Gary Player: Technology is destroying golf
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- Опубліковано 26 сер 2024
- Gary Player discusses trend of improving golf balls and how it will continue to negatively impact the sport, including the need to lengthen historic courses.
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Out of almost all golfers new and old...I respect GARY PLAYER the most. He speaks his mind, he is a true gentleman and brilliant golfer.
I'm only 26 and I agree with this. I have hit it as far as 376 yards before but I still don't think courses should be lengthened. We lose some of the game when we are forced to hit longer shots. Not to mention the injuries that come along with needing to hit it 320 to have a 7 or 8 iron into the green. I've been playing from the tips since I was 12 and now my back hurts, my hips hurt, my knees hurt, my ankle hurts. I'd compare the wear and tear on my body from golf to the same as if I had been in a bad accident 5+ years ago. I honestly am done. I could have been a PGA pro but I can't afford to play this game financially, physically, and mentally.
376 yards??!!! Jesus mate think you can come give me a lesson? 😂
The problem all comes down to money!! Players are walking away from golf because it's simply too expensive. Everything from courses, equipment, etc. The average person cannot afford to spend $500 on a new driver, or $45 for a dozen Pro V1s that they will lose on the course. You wanna go play 18 at any decent course; gonna run you about $30-$65 in the Midwest.
Bullshit excuse - there are plenty of cheap clubs available to get anyone started.
$45 for a dozen Pro V1s is actually pretty cheap. It's $60 in Canada.
Only clowns buy $500 drivers. You can buy a good set of clubs for under $300 and some used balls for under a $1/ball. Marketing has fooled the weekend golfer into thinking spending more = lower score.
Lol 30 to 60 in midwest?! Come to LA its 150$ to play at the cities course.
I've got a thrift store set of blades from the 60's, fairway woods from the 90's, a driver from '08, and I use Precept Laddie Extremes. ($19.00 for 24 balls). I'm still able to keep up with the modern clubs most people I play with.
First time I’ve seen Bensinger leaning forward for an interviewees response..he knows he’s hearing something more insightful than usual.
Gary is as mad as a hatter, but every word he says here is spot on !
Naw not everything
In totally agree
100%
Gary says some stupid stuff sometimes
Most courses aren't being played by pros and don't have to go to the lengths that Gary is discussing. But what made me stop playing golf after 15 years is simple: money. The costs are exorbitant, especially if you're playing 2-3 times a week.
It's not the cheapest sport, but it can certainly be played on a budget. You don't have to spend £500 on the newest driver. Get an older model, or a second hand model for £100 and it'll last 5-10 years depending on how much you use it. Membership to a course obviously varies widely but you can find places that do £400 a year fees, which isn't extortionate.
Honestly the drivers from like 3 years ago are just as good if you want a SUPER NICE moder tech driver...the improvements are negligible with all the regulation nowadays. For example, I doubt the taylormade qi10 is that exponentially better than an M6...in sure it's better, but not 600ndollars better
damn those long driving men built like tarzan. LOL
They should force all the Pros to play with the Spalding Star Flites or Kro Flites
Puts all his experience and knowledge into his answers . He's also in incredibly great health too.
He is so on the money, as a golf course owner I know exactly what he is talking about.
As a person who understands English. I also know exactly what he's talking about. Weird eh
In that case I would say get right on to making your course the most enjoyable, and attract newcomers to the game.
one of the great golfers of all time! he is all for promoting golf youth and people playing golf. he was the only one i know spoke out of high golf fees. i was in a gallery years ago following him around the course-what a thrill!
The average distance pro is also affected. He can't drive it 310 each time. Courses are lengthened to make it harder for the guys who do drive it the furthest. So now the ordinary tour pro is hitting 5-2 iron in to the green. The long guys are hitting 8-wedge. Of course, they'll score lower. I just recently saw a long hitter hit his 2nd shot over the back of a 635 yard hole. Longer is not the answer. Tougher is. Traps should be set so that the long guys must thread the needle. Set the turn in the dogleg shorter so that the long hitters will drive through the fairway with their long drives. Force the long hitters to decide if they will take chances or club down. This will help to make the approach shots about the same distance for the long and average hitters. The long hitter will still be using a higher lofted club than the average pro, but precision iron shotmaking will become much more important. And this is a skill that all can become great at.
