drillers80

I have been away from the game for a few years, but I believe this still holds true; There are only a few foundries in the world that forge iron heads. Nike isn't making his stuff any more than Titleist made it. Mizuno might have their own foundry. I'm not up on all this stuff anymore. I'm sure Nike gets the billets and does their own grinding to his specs, which bear no resemblance to stock. This much is true, though, and that is that few of us could hit his clubs. The grinds are such that the weight distribution would make it hard for most golfers to get the ball much past wormburner height with anything longer than a 6 iron. He would hit balloons with stock ground irons.

Ha ha yeah the DH.... Don't get me started either. I'm sure it was a case of both, meaning that they feared litigation, and also they foresaw that any easier game meant more golfers. Who knows? I remember those Executive irons. If they're the ones I'm thinking of they have huge soles, yes?

I'm glad you appreciate my perspective. I've experienced most of the equipment advances since the Gutta Percha ball. :) When I was playing on my Junior College team in 1981, we were treated to an exhibition by Spaulding Staff players Dave Stockton, and Al Geiberger at Stockdale country Club in Bakersfield. They both had these weird metal clubs that they were demoing. The clubs seemed to have an abundance of weight in the sole, making it easy to get the ball airborne. To prove this, they were throwing balls in divots and hitting out of them with these fairway woods with astonishing results. As soon as we were able, just about every one of us on that team had ourselves the new Taylor made "metalwood". I've still got that fairway driver, the original one. The next series was stamped "original one" on it, since they added a spoon and other clubs not long after. But mine is the first run in the production, and I wonder how much dough I could get for it if someone knew the history. Not that I want to sell it- it's still a superior club. Society nowadays wants everything faster. That includes getting better at a sport, or a game, or anything. I have to disagree with you on clubhead size- I think the size is way over the top, making solid strikes far too easy with the driver. Not much has changed with the size of fairway woods, with the exception of materials and spring-like effect (great for distance, terrible for distance control). I just think the USGA dropped their pants for manufacturers back when all this technology started coming into play, because they feared the cost of litigation when the companies started saber rattling. That's why golf courses are designed differently now and classic ones are becoming obsolete. And I think that's a tragedy in the golf world.

You, my friend, are in luck: http://www.ebay.com/itm/JERRY-BARBER-GOLDEN-TOUCH-3-PW-IRONS-SET-900-/360480346468?pt=Golf_Clubs&hash;=item53ee4d9164#ht_500wt_1203 Interesting story behind their invention here: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat;=19801014&id;=eftUAAAAIBAJ&sjid;=cZIDAAAAIBAJ&pg;=2086,6979362 I'd need to think this through as far as your putting question (as though what I say matters- but you did ask so...). In general, having started playing in the 70's with dead balls, blades and persimmon woods, I tend to really dislike anything that has robbed the game of its difficulty. I do not like that it's easier to hit the ball further. I do not like super forgiving clubs. So I'm a bit of an old school type and I think one should have to work really hard to play this game well. If a player has a weakness, it should be through work, rather than technology that the weakness is overcome.

Shank-proof irons are also not an advantage- unless you're prone to shanking. The long putter is only an advantage if you have trouble with the "traditional" method of putting. And that's the point. There should be a uniform requirement for what's entailed in putting. At minimum you should absolutely not be allowed to anchor the putter to your body. If you can putt with a long putter without doing that then more power to you.

I don't know about bullying, but I joined the forum about a week ago and this place appears to be afflicted with about the same number of bored people with low self esteem as any other forum. A guy claims he can hit it 300 yards? Goody for him. Who cares if his swing shows that he's probably delusional? Lotta piling on in that thread, long after the OP ran for the hills.

I never saw the video.

This brings to mind the scene from the first Austin Powers movie, with a twist. Doctor Evil decides to tell his gathered assistants that he's cracked the distance code after being frozen for 30 years, announcing, pinky finger firmly planted in the corner of his mouth, "I've been hitting it...300 yards". Silence fills the room, whereupon his trusted aid (Number Two, a fitting name for our purposes here) gently tells him that 300 yards really isn't that far anymore. "Really?" After being told that the ball and drivers have advanced technologically beyond reason, and average Joes are hitting it 300 plus he looks deflated. I don't doubt you. I'm more curious about your scores, and if, in the short time you've been playing, have you figured out how to make that distance work to your advantage? Sounds like the Driver is the least of your worries, and you should be spending your time on the putting and chipping greens.