My Wife Had a Great Idea!

[Lbob]

I was explaining to my wife how new breakthroughs in technology have changed the game of golf, and how it has made it easier for hackers like me. I told her about how clubs and balls used to be less forgiving etc.

Then from out of the blue she says "Why don't they have a tournament where the pro's compete with old time equipment?" Wow! What an idea! Set up a course with yardages from say 1913 or maybe 1963 is more realistic, get some companies to make up some balls and clubs, and get some top pro's to play the course as a charity event. I think it would be educational and hoot to watch. Watching Tiger cream a driver 220!!! Seeing Phil hit a 5 iron 150. Now that would be television!

[niblick]

http://www.hickorygolfers.com/index.php

[iacas]

  Lbob said:

I was explaining to my wife how new breakthroughs in technology have changed the game of golf, and how it has made it easier for hackers like me. I told her about how clubs and balls used to be less forgiving etc.

Plus, even Bobby Jones managed to hit the ball 300 yards on occasion. The "old stuff" wasn't that bad. Nicklaus still hit the ball 300 yards on even more occasions than Jones.

Plus, due to changes in agronomy, there's no way you could truly set up a course like they used to. Yardage is one thing, actual playing conditions are another. Plus, the modern golf swing is geared towards the equipment. I think some guys wouldn't play because they might goof up their real swing. And to a certain point, as lame as it sounds, they'd probably be right. I too would like to see it... I just don't think it'll happen.

[rembrandt]

I remember going to the Houston Open and Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite were still hitting wood....woods! They just didn't want to give up on the clubs that they had confidence in. I think tech finally got to them however when they saw the distances that others were getting. I think they would fare very well with the old clubs. Heck they could take a coke bottle and beat most of us!

[sole wolf]

  iacas said:

I think some guys wouldn't play because they might goof up their real swing. And to a certain point, as lame as it sounds, they'd probably be right.

kind of like the big hitters turning down the home run derby at the all star game.

[Lbob]

Yeah I agree about the swing change point. they might have to change things dramatically and probably wouldn't want to risk screwing up what had taken years to groove. Swings from 40 years ago are much different. And swings from the early 20th century are in a class by themselves. Did Bobby Jones really hit a 300 yard drive with hickory shafts? Or was he in the early steel shafts era? Didin't a golf magazine try to have somebody recreate Nicklaus' famous 1 iron shot? As I recall the amateur couldn't even come close.

[Chas]

The whole point would be for the pros to have some fun, make money for charity and not to rework their swings to accomodate ancient equipment. It's a great idea, but probably yes the pros would find some reason, like the one proposed, to weasel out of it ...... No, I don't think Tiger would destroy his game but hitting persimmon for 18 holes, not unless he got too serious about it and tried to fundamentally change his game. He's a bit too smart for that, methinks.

Kudos to the Better Half for an excellent idea. Wrong era in more ways than one, sadly. Sorry, I'm getting too cynical in my old age.

[Rafcin]

wouldn't the hickory clubheeads explode with a 200mph swings ?
unless you'll bring the goose-feder balls as well