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Originally posted by: joespoolhall
Guinea pig number one reporting sir! I'll respond topic by topic.
Fitting and diagnosis - Never been there though I'm sure it's sorely needed.
Soft Spikes and footwear - I bought softspikes th first time I saw them for two reasons. First, they made sense to me and second, it was another golf related item I didn't have! As it turned out, I loved them and it eliminated that clicking noise on concrete that I hated.
Balls like Pro V etc. - I watched the first tournament the Pro V was used in live down in LV. Lots of talk there about the added distance "the boys" were getting. I was certain it wouldn't eliminate the slice I had then and instead of $40-45 a dozen for balls, I'd be better off spending the money on lessons. I did tap in on the technology by buying lesser expensive balls with lower compression.
Hybrids - These clubs probably kept me playing the game. Early on I could hit my irons and not the woods. At one point I really worked on the woods so I could hit with some consistancy and in the process lost my irons. I bought a couple of Nickents when they came out and there was no turning back.
Desgn minimalism - Beyond my range. As I've said before, As long as I've got some grass in front of me and it's not raining, I'm a happy camper.
Turfgrass and maintenace - Again, probably above my head. All I can say is that I like that grass in front of me (which doesn't have to be bright green) to be void of bare patches of dirt. One other complaint I had was a couple of years ago when we played a course up here that Ryan Moore and family had bought. We had been members there before American Golf took over and ruined it, so we were hoping for the best. Conditioning was minimal at best, but we found something curious. Around the greens you had fringe, a second cut and then around most, grass about 6-8 inches high! Not sure if it was for a tournament or neglect. Either way, it sure wasn't kind to the average golfer. We haven't been back. There's a simlar style muni about ten minutes from the Classic that's always in great shape and a good test of golf, so if we play down that way, that's where we go.
Well, that's my two cents worth, or after droning on over that last topic, it's probably closer to a quarter! Hope it helps and good luck on the article.
Good Luck!
Ric at Joes
Ric, have a tick of time and didn't want you to think I was just blowing you off.
Fitting: I've had plenty of people point out, perhaps not incorrectly, that we can get fit to our heart's content yet we're not improving. We certainly aren't putting in the time, and particularly on the short end of the bag where huge leaps of improvement can be found, so that's offsetting. I also think we play some pretty tough courses. But you know as all of of us in our position know, the game's about the laughs, the needles and the shots remembered, not necessarily the overall damage. And properly fitted clubs do help us hit more memorable shots. This kinda ties in with the hybrid thing: can't think of a sane person (I'm not sane) who still carries a 3i because it is easier to hit. So smart guys are loading up the bag with easier-to-hit hybrids, see improved, smile-inducing ball flights ... yet we still suck.
Footwear: I'm thinking its two-fold. SoftSpikes are comfortable and in most instances better for the green stuff below. Now look at shoe design. Wasn't that long ago that the big bulky heavy FootJoy Classic was THE shoe. Then came the trend of what I call the heavily armored athletic golf shoe. Now as with running, shoe minimalism is coming to the forefront of golf. Light, thin, foot-adapting and flexible, freeform.
Balls: Titleist would have you believe everyone should use the ProV. Srixon and Bridgestone want you to buy the more ability-appropriate (and less expensive) detuned ball. Who do we believe? No question the ball revolution has fundamentally tweaked the pro game; and the next time some savant gets on GolfChannel and laments how today's players can't work today's ball, cue up the Masters. A lot of that technology is helping at our level. It's not a RockFlite or balata world of extremes.
Design, grass and maintenance: As I was trying to say above, "minimalism" is more than the works of Doak, Engh and Coore/Crenshaw. We're seeing alternatives to 18 holes and 7300 yards. And that's cool and needed. Underfoot, golf needs to get greener, and not that type of green. Lotta stuff is happening in the living laboratory that we don't really get, but it can or will impact us in more durable, playable conditions that don't suck up so much water and chemicals, and require far less maintenance. The problem is, like so many in the game, the tour and particularly Augusta are continuing to set a bad example with wall-to-wall green.
