Could a top ten golfer today survived in pre 60’s golf?

[NoTalentLefty]

We tend to to compare the golfers from the past playing today’s golfers. What if it were in reverse? Playing in the hickory shafts to the steel shafted persimmon driver days could they separate themselves from those eras using their swings?

Edited November 27, 2020 by NoTalentLefty

[pinhigh27]

who is to say they would swing the same way? Elite athletes adapt to the equipment/game of their era. I'm sure Jack or Hogan would swing different if they were playing in 2020. 

[Santiago Golf]

Hickory was gone by the late 1930s

 

Where the ever the face points the ball goes

 

If you miss the sweet spot its going to go shorter and a funky direction

 

That has never changed

 

I don't think some of these guys could do the whole week to week thing plus driving in car tour stop to tour stop

 

Though I do think that some guys would lap the field in the 60s even with the tech from the 60s. 

[2bGood]

I play one round a year with my grandfathers old clubs. If I am swinging well, I don't really score much differently, If I am not - wow watch out as my misses are magnified. In think 60's clubs vs 2020 - good players are still good players and bad player are even worse players

 

Thats to say most pros would adjust just fine to 60's era clubs and play very well. They would lead the field if they still had access to the tech, teaching and training they have now.

[nitram]

I'm sure todays golfer could play competitively. Just not sure they'd survive the old schedule without personal caddies, launch monitors, and private jets. 

[Socrates]

Most of them would disappear in short order if they were playing in the '60's.  The strain of having to top 10 most weeks just to survive would drive many of them into Real Estate or Insurance sales.  Weren't a lot of them making a comfortable living off their winnings and there wasn't much in the way of endorsement money around.

[Soloman1]

We were studs in the 60's. That's all I'm going to say. 🙂

[Soloman1]

You haven't lived until you've seen and heard a Tour Balata 100 sizzle as it flew low, rising after about 80yards and drawing back into a fairway, hit by a man in tasseled leather shoes in spikes, a dark leather glove, wearing plaid pants and a visor who drank black coffee and scotch.

 

Good Lord, we were studs.

 

 

 

 

[xmanhockey7]

Lol yes. They’d hang. 

[milesgiles]

4 hours ago, xmanhockey7 said:

Lol yes. They’d hang. 

 

Not necessarily. I don’t think this is really the forum for this discussion, but golf has gone towards the bigger, stronger guys and away from the skilful, accurate player. CHS is the first priority for an aspiring pro now

[pinhigh27]

55 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

Not necessarily. I don’t think this is really the forum for this discussion, but golf has gone towards the bigger, stronger guys and away from the skilful, accurate player. CHS is the first priority for an aspiring pro now

And why do you think current pros couldn’t adapt to the old ways ? 
 

this is like saying steph curry couldn’t play basketball before there was a 3 pt line . He’d adapt his game and be just fine 

 

this thread is just some old man crap about “ back in my day the guys were better “

[milesgiles]

1 hour ago, pinhigh27 said:

And why do you think current pros couldn’t adapt to the old ways ? 
 

this is like saying steph curry couldn’t play basketball before there was a 3 pt line . He’d adapt his game and be just fine 

 

this thread is just some old man crap about “ back in my day the guys were better “

 

Half of them would have a nervous breakdown without their toasters on a stick drivers.

 

it goes both ways of course, we wouldn’t see a Trevino or a Faldo emerge in 2020 

[Ghost of Snead]

3 hours ago, milesgiles said:

 

Half of them would have a nervous breakdown without their toasters on a stick drivers.

 

it goes both ways of course, we wouldn’t see a Trevino or a Faldo emerge in 2020 

 

Good thing you said half ... 

 

https://golf.com/news/watch-dj-crush-jack-nicklauss-persimmon-driver/

[NoTalentLefty]

5 hours ago, pinhigh27 said:

And why do you think current pros couldn’t adapt to the old ways ? 
 

this is like saying steph curry couldn’t play basketball before there was a 3 pt line . He’d adapt his game and be just fine 

 

this thread is just some old man crap about “ back in my day the guys were better “

No it’s not a back in my time post. I did grow up in the Palmer Nicklaus eras but a legit question. I much prefer today’s equipment and what the pros can do with it. And the benefits I get out of today’s equipment. 

[pinhigh27]

4 hours ago, milesgiles said:

 

Half of them would have a nervous breakdown without their toasters on a stick drivers.

 

it goes both ways of course, we wouldn’t see a Trevino or a Faldo emerge in 2020 

And you don’t think they’d learn to hit the smaller drivers ? This is so stupid . They hit their 3 woods just fine 

[TheDeanAbides]

Modern players would s£&@ a brick having to putt on the surfaces they had in the 60s. 

[MtlJeff]

12 hours ago, Socrates said:

Most of them would disappear in short order if they were playing in the '60's.  The strain of having to top 10 most weeks just to survive would drive many of them into Real Estate or Insurance sales.  Weren't a lot of them making a comfortable living off their winnings and there wasn't much in the way of endorsement money around.

 

This is one of the main arguments i use whenever the era comparisons are brought up. It's not meant to be insulting. Pro sports just wasn't as capitalized in the 60's or 70s because the pay was much lower. It was like 10x the national average vs like 100x the national average which is is now. 

 

I am sure a lot of good golfers chose other careers back then if they were available, since a guaranteed salary has always been nice. 

