I have a question. What were the clubs like when Palmer, Nicholson, etc... played as compared to now? I know my ex-father in law had given me an old set of his clubs, Hogan Edges, after he bought him some Pings. I played with those a while until I bought my Taylor Made 360s. It was like going from hitting a ball with a flat spoon to hitting a ball with a spatula. Not to mention the metal woods. I still have the first Taylor Made driver I bought. It looks like a 3 wood compared to the drivers used now. It seems to me, that more than anything else would lend more credence to the older golfers being more skilled at their craft. Not to mention personal trainers.
It's not only the equipment, but the ball -
There were MAJOR advances for a decade - 1985 to 1995 -
But unlike baseball and steriods - everyone in golf is competing on a level playing field because each has access to the equipment -
But when you go comparing eras of golfers - then EQUIPMENT and BALL are a big key -
NO ONE and I mean NO ONE works the ball from right to left and left to right like they did 15 years ago....
Not even Tiger....
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
That is a very valid point. But also think of how much longer coarses are playing today. Equipment has come a long way there is no doubt.......but they are definitely trying to balance it with increased yardage.
Golf, much like car racing and cycling, is a sport that is technology driven. It does give players today an advantage, but I think is overall better for the sport (without getting too ridiculous.) There still must be some regulations.
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
I dont think it's so much the equipment as it is the player. Sure, the equipment is better now than it was...but what defines better. Give everyone in the field a set of clubs from 1972 and I would still bet money Tiger is gonna beat them down. You learn to play, with what you got. Yeah they can hit it farther, but like Red's said, the fairways have gotten longer and thinner, the rough has gotten thicker, the greens have gotten faster.
A player can play - regardless of era or sport - no one will argue that....
Give Jones, Hogan or Snead Tiger's technology and their games advance even more -
Give Tiger their equipment and he would adapt to it and WIN - but he COULDN'T over power a course like he does today - takeaway the par 5's and Tiger loses by 6+ strokes last week....
The only thing you need to do is to look at the senior circuit right now and they are hitting then ball further and straighter than they were at their prime on the regular tour -
The EQUIPMENT and BALL TECHNOLOGY is huge - maybe bigger than the racket advances in pro tennis....
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
All good points....Things have advanced....Augusta national adds length to the course cause Palmer and the old players were hitting 4 irons and now players are hitting 8 and 9 irons....problem with that is that the greens were not near as fast and hard when Palmer were playing...so now players are hitting 4 irons to greens that are rolling 13-14 on the stimp....not easy to do when you have a small area to land the ball to keep it on the surface....But back to the original topic, DFM you are right that the ball has to be regulated...Just the difference between a Pro V and a tour Balata is unreal, and I was hitting the balatas in high school.
I agree that equipment is a HUGE aspect of the game, but the talent level of Tiger Woods is nothing short of phenominal. Reading the break on a green, then making amazing putts takes talent, no matter what equipment he is using.
Honestly - I don't know if anyone can describe Tiger right now (or fully appreciate what he is doing/did)...
Maybe 20 or 30 years from now -
He is BABE RUTH/HANK AARON/ALI all rolled into one -
And the news release yesterday about a double stress fracture and torn ACL just adds to the living legend that is Tiger...
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
In my opinion, there are several golfers on Tour with just as much physical talent as Woods. Where the separation exists between Tiger and everyone else is mentally. He's one of the best athletes ever when it comes to focus, drive, and mental preparation. He has 99% of the field beat before he even tees off.
I thought about that, and I was about to make that point. Now that we have so much visual evidence, legendary tales are going down the toilet. If this would have happened in 1910, the story would be like you said. We have kind of lost our flare on legends because of mass media. There is no mystique in the world anymore hardly.
I think so far, you gotta look at Michael Phelps. In the past two and a half years he has been beaten by only one swimmer in one event. He holds world records in almost every event he swims. Truly an amazing athlete and there is nobody even approaching what he is doing in swimming.