Non-conforming equipment another question

[revkev]

Okay we've beaten up the would you play against someone who uses them thing so let's try this one.

 

Does anyone have an idea of the possible benefits of non-conforming equipment?

 

I'm guessing that the ball could produce remarkable results.  However I'm less certain about clubs.  What would be more beneficial to the average player, getting a good set of well fit conforming clubs or getting an off the rack non-conforming set?

 

Any thoughts?  Any real data or ideas?

[BIG STU]

Well I think the ones that don't have a game to begin with nothing short of lessons whether it be swing lessons or course management etc will help much. And to add to that pervious statement PRACTICE what your instructor has taught you. I do know the balls will help some people though. I knew a customer whose Father was getting up in age around 80 or so but he had a good swing and was a good ball striker. He had been a college player in his youth and chose to go into business instead of golf.This older gentleman still played with his son some on weekends and all. He was getting frustrated by his lack of distance off the senior tees. His son who was a good customer talked to me and I suggested this--- I built him a SoooLong Intregra non conforming driver and hooked him up with some of the non conforming Bandit balls. We never told him his stuff was non conforming. In reality it got him 15 or so yards off the tee with the combination. He was happy as a pig in poop and continued to keep playing until his death last year at 88 years old. But to say this he had a good swing and contact on the ball to begin with even at his age. actually I would have hated to play against him for money in his prime years. That nonconforming stuff helped him enjoy the game in his golden years and that's what I am talking about. Someone like the majority of the players on here we do not need illegial equipment to play. Guys like you RP others and myself grew up in the balata persimmon era and with the legal advances in equipment already hit the ball darn near as far as we did in our youth. I do in retrospect wonder sometimes if I had the equipment I had now in my youth how far would I have been? Good gracious how long would pure ball strikers like Hogan,Snead,Nelson and others been?

[revkev]

Absolutely Big Stu -

 

Like you, Richard and others here I'm pretty much as long now as I was when I was younger - In fact given the lofts on clubs I'm within a club of where I was when I was young - I hit a 175 yard 6 iron the other day here in Florida, at Sea Level, 90 percent humidity, no real roll - of course my current 6 iron is closer to my old 4 iron than my old 6 iron but heck who's keeping score on that account.

 

I also loved the story about your friend - I have no problem with him using non-conforming equipment, Lord willing we'll all of us be able to play until we're 88 and who cares at that point so long as we're enjoying it.

 

My concern is that I may encounter a peer who's playing against me in a tournament using non-conforming equipment.  That's what worries me.

 

I'd love to know the actual benefits of that equipment.

[RookieBlue7]

I can tell you one place you can see a difference in equipment, Rev.  Wedge grooves.

[BIG STU]

Rev I can see what your concern is. I guess you play in like handicap tournaments and such. I lost faith in handicaps years ago due to people understating. The system will work if people are honest. I know down here they don't play that many handicap tournaments. Mostly they play scrambles for charity etc. These guys cheat like heck in those events. There are as many of them for "charity" every week so it seems. You did bring up a valid point though I wonder how they "police" equipment in like the World Amateur that they play down here every year. I know they have really done a good job on cheaters with incorrect handicaps. I guess we are old school in life as in golf in that golf is a game of intregrity. I have not honestly thought about it in your terms because I don't play competition any more and honestly I don't have any answer

[BIG STU]

I can tell you one place you can see a difference in equipment, Rev.  Wedge grooves.

You hit that one dead in the screws Rookie. You don't know how many times I have been accused of using cheater wedges because I spin the ball a lot. I hit a trap cut with a lot of hand action and spin the ball a lot but I use legal stuff.

[RookieBlue7]

You hit that one dead in the screws Rookie. You don't know how many times I have been accused of using cheater wedges because I spin the ball a lot. I hit a trap cut with a lot of hand action and spin the ball a lot but I use legal stuff.

I spin it a lot too. But I also have a steeper swing than lots of people I play with. They're sweepers mostly and they're baffled that I can spin it so much. When your divots look like beaver pelts and you compress it it creates spin. It's like speaking Portuguese to them. They say that doesn't matter. They don't understand swing dynamics play a much larger rule than grooves. They see a difference with grooves because of their swing dynamics, I don't because I pinch it hard and have spinner shafts in my wedges. They don't understand that I flatten the ball at impact more because of my swing, leaving more surface area in contact with the ball.

[dru_]

I can tell you one place you can see a difference in equipment, Rev.  Wedge grooves.

 

Funny you mention that, because as a not very good wedge player, I agree.  There is a difference between pre-ruling and current wedges (and how modern balls play off of them). I have been trying out a mess of wedges, and am right on the cusp of breaking down and ordering a set of either  Scor or Hopkins Golf wedges to try.  

 

Right now, I am using pre conforming CG-15's. The last week of practice rounds I have been bagging an additional current/conforming Vokey to compare side by side to the the CG.  The difference is startling.  The current Vokey is a huge step backwards even for the casual golfer.  

[BIG STU]

I spin it a lot too. But I also have a steeper swing than lots of people I play with. They're sweepers mostly and they're baffled that I can spin it so much. When your divots look like beaver pelts and you compress it it creates spin. It's like speaking Portuguese to them. They say that doesn't matter. They don't understand swing dynamics play a much larger rule than grooves. They see a difference with grooves because of their swing dynamics, I don't because I pinch it hard and have spinner shafts in my wedges. They don't understand that I flatten the ball at impact more because of my swing, leaving more surface area in contact with the ball.

Well explained Rookie That's exactly verbatim how I do it and like you said some folks don't understand it and never will Like the beaver pelt terminology we say take a half acre of turf

[revkev]

I don't know Rookie, I'm not seeing that big a difference with the groove thing - remember there's a huge difference in our swing speeds -

 

I see a little difference out of moderate rough - I could always stop my Eye 2's out of that type of rough and knew there was an issue before anyone had said it.  It's been very easy to adjust to the difference, I can adjudicate pretty well when I'm not going to get the bite I used and allow for it.  Frankly with the newer wedges and high fangled shafts I think I get more spin on my new wedges than I did with my old ones that are soon to be non-conforming.