What Will Be the Next Big Thing in Equipment?

[dennyjones]

18 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Solar powered?

You've never been to Michigan, the land of perpetual cloudiness!   

[Double Mocha Man]

3 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

You've never been to Michigan, the land of perpetual cloudiness!   

Overcast powered? Wind-powered?

[dennyjones]

10 minutes ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Overcast powered? Wind-powered?

There you go!    According to WeatherUnderground, we've had 17 days this year that were either sunny or partly sunny.    We celebrate when we see the sun!

[CarlSpackler]

1 hour ago, dennyjones said:

Somebody needs to develop a ball washer that is hands free.   Drop the ball in the washer, an electric motor (for @CarlSpackler and @ChetlovesMer) rotates the ball in a 60% solution of alcohol. The ball comes out like a gumball machine.   You'd never have to touch the ball washer.   The problem being that the 60% solution would become diluted relatively quickly.   

 

1 hour ago, Double Mocha Man said:

Solar powered?  Maybe it can dispense a little note with the ball saying,  "This Titleist should have been taken out of play 9 holes ago."

And then display a message saying "Shank you very much."

1 hour ago, dennyjones said:

You've never been to Michigan, the land of perpetual cloudiness!   

We call it "The State Up North". 🤣

[snapfade]

18 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

Somebody needs to develop a ball washer that is hands free.

Ever been to an Asian Massage parlor?

[CarlSpackler]

36 minutes ago, snapfade said:

Ever been to an Asian Massage parlor?

No and you can't prove a thing!

[snapfade]

6 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

No and you can't prove a thing!

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 

[CarlSpackler]

13 minutes ago, snapfade said:

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. 

Or Daytona. Just sayin...

[paperclip]

Next big thing?  Probably the mistake of a limited distance ball for the pros.

[trombettista_vecchio]

We've seen Ram, Lynx, Spalding, MacGregor, First Flight, and several other major brands disappear from the US golf business.

I think that it's entirely possible that we'll see a few more follow them by the time this health crisis is over.

Course closings aren't out of the question, either.  We just had two very nearby before the pandemic. 

Hopefully, I'm completely wrong.

 

As for equipment trends, with lofts getting increasingly stronger with each model release since the 1970s, I wouldn't be surprised to see set matching wedges make a little bit of a comeback.

With so many people already carrying four of them, the latest wave of stronger lofted irons have added a second gap wedge to the set.  

That's an 8-iron lofted pitching wedge, a 9-iron lofted gap wedge, and a pitching wedge lofted "gap wedge II" included with GI type sets.

May as well add a SW and LW to that, and maybe a 64 flop on top of that!  

If the player has to go to specialty wedges, anybody could get the sale.

If five or six wedges matching the numbered irons are oftered, maybe some people will buy them.

If we go back to the Titleist DCI 962 iron and a few others of that period, matching gap, sand, and lob wedges were offered.

Then the newer models stopped offering that to sell more Vokeys and Mack Daddies.

Since everything goes in cycles, the matching wedges might come back.

 

[snapfade]

1 hour ago, trombettista_vecchio said:

We've seen Ram, Lynx, Spalding, MacGregor, First Flight, and several other major brands disappear from the US golf business.

I think that it's entirely possible that we'll see a few more follow them by the time this health crisis is over.

Course closings aren't out of the question, either.  We just had two very nearby before the pandemic. 

Hopefully, I'm completely wrong.

 

As for equipment trends, with lofts getting increasingly stronger with each model release since the 1970s, I wouldn't be surprised to see set matching wedges make a little bit of a comeback.

With so many people already carrying four of them, the latest wave of stronger lofted irons have added a second gap wedge to the set.  

That's an 8-iron lofted pitching wedge, a 9-iron lofted gap wedge, and a pitching wedge lofted "gap wedge II" included with GI type sets.

May as well add a SW and LW to that, and maybe a 64 flop on top of that!  

If the player has to go to specialty wedges, anybody could get the sale.

If five or six wedges matching the numbered irons are oftered, maybe some people will buy them.

If we go back to the Titleist DCI 962 iron and a few others of that period, matching gap, sand, and lob wedges were offered.

Then the newer models stopped offering that to sell more Vokeys and Mack Daddies.

Since everything goes in cycles, the matching wedges might come back.

 

I vaguely remember a long time ago, maybe late 80's or so there being a set of 3 wedges being sold with Tom Kites name on them.  

[boogielicious]

1 hour ago, snapfade said:

I vaguely remember a long time ago, maybe late 80's or so there being a set of 3 wedges being sold with Tom Kites name on them.  

I remember Tom Watson had the same thing when I first started getting serious with golf around 2008.

[trombettista_vecchio]

Two things that came out in 1979 were the first TaylorMade metalwoods and the lob wedge.

The first metalwoods had fit metrics like wooden woods..shorter shafts, flatter lie angles, and weaker lofts. Clubhead shapes were like wood as well.

The lob wedge was often referred to as the "third wedge'"  because with pitching wedges still being in the 50-52º range, the loft jacking and gap wedge were imminent but not quite there yet.

The lob wedge was conceived to have little or no bounce so you could play it from forward in your stance, but then bounce options began because some players wanted them with standard bounce.

I still prefer a minimal bounce lob wedge.

[Vinsk]

2 hours ago, trombettista_vecchio said:

I still prefer a minimal bounce lob wedge.

[iacas]

3 hours ago, trombettista_vecchio said:

The lob wedge was often referred to as the "third wedge'"  because with pitching wedges still being in the 50-52º range, the loft jacking and gap wedge were imminent but not quite there yet.

48-49°

Lite 100

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Titleist 1979-80 Tour Model

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[snapfade]

22 minutes ago, iacas said:

48-49°

Lite 100

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Titleist 1979-80 Tour Model

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The 79-80 Tour model is a beautiful club, I bet a miss hit on that was felt right to the bone.