Nobody wants to see the pros use a deliberately dead golf board. And, it will hurt the shorter hitting pros just as much. The longer hitter will still have the advantage.
1984 pga championship was the greatest set up of all time. Thick rough, narrow fairways, the best ball strikers rose to the top!
Spot on in my opinion, they missed a trick when they were making course longer they should have been making them tighter and harder add a few more bunkers. They just made them longer and played into the hands of the big hitters and made it near impossible for short and straight to win. I really hope they don't change the balls I think its really a bad idea. Lets also ask current players their opinion, these old greats of the game comments carry so much weight but we must remember they have not competed regularly on tour for 30 yrs.
Hey Kevin thanks for taking the time to write such a needless epic about your feelings on the matter and also no one cares man. No one cares at all. Especially from someone who sounds like they stink at golf. Cheers mate
Couldn't agree more with you tbh even Tiger stated this yrs ago when he was World #1 by saying playing on the P.G.A Tour most of the times for the biggest hitters out there even if they miss the fairways they like you stated only have a wedge say to the Green everything in America is all about height on your irons say distance off your drives and if you miss the green then it's almost a lob wedge for your next shot this is what Tiger basically stated. ....also why he gets so excited say playing in the Open as a completely different type of golf on links courses. ....not sure tbh what the answer is but the way it's going they can't make the courses too long as when that venue isn't hosting a tour event they will still need to promote and attractive the general public to want to attend and play etc. ....personally believe in the future there will be a requirement that the tour pros won't be aloud to use certain pieces of equipment
@Logan Par exactly
Well said Mr. Player, a true ambassador to the game!!!
Golf in England has suffered a massive decline in the last 20 years. There are 3 courses in my area that in the '90's had huge waiting lists, charged joining fees ( remember them !) and had a tiered membership structure where you had to be a 2 day member then a 5 day then eventually a 7 day.
Those 3 courses today have no joining fee; the green fees are roughly the same as in '98 and you can join as a full member tomorrow just by signing a direct debit mandate !!! Crazy, what happened ?
Gary wasn't wrong! Look at the players just 4 years later!
the thing with this is. Gary is absolutely right. courses should NOT be lengthen. However I dont think u can make the ball "worse" than they already are. But leading organisations ie USGA PGA and R&A should find ways to make courses tougher other ways than lengthening it. IT IS a waste of resources, it does drive people out of the game. He is so on point here! But that's where limiting the spring effects ie CT/COR on drivers come in. Golf used to be a game of precision and not power but it's all about power now. And I'm saying this as a long hitter on a golf tour im playing on. Courses now favour the long hitters so much its just smash your driver and get ur 60 degree lob wedge out. then the organisations stupidly have a new groove rule on wedges, i think thats the most stupid thing ever. Let the golfers improve their short games man, but limit the golf balls NOW so they dont go any further, limit the drivers NOW the lengths etc. not the short game. where golf is most entertaining. u can make courses tougher by increases rough length, green speed adding more traps etc. dont do it by limiting how much a wedge spin. there should be a limit on the length of courses instead! but make it tougher any other way. the organisers should look into making golf more fair instead of spending their time limiting stuff seriously. ie if u drive it into the fairway into a divot, it shuold be a free drop etc.
So true about the golf ball going so far now. The other part to people playing less is they want you to play faster and faster every year. In the late 80's my local course said play time for 18 holes is 5 hours. Now in the late 2010,s the course is longer and play time is 4 hours.
Totally agree with Gary, I'm a hack but I see it on my golf course it was just rebuilt and all the chemicals used now has the ponds green , looks ugly ..... no waste areas just 7200 yards of grass and more grass...
I just love this. It is so True, today everyone is talking about player proofing the golf courses and nobody talks about the technology. Golf is in a tough spot now due to technology, do we make the golf courses insanely hard and lengthen them or do we cap on the technology at the professional level. I enjoyed golf when I was a kid, now it's just not the same.
