Lindsey Newman
New
Sure they would figure it out. They would change their swings with the driver.
Tiger.......ehhh
- Thread starter Michael Finney
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Sure they would figure it out. They would change their swings with the driver.
I am not sure what "hit it better" means if they weren't better players. Are you suggesting that angles of attack are not important when using today's equipment?
No doubt that the equipment today is better than equipment of years past. But just because the clubs perform better doesn't mean that the need for skill is somehow minimized in the process. The top players, as in every era, win more than their fair share.
Lindsey Newman
New
Do you believe today's drivers are more forgiving? Or easier to hit straight?
Kevin Shields
Super Moderator
I personally don't think they are easier to hit straight, and I'm being honest. They are too long and the ball doesn't spin enough. Too many heel shots stay left and toe shots stay right. They are definitely easier from some respects but one of the few advantages I may have retained was the driver, now it's not.
Lindsey Newman
New
Todays drive has a much larger Effective hitting area. You can hit impact all over the face and get a playable result. The old persimmon drivers went nowhere when you missed em. They may have flown straighter but you lost a huge amount of distance.
So my wife bought me Shell's Wonderful World of Golf match between Hogan and Snead. Hogan was older and I believe the course in Houston was just slightly over 7000 yds. I think Hogan shot 2 or three under and didn't miss a fairway or green, however he was hitting 7,6,5, irons in several times. It seems today, I never see a pro have a 5 iron into the green on a par four, heck I think Kyle Stanley had a 9 iron in on a par 5 in Arizona last year. Guys are just so much longer now, that it may just make more sense to have a 9 iron out of the rough than a 6 iron from the fairway.
Being old enough to have played both for a period of years I would say that today's drivers are more forgiving but not necessarily straighter. During the transition from wood to metal I don't recall a big jump in the FIR stat for any players. You would think that if the drivers were so much straighter there would be many more players who would have high stats. The converse is to believe that the players just aren't as good.
Erik_K
New
I can't recall where I heard this from (maybe someone who builds clubs) but I think these driver lengths and course design are also factors. I can't speak to how the fairways have changed over the years (also how short the grass is cut), but they certainly make the courses longer and when I watch golf on TV there are many instances where the landing area seems rather narrow.
Going back to driver length: how much does this influence accuracy? Many, if not all, Tour pros have equipment deals. I have to wonder how much pressure they get to take out that 44" monster and swing as hard as they can. If tour players were compensated based on stats alone, they'd being 3W or fairway metals off the tee and still hit the damn thing 275+ and probably land in the middle of the fairway way more than half the time.
If you go by logic,modern drivers have larger sweetpots so they have more ballspeed over a larger area of the clubface.The problem is, modern drivers are not more forgiving when it comes to squaring the face so it makes sense they are not easier to hit straight.They just go further into trouble when you don't hit them in the middle and straight.On mishits with the old drivers,the ball don't travel far enough to end up in big trouble.You just lose a lot of distance.
It should also be noted that they didn't have drivers back in the forties.By today's standard,they are 5 woods.Ben Hogan's driver was 43.25in long.That's how long 5 woods are today.The head size about the same also.If you can hit a 5 wood you should be able to use a persimmon driver.
BrendanC
New
Erm, no.
Check the loft. Check the spinnier ball. Check the fact that everyone was 5'9!
Persimmon clubs do seem to draw and hook easier - heavier, smaller head?
Yes there is more loft on a 5 wood but you can tee up a persimmon.If they had to be hit off the deck yea the 5 wood would be easier.
There is a school of thought that it is harder to square the face of a 460cc driver compared to the wooden ones.The longer the blade,the harder it is to square up so it does make sense that it's easier to hook with persimmon and slice with current drivers.
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