How far do you think technology has advanced in the past decade?

[ChrisMcQ]

Hello all,

 

I would like to hear your opinions on how technologies surrounding golf clubs - specifically drivers (all other feedback is welcome) - has advanced in the past decade or so.

 

Personally, I feel like adjustable hosels have been the only industry changing revolution. Launch monitors almost fall into this category.

 

I accept that the new materials and manufacturing processes are improvements, but have they really made that much difference?

 

Happy to be persuaded otherwise. Thanks!

[Mudguard]

How much have drivers actually progressed?

If you took a TS2 and 905R head and compared the centre strikes, 10mm left, 10mm right, how much of a difference is there?

[avguy]

Well, titanium left the faces of fairway woods mostly in favor of just thin steel and now at a much higher price point is back in several OEMs again.

What about "milled" faces on irons? Or is that just ancient tech re-born? There may have been milled putters a decade back, but I don't recall irons.

I also think there has been more conscious effort in shafts over the past decade in regards to kick & balance points. See Proj.X LZ in irons, some drivers now becoming couterbalanced to the head. Much more effort in putters with this weighting.

[HackDaddy360]

Having just upgraded the bag after about a decade of not doing so - I can say it’s changed a lot.

Whats also changed is the ability to fit players better and with more/better/accurate tech. Getting not only better tech in clubs but better tech in clubs that maximize your move on the ball is a huge leap forward in the last decade.

[philly2kuk]

I’d say technology has come a decent way in drivers but more so in irons. I find drivers more forgiving now but centre strikes are the same.

 

Having just changed my irons after 6 years of using my old ones I’ve gained 10 yards of carry and I’m hitting them higher....yes the lower loft contributes to the carry but hitting my 8 iron higher but ten yards further without losing accuracy has made a huge difference to my game.

[BB28403]

Well I’m reading a book from 2006 and they mention using a Launch Monitor... sooo not as much as you think.

[Red4282]

Not much at all. But to be fair there isnt any room for technology to make a difference in terms of distance due to all the restrictions. I do believe drivers of today are more forgiving than those of 10 years ago, but its not by alot.

[Jimjam651]

I went to a fitting last year to update my Titleist 910 driver and none of the new drivers gave me any ball speed gains

I imagine the only differences with new drivers is slightly improved ball speed across the face on mis hits? Hard to measure consistently I guess?

[SBH9458]

Not a whole lot. Restrictions limit COR for drivers to a max limit, so we are where we are going until that changes for distance. Forgiveness? Maybe so.

[storm319]

If the OP is referring to firsts during the decade that were adopted by the major OEMs, then the adjustable hosel belongs to the previous decade (although you could count the dual cog adapter in this decade).

To be honest, we didn’t really see anything ground breaking in the past decade, simply minor improvements to existing approaches.

[J13]

Drivers today compared to 10 years ago are better in every way. That doesn't mean you are 20yds longer but that you added a few mph in ball speed and you also maintain more speed on off center hits.

[Tree Levino]

Center to center not much has changed. That's why all manufacturers are marketing aerodynamics to make the player swing faster rather than speed increases off the face. The key is good fit and a good swing. If your driver is within 3 years you're giving up next to nothing if it is correctly fit for your swing despite what many on here would argue.

 

 

[Myherobobhope]

Technology killed hank kuehne!

he played at the club I grew up on and put the ball in places I dare not dream of... dude was long.

[Rosco1216]

Driver shafts have come a long way, especially for high speed guys who need to cut spin. 10 years ago they needed and 80-90g shaft that was super stiff and felt like a board to keep launch and spin under control. Now a days they can get that same spin control in a smooth feeling 60g shaft.

[ChrisMcQ]

Some great responses

I will admit I have a reasonably up-to-date bag which I was fully custom fit for. I believe that if I was fully custom fit for, lets say a 10 year old driver, today, and compared it to all of the latest offerings then there would be little to no improvement over distance on good shots. I would say we have a better understanding of club fitting than we did 10 years ago so would be able to provide a better, more accurate fit now than we did 10 years ago.

Now bad shots/poor strikes, that I can believe there would be a difference but just how much i'm not sure. Anyone on the same boat as @Jimjam651 ?

[1Mordrid1]

I feel golf technology has definitely advanced, however the gains are not as noticeable for everyone.

[Ri_Redneck]

IMHO, it goes like this:

Drivers - Very little. MOI is about it.

Irons - New looks at tech that has been around a while. OEMs seem to be getting better at making the tech more aesthetically pleasing (which DOES matter to some of us).

Wedges - Some new stuff with CoG placement and sole grinds, but not much really new.

Putters - Some new tech concerning the face and large designs that increase MOI.

Balls - A lot of tech here in construction and pricing. Big fan of Vice.

Shoes - I like the BOA tech, but haven't scored a pair yet.

BT

 

[Twism86]

Like for me! The thin, fat and off center hits cannot be salvaged by any amount of better technology.

 

Maybe 10 years is too short but over 15-20 I would say that swing analytics have likely improved greatly. Fitters and coaches have so much technology right now to analyse your swing, see where your common miss hits are and then work to improve that specifically. Just having a phone that record slow motion to get a better video of someones swing can help greatly, that wasn't available to everyone 10 years ago. Now everyone has a high speed camera in their pocket. The club technology is now there to help people with an imperfect swing still hit straight and long.

[C6 Snowboarder]

Would agree with the above post on shaft inprovements... but the head itself not much difference. Using my beloved 2007 K15 Driver for example... I have tried many drivers to see if I get get better drives. But even the new Pings 400 or 410 SFT is about the same in control, forgiveness . I have changed shafts in my K15 to keep up. The M6 Taylormade D type is about the only one I have found to be equal to my K15 using the same exact shaft in both. Your results and findings may be different since I am an old guy swinging 95 mph straight down the middle.

[Dpavs]

Milled faces have actually been around for a while. Cleveland used micro-milling on the CG1's back around 2004-2006'ish.

[J13]

I would say there have been more improvements for amateur players than professional.

More ball speed on mishitsFitting is common place now which has made the biggest difference for amateurs

[Golfingfanatic]

I think a big advancement in drivers in the past few years is ball speed retention and spin consistency. To me the new drivers feel a lot more predictable compared to say a SLDR.

[ckalinec]

Wrong thread.

[PhlashPhace]

Nothing really for me. I always have the latest and greatest and honestly if you gave me whatever I had in my bag in 2010 and the ball I used in 2010 and I doubt anything would be different in my game. I still play a lot of the same courses I did as a jr golfer and I've been hitting the same clubs into each hole for the past 20+ years.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Forgiveness is the key. It lets me rip a drive and it stays on the fairway.

That same forgiving face also keeps serious mishits on the fairway or first cut. Haven’t been in the trees since the TM M2 came out and I carry about 250 on average.