Golf Technology in the last 26 years

[fundonny]

Wondering what technological advancement you believe has changed the game the most in the past 26 years (since 1980), whether for the best or for the worst.

[dbleber]

Golf Balls has to be near the top of that list, along with shaft technology and knowledge and titanium drivers were a good idea as well. There's been a lot!

[fundonny]

Do you believe it helped the game, or hurt the game though?

[Indio]

I agree with DB about the balls having a significant impact on golf. It has helped the weekend warrior golfer but has hurt professional golf. These guys can make the ball do just about anything they want it to! Yes, the clubs have something to do with it and in some cases it is pure talent or having the gonads to try the shot, but the balls today will do just about anything you ask them to as long as you put the proper stroke on them.

[byerxa]

The golf ball has the most impact. Today's balls have true technological advantage, i.e., spin when needed around the green, but not when hit on full shots. They really changed the pro game because they no longer had to compromise between these characteristics. Graphite shafts have come a long way. Used to have to pay big $ to get a good stable shaft. Now a $50 shaft from somebody like SKFiber is very good. Of course most of these advances are lost on the average hack (I include myself in this grouping) as their inferior capabilites overshadow the better equipment.

What would be cool is to have pros play a bunch of rounds with all new equipment, new clubs with old balls, old clubs with new balls, and finally all old equipment. It would be interesting to see the results. I suspect the club manufacturers would not want to have the results become public knowledge.