Club innovation and sticking with the same set

[kpaulhus]

I think the topic of new clubs every year also leads to the success and failure of golf in general. If companies stop marketing new clubs, how will the entice people to pump money into the industry, let alone the game itself? I understand that I could play a driver and set of irons for 7-10 years and would likely not see a huge improvement in my game versus getting new clubs every year. Irons wear out. Drivers break. Wedges maybe last a year and a half. Putters never die unless you dont treat them well. 

I for one am a big fan of new technology. I typically make some improvements when buying new clubs. Especially around the fitting aspect of it. I look at it as stimulating the golf economy while keeping my game as in tune as it can be. I still toe the crap out of my $500 driver and it only goes 225 or whatever with a nasty hook. I could do that with any club. But when you find that sweet spot and it goes out past 300 every other round or so, it validates that purchase for me. 

[Missouri Swede]

On 10/30/2017 at 10:07 AM, ghalfaire said:

The laws of physics say you cannot achieve a COR > 1, you would have to create energy to do that,  and as a practical matter a COR = 1 (an elastic collision) isn't possible either as long as there is friction in the world. 

But ... but ... SPEEDFOAM!

Quote

A breakthrough in iron technology, P790 is a beauty and a beast — the beauty of forged construction in a clean shape while also featuring an injection of revolutionary SpeedFoam Technology to make it a distance beast.

See? It's Technology!  (And it's even capitalized!) 

 

[ghalfaire]

17 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

But ... but ... SPEEDFOAM!

See? It's Technology!  (And it's even capitalized!) 

 

[Lihu]

6 hours ago, Xunzi said:

To be clear on the COR I don’t mean energy would be created but rather released, but anyways it’s a bit sci-fi  More likely changes to balls and shafts could keep increasing distances.

If there's stored energy inside the club you could get higher ball speeds, but it's no longer the golfer who is providing all the energy. It would turn golf into just another shooting sport.

 

On 10/29/2017 at 2:12 AM, Xunzi said:

2) Given that the incremental improvement in clubs from year to year is so small (if there is one), does it make sense to change golf clubs?

It seems to me that most new clubs for the last few years are only improvements in marketing spiel. I think I've read something to that effect as well, i.e. that statistics dispel any notion that current clubs outperform past series, adjusted for the increasingly aggressive lofting (which is just silly). Obviously a threat to golf club manufacturers, but does it makes sense to regularly "upgrade" clubs - any improvement would be so minor that it's probably outbalanced by the performance improvement gained from learning a particular set of clubs by keep playing with them season after season?

 

Rick Sheils did a series of videos showing a 5 year difference.

 

 

 

 

[rob0225]

Technically there is no ban on innovation, manufacturers are free to design and build what they want.  Whether they conform to USGA/R&A rules and can be used for official play is a different story.  

[NM Golf]

On 10/29/2017 at 8:32 AM, billchao said:

It largely depends on how old your clubs are, and which clubs you're talking about, and . Changes in tech tend to have a larger effect in drivers than irons, but generally speaking you're not going to see much improvement from year to year, with some exceptions. For example, the Ping G400 driver is definitely an improvement on the previous G driver, but even then it's up to the individual golfer to decide if something like a 5mph increase in ball speed is worth $400.

I was going to say the same thing, The G400 driver is IMHO a big step forward. I have never hit a driver this well.

That being said There is a lot to be said for sticking with what works, especially in irons. There is a break in period for any new club, this is especially true for irons, getting your distances figured out, getting the gaps filled in, etc. With a driver it takes some time as well. My Callaway liked the ball teed really high, my G400 does not. The fade bias in my G400 produces a fantastic little cut that I can trust, whereas my Callaway wanted to go straighter. It takes time to figure this stuff out, if you change clubs every time the next best thing comes out I believe your consistency will suffer. 

Edited November 3, 2017 by NM Golf

[MarvChamp]

On 10/29/2017 at 4:12 AM, Xunzi said:

2) Given that the incremental improvement in clubs from year to year is so small (if there is one), does it make sense to change golf clubs?

I believe a glance at the Maltby Playability Factor would show that some of the older clubs in all classes, from classic/conventional to UGI clubs, hold their own against newer models. It's is only a beginning and shaft technology also must be considered, but I have always consulted it. Also, My Golf Spy. I don't have an opinion about marketing; I just take it as what it is...sales talk. -Marv