Hackers & the advancement in golf equimpment

[Elvisliveson]

we need more starters like you around here, get the slow players the F off the course... Good riddance. if you cant follow the directions of the starter then you need to go.

I am with you. At the county courses I play, the starters run it like a Nazi concentration camp and I wouldn't have it any other way. Most public courses in NJ offer 5-51/2 hour plus weekend rounds and I'm off the course in 4:15 or less every Saturday morning.

[allin]

Without hackers (bogey or worse golfers) would a majority of golf courses and companies go out of business?

Of course.

[allin]

I believe that better golfers need to make and effort so that hackers are more comfortable. Things like moving up to the tee the hacker should be playing from, instead of your regular tee. It is hard for the hacker who often feels they are ruining the good players round, they try harder, get more frustrated, etc. The result often is that neither enjoy the round as they should. Hackers tend to see better golfers as golf royalty and rarely will speak up.

[James_Black]

Not much further. The actual distance on a dead center hit has not increased all that much. The longest drive ever recorded in a PGA event was hit with a persimmon wood.

They got a pro(Trevor Immelman I think) to test a permisson compared to a R9.

The R9 went 50 yards further than the permisson. So yeah there's a pretty big difference.

[Leftygolfer]

Golf is hard regardless of equipment. People still suck as bad as they ever have and equipment is so much better now. SGI clubs still take a reasonable swing to have good results. It just isn't very easy to be even ok at golf.

[Greg]

I guess reading this proves how much i really live in a rural area, Ive never even seen a starter or a cart girl for that matter. Most of the time if I have trouble with slower players thay let me play through and likewise if Im playing in a larger(and usually slower group) I do likewise). It just creates unneeded anxiety knowing someone behind you is waiting all the time. Yes there are times when a course is crowded and nothing you can do. Then you just relax and try to stay focused knowing everyone is waiting. Thats why i like playing during the week, not nearly as many people playing then. As far as how far the older persimmon drivers go, I read sometime back about Alvaro Quiros hitting one for practice and was getting about 280 yards out of it, about how far he hit his 5 wood and hes' one of the longest hitters in the world, though obviously in the days of persimmon drivers players practiced and played with them all the time so they were used to them. The newer drivers are more forgiving, even if you dont hit them perfect they will still go pretty far, im sure those old persimmon drivers had to be hit very precisely to go a great distance as well as those early irons and fairway woods.

[Shanks A Million]

They got a pro(Trevor Immelman I think) to test a permisson compared to a R9.

The variable is the human. Do the same test with a swing robot. As long as the

head speed stays the same, the difference in distance will not be all that great. The newer clubs have shafts that are nearly 5" longer, which will give you quite a few more yards. This is a marketing gimmick, nothing more.

[FitnessOver50]

Whenever I go to the course, everyone is talking about the latest equipment that will help improve their game.

I find it ironic that hardly anyone talks about improving their fitness or strength in order to improve their game.

It is warm here in Vancouver, so I am going golfing tomorrow with a few friends. That's why I bring up the topic of golf fitness.

I am 53 and find that as I increase my strength and fitness levels, my endurance increases. It makes a huge difference, especially while playing the last 4 holes. As a result, I have be able to reduce my golf scores without changing any of my equipment.

Food for thought.

[James_Black]

The variable is the human. Do the same test with a swing robot.

exactly!

The head speed won't stay the same! Permisson clubs were shorter. And even if the speed was the same there'd be 15-20 yards difference + the metal club is wayyyy easier to hit. So if your arguing permisson and metal woods are the same (or even similar) on performance terms, then no.

[Zeph]

The biggest advancement has been done. If you're a good golfer, you can play with pretty much any club from this era.

If the hackers were to realize this, and started spending money on lessons instead, the companies would be in trouble.

Still, I'm sure those with the most clubs are the better players.

[Shanks A Million]

exactly!

Robot tests confirm that this is not quite true. Most of the advances have come in shafts and fitting, and so the old persimmon drivers are not on a level playing field. When you get down to it, and compare a persimmon face to a titanium one, the actual distance loss for a 100 mph swing is 5.9 yards. That's nowhere near the 15-20 yards most people assume. The USGA limits the COR of golf clubs, so there's no way to increase this. Club companies want desperately for you to believe it though.

A modern, fitted persimmon driver will cause the player to lose about 5-8 yards.

[James_Black]

Robot tests confirm that this is not quite true. Most of the advances have come in shafts and fitting, and so the old persimmon drivers are not on a level playing field. When you get down to it, and compare a persimmon face to a titanium one, the actual distance loss for a 100 mph swing is 5.9 yards. That's nowhere near the 15-20 yards most people assume. The USGA limits the COR of golf clubs, so there's no way to increase this. Club companies want desperately for you to believe it though.

5-8 yards on a perfect shot.

You'd lose a lot of yards on any other shot But I didn't know the difference was so little with the clubhead. Thanks.