All you have to do is have a tour ball . Like ever other sport . This is the ball we play with . Done prob solved .
Wisdom is timeless.
Wisdom beats fashion and trends … always !
He's so right!
I could listen to Mr. Player talk all day, super smart and witty. Smartest man in golf.
As a 54-year-old man that has been playing golf since I was 17. I admit at this point I can no longer relate to the PGA tour at all. I am perfectly happy to play on a 6400-yard course that I can enjoy. I have never driven the ball much more than 260 in my prime. I carried a low handicap for most of my life. The courses that have been built in my area over the past twenty years are just too long. Now we have young kids 15,16 years old who can hit it 290 already. These courses charge 100 dollars a round. It's to expensive for me. I'm not buying a new driver every two years for 500 or 600 dollars a pop. I have used the same irons for 15 years. Same driver for 10. Golf has been ruined for the average public. It's to expensive, takes to long and most of the younger guys are out there trying to be Tiger now. It is not very enjoyable. The ball is to expensive. 60 dollar's a dozen. Really? I started using balls I find. I don't care the brand. I'm still a low handicap player but enough is enough. I find it more fun watching the LPGA now. Even the seniors 60-year-old men driving it 300 yards? Come on? The shotmaking and artistry of the game is gone. Jason Day can drive the ball 350 yards and have a sand wedge to half the greens and he misses shots by 30 yards. I miss the guys hitting it a hundred and fifty yards with the ball going 15 feet off the ground. Or a left to right or right to left with more spin or less spin. Hitting it higher or lower when it is the right shot. Now it's just a long drive contest.
You are so right in many aspects! I started playing in the age of 25 with persimmon woods and bladed irons. Within of 2 years i played a 2 hcp and later i scored course record rounds. I learned to place my drives in the right spot and hitted about 260/270 maximum, sometimes with more sometimes with less role out. I learned to hit the ball with more over spin so that he runs down a dry fairway and with more spin so that he stops quick. If i play today with young guys, they aren't able to create shots but they are long. I played with a young strong guy who carried a 5 iron 250 in the green bunker from a drivable par 4,and then he made a bogey from there. Yes the technic helps in distance, but the scores didn't become better, the players didn't become better than in the past. Seve Ballesteros had only one wedge in the bag, but it was enough for him. I also use only one 56 wedge and i can shoot the ball high, low, with more or less spin. And how to get out of the sand Garry Player himself declared in a newspaper when i learned golf and till today i do it this way. Every year if i watch the masters i push my thumbs that Bernhard Langer makes the cut again and finishes good at the end. We have the same distance maybe (we had in the past with persimmon). He shows every year how strategy is a key for successful golf! That's a inspiration for me. A huge problem for modern golf also is that the courses in USA for all are cutted short,, that you find every ball and that you can play from everywhere. But if you are in danger to loose the ball on every hole in the wood or deep stuff di that you start with 3 again, than maybe you become careful with the driver. But that's what the industry doesn't want.... And so at the end players will never learn again how different shots can be created, the technic does it for them. Golf becomes a poor game if this continues.
My local muni still kicks my ass pretty much every time out!
For pros or courses, set a max distance limit a ball can go with a testing machine that still allows some differentiation between long and short hitters but gets back to classic course lengths where strategy and ball movement are important. With max flight (insert number here) balls, some courses could even set their own limit so they don't have to re-design the whole course. The golf ball makers might even sell more golf balls having different max flight distances. Ex: Today I am going to a small course with a Max(200) ball, tomorrow I am going to the long course with a Max(300) ball. Bryson is still going to hit it further than me in either case but there is a cap.
very well said Mr player you are a true gentleman and you speak the truth
This dude is so fucking real it's amazing!
First time I think I have ever agreed with Player, it's not just the courses adapting for the equipment though, I don't go to long courses because I just don't have the time, and some days the energy to walk that far.
