What the USGA and club manufacturers dont want you to know

[shades9323]

Handicaps haven't dropped much because many amateur golfers do not get club-fitted. I think it's something like 65% of golfers don't get fit for their clubs.

IMO, club fitting is overrated for the vast majority of players.

[shades9323]

We should call you FIGJAM

We chould call you jealous...

[Shanks A Million]

IMO, club fitting is overrated for the vast majority of players.

Oh, hell no. Only someone who is close to standard fit could ever say something like that. For me, fitting was the difference that made my game. Prior to being fit, all I could do was develop a hideously imperfect swing, and poor fundimentals because my clubs were so severely toe down at impact. I'm still fighting to get most of my old bad habits taken care of from playing with those old clubs.

[shades9323]

Oh, hell no. Only someone who is close to standard fit could ever say something like that. For me, fitting was the difference that made my game. Prior to being fit, all I could do was develop a hideously imperfect swing, and poor fundimentals because my clubs were so severely toe down at impact. I'm still fighting to get most of my old bad habits taken care of from playing with those old clubs.

I was standard length and 2* up with my last set. Coming from a standard set that I played with for 13 years. Now I am in Pings that are .75* up, should probably be 1.5*. Not much of a difference between them for me except for forgiveness.

[Kieran123]

We chould call you jealous...

We

should call you illiterate And hell yes I'm jealous, I would love to hit all my shots on the center, I am sure most people would. Call them all jealous.

[shades9323]

We

Or we could call me fat fingered and lacking in the spell check. Illiterate is a bit over the top. I would if they made ignorant attacks like you did.

We'll just chalk this one up to you still being cranky about the Flames sucking.

[Gioguy21]

is this a thread or a place to bitch at each other?...jeezus you fight like f'in 3 year olds figurin out who's gettin the happy meal prize. grow up already.

[sean_miller]

. . . cranky about the Flames sucking.

Hey, they didn't suck all year. Just every time it counted - they've been lowering their handicaps for weeks though!

[Kieran123]

Or we could call me fat fingered and lacking in the spell check. Illiterate is a bit over the top. I would if they made ignorant attacks like you did.

LOL relaaaxxxxxxx.....I don't give a crap about Ice Hockey. I'm not even Canadian.

[Greg]

I may be way behind on this thread but im guessing that one of the main reasons that handicaps overal arent dropping is that so many more people play golf now than they did years ago, meaning a lot of new golfers every year. Great for the sport as it continually grows in popularity but you constantly have newbies introduced to the game hence high handicaps and bringing up the overall average. I didnt read all the posts so someone else probably already said something like this. Most people are terrible in the beginning and many never get much better and a lot of those are ok with that, they still have fun. Ive been playing for 2 years, I was horrible when i first started and still struggle just to break 100, 95 is my best 18 hole score ive ever recorded. In fact i think ive only broken 100 maybe 4 times. I usually just play 9 so i dont really play 18 that often, maybe 10 times a year or so. And thats another factor, new players may not get to play very often and practice even less due to other responsibilities and obligations so it takes a long time to improve.

[sean_miller]

. . . so many more people play golf now than they did years ago, meaning a lot of new golfers every year. Great for the sport as it continually grows in popularity . . .

From what I see locally, golf has never been less popular. It used to be hard to get a tee time and almost impossible to get on as a single (I prefer to join a group as s 4th - if they don't mind). Now I can get on whenever I want.

[shortstop20]

Secondly, it's hardly a secret, everyone knows that it's the indian not the arrow,

I wouldn't say that. Most do yes, but there are still a fair amount of people who think a new piece of equipment is going to magically make them hit the ball better.

[sean_miller]

I wouldn't say that. Most do yes, but there are still a fair amount of people who think a new piece of equipment is going to magically make them hit the ball better.

If you've got some game, the right equipment can put you over the top. If you've got a whole lotta suck, why not suck in style?!?!?

[shortstop20]

If you've got a whole lotta suck, why not suck in style?!?!?

I'd rather take lessons and be a good player than be the guy with $2K in clubs and slicing it 2 fairways over on every shot.

[sean_miller]

I'd rather take lessons and be a good player than be the guy with $2K in clubs and slicing it 2 fairways over on every shot.

It's a great way to meet new people though. Yeah - my irons are almost 20 years old (wedges too) - so I hear ya.

[shortstop20]

It's a great way to meet new people though.

LOL at the bold.

[Felenah]

If I rememeber correctly the gear has to keep up with the way courses are advancing. Tougher longer courses require more advance gear.

[RC]

As earlier noted, handicaps have dropped a couple of strokes... not a huge move but a significant one. There are dozens of reasons one could surmise. I still think the number one change is the ball. If the younger players here only knew what "used to go on" with golf balls. Right out of the box the pros would get, the balls were not always round, nor were they balanced. Players would go through several balls to find the ones they would play, passing them through rings and spinning them to test roundness. Serious players would put a dot on a ball and spin it in a fluid to see if it wobbled. About the most holes you could play a ball before it was significantly out of round was six holes -- and that was pushing it. One mishit might mean your ball was unfit immediately. Today people still slice but the old ball would slice far more. Pure ball striking was a premium and obvious because the old balls would magnify mishits. Yes, the ball and equipment advances have added 29 or so yards to distance, and iorns are stronger lofted, but if given a choice of one thing a good pro would say has changed the game the most, I've repeatedly heard it is the golf ball. The result of the equipment improvements has made old gems of golf course design no longer daunting. Who really thinks Doral is the Monster it used to be called?

I would never like to have to play the woods or irons of the 50's again. But if you had the equipment of today and the balls of the 1940's and 1950's you would clearly notice a more difficult game.