Golf throughout history has been a changing sport. Since the first era of golf´s history till now, there has been major breakthroughs all thanks to technology. As golf players might hit a ceiling in their developing potential, technology enhancements has helped these players surpass their own potential. This enables players to get even more interested in the sport and can even attract more amateur players.
Below are going to be the top 5 advancement in golf that was achieved through technology.
Dimples on golf balls
The gold ball has really changed over time. From leather-covered "featheries" to wooden balls, to gutta-percha balls, to what is known as today as the dimple ball. The golf balls prior to the dimple ball were smooth.
The dimple matters on balls reduces drag from the air making it travel further distance. Since the first intentionally dimpled balls, the concept has become a serious science with ball manufacturers putting a lot of effort into development of dimple patterns that provide the most distance, accuracy, and control.
Steel Shafts
Before steel shafts, club shafts were made of hickory (type of wood). These hickory shafts were notoriously brittle and they would commonly break. The steel shafts meant that players could really start swinging hard when they pleased, without worrying that their hickory shaft would break. Also, steel shafts could be manufactured to very tight specifications, and this meant that these clubs would react similarly when swung at the ball.
Graphite Shafts
Steel was a big leap from hickory and graphite was nearly as big a jump from steel. Today, drivers are shafted almost exclusively with graphite composites because their light weight compared with steel helps players generate the maximum club head speed, which directly influences the ball distance traveled.
Metal Woods
Metal headed woods were used sporadically prior to 1979, but that's when the revolution occurred. Golf players used to use wooden head drivers (hence the name Woods). Metal heads have continued to evolve, eventually into titanium and more recently into exotic composites, most likely the next revolution in club head materials.
Computerized Lunch Analysis
Launch analysis was previously reserved for the game's elite. Now it's available for the average player. It allows a player's swing to be measured in every conceivable way and have equipment fitted that perfectly matches the individual's swing characteristics. Things like shaft flex, shaft weighting, length, lie, lost, and other characteristics can be tuned like never before, allowing a player to milk every bit of control, distance, and forgiveness out of his clubs.
This sounds really interesting. It will be very interesting what type of materials companies are going to come up to get the "next best product"
ReplyDeleteOne advancement I saw was the option to unscrew the club "head" and to adjust the angle. (they call it adjustable clubheads) This allows the player to play a draw, hook or straight shot according to what is needed for the course.
ReplyDeletehttp://golf.about.com/od/equipmentreviews/fr/nikestr8fit.htm
Question is, if this comes close to cheating!? Or would it make it easier for high-handicappers to score a low score? Personally, I haven't tried it...
That´s is a very good question. I remember Callaway coming up with a club that was banned in 2004 because it enhanced a longer shot. Now Nike came out with these new line of clubs that acts like a spring when the ball makes impact with the club head enabling to make longer and forgiving shots.
ReplyDeleteThe guideline for making the golf driver was set by USGA to prohibit the use of the drivers that give unusual spring like boost to the ball when they are hit with the drivers.
These rules only apply at tournaments and the professional players who participate at these tournaments. If you are an amateur player and play golf for pleasure, you must not bother about the details of the golf club measurement and the banned golf drivers. Remember there is no banned golf driver when you are playing at the golf course with your friends just for fun. That is the reason that banned golf drivers are sold at most of the golf stores around the world and they are immensely popular among the golfers as they can hit the ball for far distances quite easily. For example the ERC II made of Callaway is an extremely popular banned golf driver. So, if you want to surprise your golf buddies with a real long shot when you tee off you can always pick up one of those banned golf drivers.
Like baseball players using wooden bats, would it not be more interesting seeing the pro golfers use the less advance materials, clubs, balls to challenge themselves and allow pure skill to be involved rather than technology. The same argument would be for tennis and rackets, swimming and bathing suits and so forth!
ReplyDeleteI think that the usage of advanced materials in golf doesnt really affect the fairness or the intensity of the sport. Just like in most other sports the materials of the equipment has been and will be advancing over time. As long as this is happening equally throughout the players and the competitions, there will be no relative advantages to anyone, and can therefore make the sport even more exciting and intense, because advanced equipment can often allow for advanced play and more spectacular moves. As long as there is a human person using the equipment, and not some kind of machine, there will always be an immense amount of skill involved in every sport.
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