Technology is changing spirit of the game

Karrie Webb and Micheal Campbell are among the players who are quite pleased with the club’s performance, having already put it to test on the Australian tour. European number one Colin Montgomerie may soon join this brigade and help promote the ERC if he decides to use it.

Contrary to previous belief that Persimmon drivers would maintain their popularity and continue to be used by those who like the feel, metal drivers are here to stay. Almost every golfer, whether a beginner or a seasoned professional, carries a metallic or its latest titanium version with a shinning club head and a jazzy shaft.

Golfers, professional or amateur want immense length off the tee, hoping that it will make the game easier and more controlled. Secondly, according to some leading professionals, metal drivers are said to reduce spin, further benefiting the high handicapper.

However, most controversies arise due to man’s never ending quest for perfection, like the Ping Eye-2s with their non conforming U-shaped grooves. After a lot of thought, the USGA finally declared them illegal in 1996, hence giving owners time to change to other clubs. These grooves generated more spin on the ball and also prevented those dreaded fliers out of thick rough.

Regardless of such tight regulations, there are clubs that are sold as the solution to a high handicapper’s golf problems. Clubs that make the ball fly longer, lower, higher, fade, draw and even out any flaws in the swing. While those that work are sometimes accepted in a regular fourball, they offer an unfair advantage and are usually banned during competitions.

Today, even an ordinary chip shot can be played by a 70, 65 or 50 degree wedge as opposed to the good old sand wedge. These help lift the ball quicker and at a higher angle, hence causing it to stop within a short distance of landing.

The question that often crops up is: How much is enough ? Such clubs may make the game more predictable, bring your handicap down a lot quicker or just give you an edge over your golf buddies. But what about the ordinary sand wedge shot that just manages to clear the treacherous bunker and stops dead at the pin cut over it — played with a little bit of imagination and a lot of guts. A shot that leaves the player with a sense of exhilaration and achievement days after being holed out.

Last week’s results
EPGA: Volvo PGA Championship; Winner: Colin Montgomerie
APGA: Ericsson Classic; Winner: James Kingston

COMING UP
USPGA: Buick Classic
Senior PGA: SBC Senior Open
EPGA: Welsh Open
LPGA: Wegmans Rochester
ELPGA: Donegal Irish Ladies Open
Buy.Com Tour: Buy.Com Dayton Open
Golfer of the week: All the world’s golf addicts

While Montgomerie and Woods continue their winning streaks in perfect weather conditions, during the hottest days of the year it’s hats off to regular golfers who ignore the heat and indulge in their passion for the game.