I think it's reasonable that I should be able to hit Par 4's with a good drive and from a 7 to 3 iron , but quite a few now are what I played as Par 5 as a kid.
Greatest golf ambassador
I agree with Gary Player because we can save so many more resources if we just do what Gary Player is saying. Gary Player says in the future people will be hitting way farther which means more water and fertilizer which will ruin the golf economy. In the past, golf courses were different and legends from the past like Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Bobby Jones, Tom Kite, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Walter Hagen, and many more played golf by playing smart, by playing with flare, and playing golf like it was there life and I'm not saying that golfers today don't do that but what I'm saying is that legends at that time were defined by a certain championship, a course, their flare, their majors, their personality, and their challenges. But when you have a players today driving 300-400 yards and courses are changing to make the competition more challenging what memories are going to be left in those courses when we begin to run out of water and these courses begin to look like crap and if we continue to do what we are doing today we eventually are going to run out of new memories created on those golf courses everyday. So we should preserve water and fertilizer for these golf courses so that children to come can enjoy the game that these legends once did and still do. So all we need to do is what Gary Player is saying cut the ball back for the pros. Because those beautiful courses of the past will no longer be the beautiful courses of the past.
Jack Nicklaus stated the ball is getting so long they will soon be teeing off from the hotel lobby!
I live next to an older Gary player signature coarse in Florida over the pandemic I have fallen in love with golf because of this design not too challenging and fun not one bunker in front of a green. Only to lest right or back
omg, i love gary player, he seems like an interesting guy to talk to
It’s true. My course used to host major competitions back in the day. Now, it’s simply too short. Even for long hitting amateurs like myself.
The longest second shot I can have with a well struck driver there is a 5 iron.
If the long tour players came now the longest second shot might be a 9 iron, max.
Player is right when he says they should create more 12-hole golf courses (he may have made this comment in another video). Enjoyable game that just takes too long. Player is a legend and a gentleman.
P{layer is right about St Andrews. The tenth tee is on the New Course and the 17th tee is on the driving range.
Gary they are doing that at Torrey pines south as a wright this 3/24/2019...
He called it. Bryson is here and he's not going anywhere.
I totally agree with the concept!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
He’s got a point.. baseball does it.. absolutely refuses to change at all lol
Pga should have wooden clubs steel shafts and regulated balls.
I feel the same about pro tennis...wood and, more importantly, natural gut strings for pros. MLB got it right with equipment regs
HES ABSOLUTELY RIGHT
Gary Player played at my home course back in 2015 and I bet he didn't liked it because it's 7,100 yards long.
I agreed with him,I'm relatively long of the tee (Quite below the PGA average) but the damn course have undulating fairways and greens everywhere,one wrong placement and swing and your shots will go into the water or bunker or closed off area where you have no choice but to lay it up.
And I wouldn't mind shorter ball and smaller club at all.
And my membership on the course will run out late this year and it's sad for green fee they asking nowadays it just way too expensive to play my home course,when I started fees are around $110 now it's almost $300.
He's a man to listen to for sure. Was that a reference to climate change, with water shortages? I think he's right, I remember an interview with Jack Nicklaus saying the biggest change in golf has been the golf ball. They could definitely cut back the balls for the pro's for sure, it would save a lot of money on extending and altering golf courses. Good on you Gary.
yes, but look at the putter Jack used way back in 1986 to win the Master's...a huge whale of a club that resisted twisting...
So accurate now
Totally agree, that’s why some Clubs have two Courses and easy one, short not so demanding,and then they have the hero course for the would be gladiators, why?.......🤔
They should listen to this man
I agree Mr. Player.
The standard courses arent being lengthened, just some championship courses. I agree with him though about the ball.
Oh my gosh, he's right.
Spot on once again !!!
Since covid golf is the biggest thing going.
I agree
i partially agree with Gary Player here, though he does think himself the Messiah of all golf knowledge. 260 - 300 yard par 3s are just stupid. 500 yard par 4s are also a bit dumb. I'm a reasonably long hitter, but I'd still be looking at a well struck 3w to get onto a 260y par 3, assuming I have some roll to work with.
