Has technology taken from the skill of playing golf?

[Eoghank59]

Hello everyone,

I am a college student in Ireland and I am currentley doing some project research about the equipment changes in golf. I am trying to get peoples opinion on the topic of equipment changes and advances through the last number of decades.

My questions are as follows: Has the game of golf become easier from the changes?

                                              Has the skill factor decresed due to "easy to hit clubs"?

                                              Would the game still be as enjoyable if the introduction of Graphite and Stainless steel never happened?

And finally, for those golfers who have had the pleasure of being able to play this game with both the older and newer eras of golf clubs, which provided ye with most satisfaction and pleasure?

I know this topic has been spoken about a lot over the last number of years but any feedback that ye have will be greatly appreciated in advance.

[Patch]

Since it is also been reported that handicaps have not changed that much over the years, even with new technology, I would say no. 

I also think new technology which has increased the cost of clubs has had an adverse affect getting new golfers into the game.

Older vs newer clubs? I still play both from time to time. I have just as much fun, with one as the other.

[iacas]

I voted yes, yes, no. Equipment definitely makes golf easier, but at the same time, the game is awfully damn hard to begin with.

We only let individual polls have three questions here, so your fourth question I left off.

We typically also do not allow new users to do this sort of thing, but because there doesn't seem to be a marketing angle to this, I'll let it stand.

[ghalfaire]

I don't believe  technology has taken the "skill factor" out of golf.  While I would agree that the newer clubs are more likely to produce a less poor shot when an improperly struck ball is in flight, it is still a poor shot.  There is also the Bobby Jones factor ("golf is game played in the 5 inches between your ears") and that is a more significant factor than most seem to know. Also the data just doesn't support the contention of technology making the game easier as handicaps and average scores have not improved in any significant way for several years.  I also have observed (not a scientific observation just out playing with my buddies) that while technology as affected the longer game some it has not seem to have improved the short game noticeably.  I don't know way but maybe because we just don't practice that enough.

[Bryan Kasper]

I voted yes yes and then yes. I have some old clubs that my father used. and comparably to the newer stuff they are very hard to hit. Newer clubs have a larger sweet spot, bigger club head, more customizable shafts etc. that being said, anyway you put it you are enjoying the game of golf when you are improving. with the old clubs that you couldn't adjust, you could probably recognize a lot easier if you were in fact improving. Now-a-days you cant tell if the new weighting systems/ technologies are merely making up for inaccuracies in your swing or not. No matter what, the game of golf is a lot of fun. i have fun playing with old clubs as well as new cubs. both are a challenge and if you don't enjoy a challenge i don't know why you play golf. 

I guess when you get to a certain point with the old clubs, you cant improve as much as you can with newer clubs so that could move my last yes to a no. But otherwise you should enjoy the challenge no matter what. 

[vangator]

Yes, yes, Yes.  However, your title is misleading, kind of like a pollster biasing their questions.  The title is "Has technology taken from the skill of playing golf?", which to me implies an absolute.  Your questions say "decreased skill" or "easier".  Not quite the same.

[jbishop15]

I voted yes, yes, no. 

While golf is definitely easier because of new technology, all that does is raise the bar for what we consider "skilled", so it all evens out for me. 

 

[iacas]

I don't believe  technology has taken the "skill factor" out of golf. 

I didn't take the question to mean the skill factor was completely removed, but I don't think anyone can say it's not been reduced.

There is also the Bobby Jones factor ("golf is game played in the 5 inches between your ears") and that is a more significant factor than most seem to know.

I think the mental aspect of the game is often overstated.

Also the data just doesn't support the contention of technology making the game easier as handicaps and average scores have not improved in any significant way for several years.

It has dropped. It's an old myth that the average handicap hasn't decreased. It has.

I also have observed (not a scientific observation just out playing with my buddies) that while technology as affected the longer game some it has not seem to have improved the short game noticeably.  I don't know way but maybe because we just don't practice that enough.

I think people practice the short game plenty… of course, it depends on what facilities they have available to them. If there are no short game areas, people tend to beat balls.

[turtleback]

These are question that are virtually meaningless as yes or no, IMO, as both the issues and the ensuing answers are really far more nuanced than a mere yes or no (as demonstrated by the fact that people feel compelled to explain their answers).  Also, "technology" is not some unified thing.  People might feel one way about the introduction of graphite shafts but completely differently about the rise of range finders.

