Are we Too reliant on our technology or should I say electronics?????

[Reesedw]

Playing Last Sat. on a course I've played a few times before so I knew the course, but not enough to know my distances to specific places, lay-up areas, hazards, ect.. Midway through the round my range finder ( Bushnell yardage Pro, about 15 yrs old.) dies. I hope it's just the battery, but not sure yet.. I felt lost. I had to "eyeball" the distances (NO distances on sprinkler heads or other markers on the course), which got me thinking are we too reliant on our technology, Electronics (no i do not want to go back to wound balls and hickory sticks No offense @BIG STU)? We go to the course with a rangefinder, GPS, and our PHONES.. As hectic as it was trying to choose clubs and shots.. I kinda enjoyed going through the process of analyzing the shot, figuring out the yardage, what shot to hit ect... Have we as golfers lost some of the gamesmanship that is golf due to technology and the drive to get lower scores while losing the skill to beat the course as the game was designed?? 

I hope this all makes sense, in my head it does but then again it might sound like the ramblings of a 5 yr old to everyone else.. Thanks.. 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Reesedw

[Kanoito]

I had this issue a couple of weeks ago... I teed off early in the morning, it was foggy as hell, so LRF didn't work... and I didn't have my GPS watch with me.

I was playing 9 holes with my daughter and I just asked her to count her steps to the green and come back... a human range finder

I think dependency on technology isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just convenience and time-saving. But everybody should learn the "old way" in case of emergency...

[BIG STU]

4 minutes ago, Reesedw said:

Playing Last Sat. on a course I've played a few times before so I knew the course, but not enough to know my distances to specific places, lay-up areas, hazards, ect.. Midway through the round my range finder ( Bushnell yardage Pro, about 15 yrs old.) dies. I hope it's just the battery, but not sure yet.. I felt lost. I had to "eyeball" the distances (NO distances on sprinkler heads or other markers on the course), which got me thinking are we too reliant on our technology, Electronics (no i do not want to go back to wound balls and hickory sticks No offense @BIG STU)? We go to the course with a rangefinder, GPS, and our PHONES.. As hectic as it was trying to choose clubs and shots.. I kinda enjoyed going through the process of analyzing the shot, figuring out the yardage, what shot to hit ect... Have we as golfers lost some of the gamesmanship that is golf due to technology and the drive to get lower scores while losing the skill to beat the course as the game was designed?? 

I hope this all makes sense, in my head it does but then again it might sound like the ramblings of a 5 yr old to everyone else.. Thanks.. 

No offense taken----- If the technical digital stuff helps your game and enhances your fun so be it---- I guess when I was playing comp etc I had my version of it especially mapping out a course except I scribbled in a notebook------ And LOL I do not play Hickory all that much but I do play 40 and 50 year old equipment----- Everyones goals and fun factors are different----- Me since I am retired I do not take golf seriously anymore--- That does not go to say I do not have a competive streak and will try hard to beat someone especially in the weekly Shootout. With my physical injuries and having to revamp my swing 180* I have had my challenges. I have went from a bomb and go find it hit it again guy to a more methodical plotting guy--- But heck it is all fun to me and I feel blessed to still be able to attempt to play this game even if I am a shadow of my former self golf wise. Yes I am blessed that I am not in a wheelchair. I have always marched to the beaat of my own drum in golf and life. I do my own thing and have absolutely no problem with someone else doing theirs

[null]

24 minutes ago, Reesedw said:

Playing Last Sat. on a course I've played a few times before so I knew the course, but not enough to know my distances to specific places, lay-up areas, hazards, ect.. Midway through the round my range finder ( Bushnell yardage Pro, about 15 yrs old.) dies. I hope it's just the battery, but not sure yet.. I felt lost. I had to "eyeball" the distances (NO distances on sprinkler heads or other markers on the course), which got me thinking are we too reliant on our technology, Electronics (no i do not want to go back to wound balls and hickory sticks No offense @BIG STU)? We go to the course with a rangefinder, GPS, and our PHONES.. As hectic as it was trying to choose clubs and shots.. I kinda enjoyed going through the process of analyzing the shot, figuring out the yardage, what shot to hit ect... Have we as golfers lost some of the gamesmanship that is golf due to technology and the drive to get lower scores while losing the skill to beat the course as the game was designed?? 