I still want to see the likes of Jason Day and Rory McIlroy smashing it 340 yards down a fairway, but I'd rather see them with a pitching wedge in, for a chance of seeing more birdies/eagles. You've still got to play those shots, you've still got to make those putts.
What Gary Player fails to realise however, is that all these golf courses have now spent that money on changing their courses, and I'd be surprised if they would be happy to spend the money to undo it. There are simple things that can be done, like changing the Standard Scratch score. Nothing wrong with making a standard scratch score of 74 or 75.
Social golfers can use the yellow tees, Gary is talking about the black or blue tees that sit way back from what social golfers would typically use. The course i play on is 5900 on yellow, 6350 on whites and 6540 on blues. That's a significant enough difference, and many courses are similar.
What would putting scratch up on courses that are already being destroyed do ? Did you mean *lowering* it ?
Similar situation with tennis. While there are still a few good tennis matches worth watching on TV, they pale in comparison to the great matches of the 1960's & 70s (using mostly wood rackets) between guys like Laver, Newcomb, Borg, McEnroe, Connors, Ashe. Great use of placement, lobs, passing shots. Much more than today. Now it's 90% BLAST, BLAST BLAST.
The "shot making" in both sports has vanished. All Power,,and its just BORING !!!. Put bubba, Tiger, in the equipment Jack used and they would be around the same as Jack, probably shorter as Jack could hit it 300 yards with a Wood and a balata ball. The creativity, shotmaking, finesse, has been lost. All teo seel "the newest " and make $$$$$$.
Also the cost. And the time to play 18 holes. We used to golf twice a week for decades and now we go twice a year. Slow play was what started my exit from the game. And the cost. It's a shame because I so love the game. Now courses up in BC are empty and being closed and re zoned for housing. But somehow I lost interest slowly. Strange turnaround for sure.
Gary is the man!
Gary comes across as a wonderful, intelligent and articulate man. He seems a bit emotional about the subject but that is only because he sees the big picture. He knows this isn't just about where golf is heading. It's where everything is heading. We think technology is making everything better when in fact, it is just accelerating our stupidity and short sidedness.
give all the pro's old top flight 2's and see how they play. hard as a rock with no spin.
LISTEN TO GARY!!!
I have never seen Gary Player mad. Wow.
Been playing regularly 50 of my 56 years on this planet. Golf is difficult and always will be. If you change the equipment and the courses to match, it is still going to be difficult. So why bother? I am with Gary Player on this one.
The funniest change of late is calling a 5 iron a 7 iron.
He’s right though the only course I have around me cost $45 for 18 holes and $1500 for a year membership just not worth it
He's right
I agree with him
Agreed
I started playing at 16 in 1986 so true most players hated seeing old ladies and teens....I always joked you should have to have a license something like you need to hit 20 balls in a row over 150 yards within a width boundary so even if you weren’t a great player you could at least keep a decent pace.. I remember metal wood were somewhat new you where taught to hit it on the screws of a persimmon head wood
Watch the video of Nicklaus vs Sam Snead at Pebble Beach. It's on UA-cam in remastered colour. These guys were long hitters but with the equipment and course conditions then, even Nicklaus was using 1 and 2 irons on a 200 yrd hole. I've seen pro's now hitting 7 - 8 irons that far..easily. Gary Player is right. Pro levels need to ease back on the tech. Easier golf does not equate to better golf at that level.
And that match is easily more entertaining than anything that has happened in the past decade of golf. If your a long hitter there's more satisfaction in hitting well with a wooden driver because you know you really have to hit it good to get distance - but with the modern drivers all you need to do is make contact.
Thank GOD for Gary Player…I have been saying this for 25 years. He is 100% correct. Pay Attention Y’all
Gary is right!
They're built like Tarzan!
I'm not a fan of one set of rules for one group and another set for another. The biggest reason why people either are not playing or not getting started is because the powers that be refused to make an effort to keep the game more affordable for everyone.
I’ve got family in the US and when I went over there last I went to play a round of golf and nearly fell over at the prices they charge
But there is a great deal of precedent across multiple sports for having different sets of rules at different levels of play.
