve launched a campaign against “technology” on nothing more than your own assumptions and suspicions, and you’ve sustained that campaign for as long as I’ve known you based on nothing but more assumptions, speculations, and the odd out-of-context quote or two.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Simply put, we here at The Sand Trap don’t pretend to have the answer because we can’t even be sure what the question is, and any in the case of Mr. Shackelford’s questions, well, we almost always reject the premise.<\/p>\n

Geoff, you may have the last word if you so wish, but I’m quite certain it will be as illogical and ill-formed as the first.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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