 

Golf in the 60's and 70's was Jack, Arnold, Sam Snead, a couple of local pros with nicknames like "Fats" or "Rooster" and 25 hobos who accidentally entered the tournament after sleeping on a bench at the course. 

 

Dustin Johnson in the 60's would've ended up a math professor or something, and Brooks Koepka would've ended up hosting a late night talk show. 

[milesgiles]

54 minutes ago, pinhigh27 said:

And you don’t think they’d learn to hit the smaller drivers ? This is so stupid . They hit their 3 woods just fine 

 

I think you are mistaken but luckily there’s an easy answer. Play one event this winter off 3/4” max tees, which means smaller drivers. Let’s see who turns up and who is afraid..

[TheDeanAbides]

2 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

I think you are mistaken but luckily there’s an easy answer. Play one event this winter off 3/4” max tees, which means smaller drivers. Let’s see who turns up and who is afraid..

They would definitely adjust. Would they do it overnight? Probably not, but they would definitely find a way to make that tech work. Damn, there are loads of us hackers who play that gear without any huge impact on our scores - these guys are GOOD. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by TheDeanAbides

[Arn]

1 hour ago, Ghost of Snead said:

Good thing you said half ... 

 

https://golf.com/news/watch-dj-crush-jack-nicklauss-persimmon-driver/

He lost 25 from his average with persimmon, if you handed him his drive and said swing at it, he’d of hit it 330. So really he’s losing 40 yards. He was still using modern balls, so give him a balata and watch another 25-30 disappear. Factor in the increase in spin and he’d have to slow his swing down to keep the ball on the planet.

[Sean2]

15 hours ago, nitram said:

I'm sure todays golfer could play competitively. Just not sure they'd survive the old schedule without personal caddies, launch monitors, and private jets. 

...and personal trainers, sports psychologists and nutritionists. 🙂

[Socrates]

Talent from any era would still be talent in which ever era you put them in.  When things weren't as lucrative, many talented players chose a different life.  Jack Nicklaus almost decided to sell insurance rather than play professional golf.  Dave Pelz couldn't beat a fat kid from Ohio and chose to finish his education and became a NASA engineer.  Both probably made the right choice.

[milesgiles]

37 minutes ago, TheDeanAbides said:

They would definitely adjust. Would they do it overnight? Probably not, but they would definitely find a way to make that tech work. Damn, there are loads of us hackers who play that gear without any huge impact on our scores - these guys are GOOD. 

 

They are more than good, no argument. So take the tech away.

[milesgiles]

25 minutes ago, Arn said:

He lost 25 from his average with persimmon, if you handed him his drive and said swing at it, he’d of hit it 330. So really he’s losing 40 yards. He was still using modern balls, so give him a balata and watch another 25-30 disappear. Factor in the increase in spin and he’d have to slow his swing down to keep the ball on the planet.

 

Its a shame we didn’t get to see him it up 18 at Augusta with the Masters on the line.

 

you might say Those guys were good as well..

[Ghost of Snead]

30 minutes ago, Arn said:

He lost 25 from his average with persimmon, if you handed him his drive and said swing at it, he’d of hit it 330. So really he’s losing 40 yards. He was still using modern balls, so give him a balata and watch another 25-30 disappear. Factor in the increase in spin and he’d have to slow his swing down to keep the ball on the planet.

 

So you're saying DJ would hit it 260 with persimmon and balata ? Bullcarp ...

 

Jack in his prime was up around 120 in SS as were Snead and Hogan so I don't think DJ would have to slow down at all. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by Ghost of Snead

[TheDeanAbides]

14 minutes ago, milesgiles said:

 

They are more than good, no argument. So take the tech away.

I meant the old tech. 

[PureStrikes54]

6 hours ago, milesgiles said:

 

Half of them would have a nervous breakdown without their toasters on a stick drivers.

 

it goes both ways of course, we wouldn’t see a Trevino or a Faldo emerge in 2020 

 

Yeah take away the toaster and they'd suck....

 

 

PGA TOUR players hit vintage clubs at Northern Trust Open - YouTube

 

Rory McIlroy tees off on No. 1 at Cherry Hills with a persimmon driver aka Arnold Palmer in 1960 - YouTube

 

[milesgiles]

22 minutes ago, PureStrikes54 said:

 

Yeah take away the toaster and they'd suck....

 

 

PGA TOUR players hit vintage clubs at Northern Trust Open - YouTube

 

Rory McIlroy tees off on No. 1 at Cherry Hills with a persimmon driver aka Arnold Palmer in 1960 - YouTube

 

 

Cool. So why do they need a 460 then? 

[pinhigh27]

1 hour ago, milesgiles said:

 

I think you are mistaken but luckily there’s an easy answer. Play one event this winter off 3/4” max tees, which means smaller drivers. Let’s see who turns up and who is afraid..

afraid? I don't think any tour pro is going to be afraid to hit a golf club. They're pretty good at hitting golf balls....

 

What is the purpose of this thread? Golf is too easy? 

[ThinkingPlus]

7 minutes ago, pinhigh27 said:

afraid? I don't think any tour pro is going to be afraid to hit a golf club. They're pretty good at hitting golf balls....

 

What is the purpose of this thread? Golf is too easy? 

Exactly.  Golf has gotten far too easy and everyone must be punished.  The pinnacle of the game was reached in 1970 when equipment was sublime, but didn't help you play better.  You were forced to practice until your hands bled to become a good bogey player.  And everyone liked it that way. 😉