I hope this all makes sense, in my head it does but then again it might sound like the ramblings of a 5 yr old to everyone else.. Thanks.. 

Take this line of thinking and apply it to anywhere else in life and you'll realize how silly it sounds.

I assume you still use a map you bought at a gas station to help you on your road trips?

[Berg Ryman]

So, I think the question you're asking Dave is an interesting one. I see the use of rangefinders, stat trackers, etc, as another tool in the tool belt for people. Some people can become over reliant on tools or have favorites that they go back to so when you take it away, they may struggle to adapt.

I do think if you're a one course person, or at least a limited course person, maybe you don't need that rangefinder for every shot, but maybe you want to continue to use it to be safe on your approximations. To be fair, when I'm playing my usual round on a course I've been playing for almost 20 years, I can dial in pretty close to a couple of yards of a guess on yardage, but I'd admit on newer courses, I can miss by a wide margin, necessitating potential checks with playing partners with rangefinders or GPS... or maybe if the testing fairy thinks I've been a good Berg this year, *wink wink* 

I guess I say all of this to say it depends on time and place really as to how reliant we can be on electronics. I do think it could help ready you for anything to keep both sets of skill in rotation if at all possible. I'm fine with either situation right now, as long as you aren't overly slowing down my pace of play I'm all for anything!

[Berg Ryman]

2 minutes ago, jlukes said:

Take this line of thinking and apply it to anywhere else in life and you'll realize how silly it sounds.

I assume you still use a map you bought at a gas station to help you on your road trips?

FWIW and not to get crazy off topic, I do keep a pocket atlas in the glove box just in case... part of that Dad being a truck driver for a grocery store mentality

[BIG STU]

33 minutes ago, Kanoito said:

I had this issue a couple of weeks ago... I teed off early in the morning, it was foggy as hell, so LRF didn't work... and I didn't have my GPS watch with me.

I was playing 9 holes with my daughter and I just asked her to count her steps to the green and come back... a human range finder

I think dependency on technology isn't necessarily a bad thing, it's just convenience and time-saving. But everybody should learn the "old way" in case of emergency...

I agree and this is funny

A few years back we had some team stuff going with the old Miura Mafia bunch. Our team was coming into 18 and was the last team in. The other bunch was on the porch overlooking the 18th. Now a Coastal fog had blown in and the rangefinders were as useless as a screen door on a Submarine. I know this course well and had noted the pin position when we made the turn. And it is a lay up par 4 and I had hit my point. One of my partners that day was the Pro there and a darn good player. The way that green is made there are only 4 pin positions and most of us locals refer to it as LF LR RR RF. I told him what my yardage was and the fact because of the fog and moisture I was hitting one club more. I hit and heard a roar from the porch go up. I told him either I hit it over or stobbed it. He took my advice on the club and he was a little in front of me and again we heard a roar. Come to find out I was at 10 feet and he had put it to 3 feet. Our other partners had hit the top side of the green and had difficult putts. It was so foggy by then they could not literally see the hole or the flag. One of them gave it a "screw it" rap and it went in from like 40 feet. The other one hit it all the way off the green. I could barely see my putt but I knew it was straight in and I made it. Pro made his. Now besides the team matches we had total birdie matches on the side and we won that pot. 3 birdies on the same hole in the fog. When the Pro and I played there every time from then on it was lets hit a Hail Mary shot on that hole. 

