Modern Clubs & Distance

[chisag]

... This is not a complaint, just a comment on the evolution of golf clubs. Those of us that started playing with classic persimmon woods and MB's were radically different than those starting playing the last 20 years, and especially young players today. We played with a heavy steel shafted, very unforgiving solid persimmon driver that was 43" long. Taylor Made and Callaway are currently selling 3 woods that are 43.25" long with larger more forgiving heads. Not surprisingly today's 3 woods go farther and straighter than the persimmon drivers we grew up playing. 

... This is one of the smaller looking fairway heads, the Cobra Aerojet 3 wood compared to my old Cleveland Classic DG43. Even at 71, I am driving the ball farther and straighter than I did in my 20's and 30's. Hard not to like that. 







 

Edited October 11 by chisag

[RetiredBoomer]

I would also like to comment on the evolution of golf clubs,

Small adjustments to my iron set have transformed it into a 1950s 2-PW set
only with modern tech and forgiveness.

People say that there's no comparing old and new clubs of the same loft.

My personal experience contradicts that.
Square, middle of the face strikes are totally comparable.
The other shots aren't--
in my personal experience.

 

 

[cnosil]

20 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

People say that there's no comparing old and new clubs of the same loft.

My personal experience contradicts that.
Square, middle of the face strikes are totally comparable.
The other shots aren't--
in my personal experience.

 

Would love to see the performance data that shows they are the same.

[RetiredBoomer]

13 hours ago, cnosil said:

Would love to see the performance data that shows they are the same.

They're the same in terms of the length/loft ratio now being the same, old clubs to new, after the adjustments.
That's all we were looking for. 

Now we can look at the sole stamping,
subtract 2,
and play the clubs in the way we're familiar with playing our favorite older clubs.

Agreed that it may serve no purpose if that isn't your goal.
That's what I wanted.

As for things like carry distance,
that varies player to player....as with any clubs.

In my experience, however,
the 4-iron  now DOES play like a traditional 2-iron of the same loft,
only with more forgiveness and a little more height.
More carry to roll out ratio which I like.

If you get that for which you're looking, the fitting is a success.

 

 

Edited October 11 by RetiredBoomer

[cnosil]

14 minutes ago, RetiredBoomer said:

In my experience, however,
the 4-iron  now DOES play like a traditional 2-iron of the same loft,
only with more forgiveness and a little more height.
More carry to roll out ratio which I like.

 

I don’t know what “plays like” means.  But you answered my question….even though the length and loft are the same between the sets they perform differently.   

[RetiredBoomer]

6 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I don’t know what “plays like” means.  But you answered my question….even though the length and loft are the same between the sets they perform differently.   

Perhaps a little differently, C, but close enough to that for which I was looking.

Much closer than with the modern loft/length ratios with which I'm less comfortable.

And the only bending required is for lie angle, so turf interaction isn't altered by loft bending,
minor as that might have been. Mentally, you know there's no problem.