Rules stay the same . Just need a “tour ball “ like every other sport .
@@zman8340
Yeah, but then players wouldn't get their "endorsement" money from company a, b, c or d. Money talks.
I kinda agree with him- It's mostly the golf ball
the cartoon drivers have had a massive impact. Pro's should have never been able to use anything other than standard head sized wooden drivers
Long drivers also use clubs that are longer than allowed in regulation.
Let me get this right. Golf courses are being lengthened at great expense because touring pros hit the ball further? How often are touring pros playing tournaments at your course? IOW, what % of courses lengthen/alter for this reason? The average player is assisted by modern equipment, I just don't see the problem.
Agreed, the pros equipment needs to be regulated more. They don’t need game breaking drivers and balls that makes the game that much easier.
Sorry guys stating equipment is the cause of this massive distance gain. YOU ARE WRONG. Driver distance was capped(COR at .830) in 2002. Balls were tested. A new 1990s titleist professional 90 went exactly 8-12yds less than a brand new 2018 pro v1. And that professional probably lost a bit just sitting for 20+yrs!. Honestly,there is 2 reasons for the distance gains we've seen. 1) superior training,diet,swing analysis and 2)shafts. The way to gain golf back is simply to make pro fairways slower,narrower and the rough and bunkers off the fairway more penal. You cant change the game for the athletes. You can tweak courses to make accuracy more of a premium.
jeremy barr this should be the most liked comment on this entire thread. Trackman and other devices have really helped people up their game. Rory McIlroy trains and eats much better than Seve, Gary Player, Nicklaus, etc. If course designers would pinch fairways and let the rough grow tall and thick, guys would think twice about pulling driver and blasting away.
So true only people complaining are old people who can’t hit far or other golfers who are insecure because they can’t hit far there is nothing to change
Golf is a sport dj rory brooks all worked on their craft very hard to have that kind of control of the ball while hitting 300+ it’s pure athletic performance and it makes short hitters insecure. Today golf is great we are seeing top human performance being displayed and it’s so cool to watch it’s stupid to change-the game because some salty golfer is mad because he can’t hit further
@@smartwater598 Lol dumb comment - of course technology is what has helped them hit longer. I play a persimmon driver and can hit from 250 to 300 if going for it - if I swap to a modern driver that's more like 275 to 330. That has jack shit to do with my performance somehow getting better in a matter of seconds and everything to do with the club.
@@poocrayon4588 lol dummy you didn’t understand my comment and your comment didn’t prove anything lol
Yep. Just like it did to tennis. Au revoir to the more crafty sports.
The problem with golf in the modern era is that the courses are marketed towards the wealthy in terms of green fees and real estate. People that live on or near the course want to keep the newbies off and thats not good for the game. I remember playing when I was in my teens and the older players didn't want us on the course at all.
I started playing at 16 in 1986 so true most players hated seeing old ladies and teens....I always joked you should have to have a license something like you need to hit 20 balls in a row over 150 yards within a width boundary so even if you weren’t a great player you could at least keep a decent pace..
That's always been the case. Golf has absolutely always been that way since at least the 40's. Everything Gary is saying about equipment is true though.
and stay off Gary's lawn!
Michael Weston damn kids and their skateboards!
You mean fidget spinners.
Cute, but Player's 100% right
never thought about how much fertilizer is used on golf courses
Lol Gary player at the end basically saying “when are we gonna start getting some real athletes to play our sport”
So reasonable. GP is legend.
the man is 100% correct
I dont see his argument, when he was playing he used the latest technology design and equipment to that day , players today doing the same
Agreed.
I think you're mostly right. People are more concerned about 'legacy' of records and not wanting the young guys to think they are better than the old guys just because they have better equipment. I get it, but at the same time who cares, the smart young guys won't think that and will continue to look up ben hogan videos to emulate a swing off of and not Bryson.
@@AjaxNixon very true , but also alot of young guys probably look up at tiger more than hogan
@@jp-xe9hi no shame in that, but a smart guy will then look up the guys who tiger looked up to, etc.