Edited June 21, 2022 by BIG STU

[BIG STU]

5 minutes ago, Berg Ryman said:

FWIW and not to get crazy off topic, I do keep a pocket atlas in the glove box just in case... part of that Dad being a truck driver for a grocery store mentality

I am an retired truck driver and a member of several FB Trucking groups and the GPS versus maps gets a lot of debate there. Basically it is a lot like golf old school versus new school. And you folks know what group I am in. LOL my Benz has a GPS that still works built in and per my SOP I still have my last Truckers Atlas In the pouch behind my seat. Do not know the reason truthfully these days because I do not go anywhere except to Church and to the Golf course all which are in a 5 mile radius of the house. LOL I did fill it up the other day with $4.50 per gal gas. I was only half empty and it was the first time I gassed up in like 8 months. 

[revkev]

Interesting topic and from my perspective the answer is no.  The game was and is designed to challenge a person to complete a course in the fewest possible number of shots while playing within the rules or to shoot the lowest score against a field with or without a legitimate handicap or to prevail in a match.  Very few of us think that or even play that way (strictly by the rules) so in that regard very few of us play the way the game was designed.

 

I don't think that's what the OP meant exactly though.  Too reliant is a difficult term to define. What's too reliant for you might not at all be reliant enough for me.  Even watching golf on TV we notice differences in what information players want while playing for millions of dollars in prize money.  There's nothing in the rule book that prevents them from getting all sorts of information from a caddy who has carefully studied the course and knows what shots his player hits.  While we don't have their skill its certainly helpful to have information like how far it is to a hazard, the pin, the front middle and back of the green, how far we hit each club, how much the wind or topography might hurt or help our shot.  For me its not too much information and I have little trouble taking it all in and completing a round in 3 1/2 hours.  

I'm finding it incredibly difficult to believe that a modern course doesn't at least have 150 yard markers on every hole let along yardages on sprinkler heads.  That's asking for slow play.

[cnosil]

GPS and rangefinders are more convenience items for me.  I stared when we had to step off distances based on yardage markers and could do it again if necessary.   Surprised you found a course with no markers.

im mixed about on course shot tracking.  I think I understand my game well enough to know where I need improvement.  
 

I am pro launch monitors but think some people get too wrapped up in chasing numbers.  

[Reesedw]

2 hours ago, jlukes said:

Take this line of thinking and apply it to anywhere else in life and you'll realize how silly it sounds.

I assume you still use a map you bought at a gas station to help you on your road trips?

Touche'.. I do not still use a map on road trips.. But I do still use one while hunting.. 

Seriously though, I felt lost. there are several courses I play that I know what club to hit based on where I sit.. but this time I did not have anything to go off of.. not even a sprinkler head.. WE are so dependent on technology and electronics that we forget how to do things when we no longer have them.. 

My daughter did not learn Cursive writing, why because it is no longer a priority.. Which to me is a shame..

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 hours ago, BIG STU said:

 LOL I did fill it up the other day with $4.50 per gal gas. I was only half empty and it was the first time I gassed up in like 8 months. 

My gosh, I have to drive 100 miles a day and fill up twice a week. I wish I could retire! 

[alfriday101]

2 hours ago, Reesedw said:

 Have we as golfers lost some of the gamesmanship that is golf due to technology and the drive to get lower scores while losing the skill to beat the course as the game was designed?? 

The necessity to accurately estimate distances has slowly disappeared from golf.  I'm old enough to remember when 100 and 150 yard markers were first placed on my home course.  That was followed by the unfortunate trend when courses planted evergreens in the rough to mark the distances.  Pre-sprinkler heads days, those were the only two markers on the course.  

 

In one of his books, Jack Nicklaus talks about how he was one of the first pros to "map" a course before a tournament.  He would step off distances between bunkers and to trees so he and his caddie knew exact yardages.  When Jack started playing, other pros would just estimate the distances.  It didn't take too long for all pros to follow Jack's lead.  

Knowing precise distances filtered down to the rank amateur level, but it took a while. Courses started adding distance markers on to sprinkler heads.  The markers made it faster and easier for the golfer to know distances to the front or center of the green.  But to know exact distance to the pin required a pin sheet.  A little math was involved.  By that time, the skill of looking at a pin and accurately estimating the distance had pretty much died.  