As a former teacher I have a hard time seeing the educational value or, more importantly, the validity of a survey such as this.  What is the actual purpose of the assignment?  Is it to learn about trends and attitudes towards golf equipment?  Is it to learn to conduct a valid survey?   Something else?

[Gator Hazard]

Question 1), They literally market GI and SGI clubs.  Hybrids have made it easier to hit longer distances, etc.  I think that one is pretty obvious.

Question 2).  Related to #1 and the answer is yes again.  This can be changed with newer course designs with current technology in mind.

Question 3).  I answered yes to this as well.  Everything is relative and golf is a challenging game, that to many makes it enjoyable.  There are so many facets to the game including where it is played (outdoors, usually scenic) which I think contribute and as they say "ignorance is bliss" so I think that for many and at least myself I would still have enjoyed it.

 

What would be interesting is questions more like:  "Do you feel recent improvements in golf technology (clubs, balls) have rendered some courses less challenging".  "Do you feel handicaps should be rated differently based on courses that were designed more than 30 years ago and which have not been modernized, so as to have a normalized handicap index so as to compare modern golfers with the previous generations?".  Etc. 

Edited October 21, 2015 by Gator Hazard

[bkuehn1952]

The third question is a bit odd. I don't know that we have a whole lot of members who ever played in the days of hickory shafted clubs.  After WW II you would have been hard pressed to find many people still playing hickory shafts.  True, some may play hickory now for fun but that is hardly mainstream.  Perhaps the reference to stainless steel was directed toward the change from wooden-headed clubs?

In any event, since I first started playing in the early 1960's, the game has become less difficult for me.  Although some of the change has been because of a better skill set for me, equipment, including balls, has been a large factor.

My responses: Yes, Yes, No

[mvmac]

Voted yes, yes, no. Obviously a 460cc titanium driver is easier to hit longer and straighter than a persimmon wood but the game still requires a good amount of skill. I'd say technology has helped the better golfers more than the higher handicappers. Technology can only do so much for a fat or thin shot but can do a good job of "hiding" slight misses and help shorter/medium knockers optimize their distance.

[mchepp]

I voted Yes, No, No. I voted no on the second question because I'd argue that skill has not decreased but changed into a different skill set. I watch high school kids play golf today and almost all of them swing like Bubba. Launching themselves right out of their shoes. Which because of the bigger heads available has become possible. I'd argue that golf has always been a balance between speed and precision. The persimmon woods required you to make a speed trade off for precision. Now to be a good player you need to have developed more speed. Less precision is required but the skill of more speed is required. 

I'd also argue the current questions do not discuss the ball which has made major changes to the game as well. 

[Grumpter]

My reply was deleted? I guess the Mod(s) did not like my answering the questions in the quote box (before the poll was available)?

[rkim291968]

Y-Y-N for me.   Played around with very old clubs when I started playing golf.  Equipment has changed a lot, enough to make it into a different game almost.   The game would be still fun (frustrating) with the old equipment.

[Lihu]

Hello everyone,

I am a college student in Ireland and I am currentley doing some project research about the equipment changes in golf. I am trying to get peoples opinion on the topic of equipment changes and advances through the last number of decades.

My questions are as follows: Has the game of golf become easier from the changes?

                                              Has the skill factor decresed due to "easy to hit clubs"?

                                              Would the game still be as enjoyable if the introduction of Graphite and Stainless steel never happened?

And finally, for those golfers who have had the pleasure of being able to play this game with both the older and newer eras of golf clubs, which provided ye with most satisfaction and pleasure?

I know this topic has been spoken about a lot over the last number of years but any feedback that ye have will be greatly appreciated in advance.

Yes, Yes, Yes.

Enjoyable, but different. I've played a links style course near Bandon, Oregon using rental old hickory shafted clubs and replica gutta percha balls. What I noticed is the ball went much shorter, but I was not swinging as well as I do now when I did it. My guess is that the balls will go shorter, but not hugely shorter if you could make decent contact. Also, the set only had 7 clubs in it, and I needed to play right handed.

[iacas]

My reply was deleted? I guess the Mod(s) did not like my answering the questions in the quote box (before the poll was available)?

Moderators delete malformed posts. If you typed a response inside the quote box, that's malformed.

[nevets88]

When you hear technological advances, it usually implies clubs or balls. Imho, I think video, radar, 3D, pressure plates, putting stroke analysis devices, etc... should also be part of the conversation, as well as new ways smart people are figuring out how to make use of the data from them.

Edited October 22, 2015 by nevets88