@@AjaxNixon good conversation dude , respect
I only go to the range now. I cant keep up with the golf fees. I dont watch golf anymore... can't relate.
Gary player was, and is right
Golf is the only sport that continually works to make itself easier for the best players. MLB uses wooden bats instead of aluminum. NBA 3 point line is further out than in college. In football, the hash marks (and goalposts) get narrower with higher levels of competition. If you rolled back the equipment for the pros, it wouldn't do anything to club sales and you wouldn't need 8,000 yard courses to keep people from shoot 20 under par. You wouldn't necessarily even have to go back to persimmon heads and blade irons. But at the very least, stop juicing the ball and stop creating clubs that let even below average tour players blast it 300 yards down the middle.
Not sure why you think attacking me serves your point. Hate to ruin your story with facts, but I very between a 9-12 handicap, depending on how often I get to play. I can shoot in the high 70's with some regularity. Certainly not the pro level, but far beyond a hacker status. Also, I'm fairly certain you don't know the definition of hypocritical. You are, however, correct that golf does not use a leather ball. Well done.
I do like how you completely undercut your whole point while trying to blow over baseball. "Baseball is not much different- wooden bats are plenty for the pros." Exactly. Again, I didn't even say they should go back to wooden heads, though to use your words, that would be plenty. It would bring a lot of great courses back into play and wouldn't require so much money and resources for upkeep. And like Gary, I'm not against technology helping the amateur. Most amateurs need that that tech just to be able to handle average courses. Let them use it all they want. The pros should have it tougher and there are better ways to do that than having a lightning fast course that tips out at 8,000 yards or something ridiculous like that. MLB using wooden bats has done nothing to hamper the growth of baseball.
So do yourself a favor and try to understand my actual argument. If you manage to find out why you're so angry about a topic that really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, that would be good for you, too.
If you think a 4 handicap is better than scratch, you're talking out of your hind parts and are not very familiar with the game of golf. So you're either ignorant or lying, either of which means this will probably be my last response to you. I'm sure you have "plenty" of "factual based arguments" equal to thinking a 4 is better than a 0 in golf (just like I'm sure you have "excelled" at most sports) , but you still are putting words in my mouth. I never said that equipment makes the golfer. I know personally that's not true. The same way I know that if I start taking steroids it doesn't mean I'm going to be Barry Bonds. But you can't tell me that someone who's already good enough to be in the Major Leagues wouldn't benefit from the effects of steroids. Similarly, someone good enough to be a professional golfer doesn't owe all their skill to their clubs, but there's no doubt that the clubs help you hit it longer, straighter, and more consistently. All you need to do is look at Senior Tour players that have said with modern equipment, they're hitting it as far as they were when they first came on Tour 30 years ago. The clubs and ball don't do all the work for you, but they make it easier for the pros. That's the *whole* purpose of technology and it's the damn sales pitch of every commercial. "Use our products to hit it longer and straighter. Our technology does that better than everyone else's." There's simply no denying that and staying within the realm of logic and "factual based arguments."
Hi Johnny. Nice to see another intellectual contributing to the conversation. I wasn't "bragging" about my handicap. I was stating a fact. I know it's hard for small minds to understand the difference, but that's okay. You'll grow up some day. And you're right, having better shoes that support your feet better is roughly the same as having a driver and ball that, with the same pro player and same swing, go 40-50 yards further than drivers and balls would have 30 years ago. You're a master of logic and debate. Goodbye.
Hey! I can pick random scores out of context, too! In 1954, Sam Snead won at +1 and in 2015, Speith was -18! SEE HOW MUCH EASIER THE COURSE IS NOW?!?!?!?!?! Seriously, man. You have to stop. You're embarrassing yourself.
Lastly, if the incredible player improvement was solely due to improved training, I wouldn't have a problem. That's the nature of sport. But it's not. Only an "idiot moron" can't see that. And with that, I'm done debating with people who don't understand simple logic.