Today's lasers and GPS just make the distance determination faster and more precise.  Is that better or worse for the game of golf?  I'll leave that up to the individual to decide. 

I can't say I overly rely on tech, but I probably over use it.  If my ball is slightly behind the 100 yard marker to a middle pin, I don't really need to measure, but I do.  I'm not good enough to care whether the pin is 103 vs. 100. 

I find the OP interesting because the course no longer has distances marked on sprinkler heads.  I guess the course decided that rangefinders and gps are so prevalent that there was little need to mark the heads or to have 100 or 150 yard markers.  The course seems to be forcing reliance on tech devices.  But is that really any different than a school library no longer ordering bound copies of Encyclopedia Brittanica when digital copies are so much cheaper?  

 

 

[BIG STU]

5 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

My gosh, I have to drive 100 miles a day and fill up twice a week. I wish I could retire! 

This day and time it may be cheaper to go ahead and retire. I know the other day I told my wife if I was still working part time like I was before I was hurt I would have probably quit by now because of gas and the prices on the road to eat. I was limited to how much I could work and draw my SS. I actually did a little math and determined it may have not been worth it with my limited hours. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

2 minutes ago, BIG STU said:

This day and time it may be cheaper to go ahead and retire. I know the other day I told my wife if I was still working part time like I was before I was hurt I would have probably quit by now because of gas and the prices on the road to eat. I was limited to how much I could work and draw my SS. I actually did a little math and determined it may have not been worth it with my limited hours. 

I wish I could. Daughter in college and I have to get to my full retirement age of 67-1/2 to maximize Social Security. However I am still considering moving. I can sell my house and downsize to something more manageable as I get older and not have a mortgage. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Back on task. I am for technology but don't slow down the pace of play and don't be "that guy" who takes out his laser range finder when he is 20 yards off the green! Then he says, that's my 1/4 swing with a sand wedge. Dude its a feel thing when you are that close! 

[BIG STU]

19 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Back on task. I am for technology but don't slow down the pace of play and don't be "that guy" who takes out his laser range finder when he is 20 yards off the green! Then he says, that's my 1/4 swing with a sand wedge. Dude its a feel thing when you are that close! 

Believe it or not I had a pick up partner on the Shootout Team ask for yardage about that distance. I got tired of the guy and told him the minimual distance for mine was 50 yards--- And he believed me---- Do not know if he was an tourist or what never to this day have we ever seen him again. And while he was not a jackwagon so to speak he did not say much. He was added to our 3 man team at the last minute. We were starting on #10 and he rode up said the guy in the club house told him to join us. He was strange never said like "good shot" etc.

[Reesedw]

3 hours ago, Berg Ryman said:

FWIW and not to get crazy off topic, I do keep a pocket atlas in the glove box just in case... part of that Dad being a truck driver for a grocery store mentality

My Mom still has a Thomas guide she uses..LOL

[THEZIPR23]

I would say yes, but with exceptions. It really is a convenience but not having a rangefinder puts my head in a weird space and I struggle due to that. 

The exception being golf is still golf and can be enjoyed with or without these conveniences. Last month we traveled to Rhode Island for wife's cousins wedding. I didn't take my clubs but I did play a round of golf. 2 of my wife uncles took me out and we enjoyed 18 holes. One of her uncles had an extra set I could use see pic  and I played without any technology (did use phone once as it was a blind shot) 

 

Again like I said I played with no technology . I knew going in that it was just going to be a fun round and had very little expectations going in. But while my score was a couple of shots worse than it would have been it was only about 3 shots and most of that was due to the greens. I was surprised that just guessing at a distance or just saying it was about an 8 iron and then hitting the shot was refreshing and didn't have a huge outcome on score. I didn't even take the time to walk off the yardages. 

Anyway, yes we are too reliant in golf and our daily lives as well, however we each are capable of still enjoying everything with this game without them. Which to me was a little bit surprising. 

[Reesedw]

I am not Against it in the least.. Just posing the question. And to Clarify the course did have 150 poles, but also had a lot of blind or at least Hidden hazards..