I agree that there has to be a limit to distance. But why bringing it "back"? Why not allowing the game to develop to it's highest potential? (With limits to tech of course). People pay to see Rory, Tiger, Dustin, etc. They don't want to see Corey Pavin. I do get the stress this is putting to some golf courses, my suggestion is simple: put a few cross-bunkers, narrow the fairways on championship day, tight pin positions. There's ways to keep the game challenging for pros without devolutionising it.
Because it's not fun to hit massive drives all the time and walk absurdly long distances. Waste of time and money and only morons enjoy seeing players play with cartoon headed drivers.
True visionary, look at Bryson
When you need 500 plus yard par 4s just to keep the pros from hitting wedges into the green, he makes a lot of sense. Only the big hitters can compete. You young kids could learn a LOT from this man.
I disagree simply because drivers have been maxed distance wise for YEARS and a titleist professional 90 from the 90's goes only 8-10 yards farther off a driver than a brand new pro v. It's been tested. Irons 5-6 yes and driver 8-12. Hardly the equipment doing the yardage gains. It's better training,diet,and all around better athletes. Sorry but it's what it is. Cant even be argued because the data is all there
@@Mizman76 i agree only people complaining are people who can’t hit far who are insecure golf is a sport these players work very hard to hit far and accurate to be balanced it’s not about the technology
100% agree. The ball needs to be changed for the professionals.
Clubs even more so, especially the driver. Seeing pros hit with those big metal cartoon drivers is absurd, it's like watching MLB players play with a metal bat 3 times the size.
He's spot on, shows who runs golf.
I affirm
There is a conversation here about why young people aren't taking up golf like they used to. I'm 67 years old and have two sons at 30 and 26 years of age. I have played golf since I was 7 years old at a 9 hole park district course in Chicago. I introduced the sons to golf when they were about 7 or so. Neither one plays much anymore. Both boys think that it is too expensive and takes up too much time and "It's boring". But they will sit in front of a video screen and play some video game until the sun comes up. So, it isn't that it takes too much time and you can still find golf at a reasonable price. So, what is it? Well, the fact is that they would rather sit on a sofa and compete at make-believe pushing buttons instead of going out a doing something for real. That is a huge problem today. The only things people know is what comes through that computer and cable. I think it's a shame.
You've hit the nail on the head, most young people seem to prefer virtual sports than the real thing. Less effort for them and the reason obesity is a real problem now.
JR ehhh I play video games regularly. I'm 20 and I picked up golf a few years ago and let me tell you how many times Id rather be playing golfing then sitting on my ass but to be honest it is ridiculously expensive for a college kid like me. Every time I make plans with friends and wanna golf they don't want to want to Bc it's too expensive. And that's Bc we all live with ourselves and have bills and student loans. Not fun when you don't have it handed to you or I would be on the course everyday. Plus new equipment are highly expensive for a college kid. Can't really throw 500-1000$+ for a new set of clubs
So Gary used the same golf clubs they used in 1900 right??? Oh Gary...
Agreed! If Bobby Jones played in this era he'd probably be as good as Primed Tiger. True story.
Role model our parents where right
there was a guy who could drive the par 4s no problem but the he always 5 puttered so how do you judge this argument also all pros are on par with each other Jason day Justin johnson rory , even tiger with his injuries , westwood . lonard . and many more
EXACTLY!!!
I haven’t read all of the comments here but in the ones I did read, there was no mention of why balls keep getting longer, clubs hit the ball farther, and golfers work out harder than ever before. As long as we are driven by money and profit, this won’t change. As soon as one manufacturer shortens his ball, he will lose sales. Of course, if there is regulation in place that doesn’t allow a manufacture to make a ball that’s longer than another one, that’s a different story. But we know what happens with regulation, One party tends to be for it, and one party tends to be against it.
It is built into mankind. He always wants to up the ante, raise the bar and pursue profit. How do you fundamentally change that?
If you want to see who is the best player on any particular day, give every tour player the exact same set of clubs, the same ball, the same shoes, etc. Then, the playing field is even and will force the best player on that particular day to rise to the top independent of outside factors.