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Golf's Digital Divide

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the pay-to-play dept.

theodp writes "Are $50,000 simulators and $4,500 sensor vests driving a wedge between golf's haves and have-nots? That's the question posed by the WSJ, who reports that a new generation of expensive high-tech tools is stoking a costly arms race among golfers looking for an edge in a sport that already has an elitist reputation."

3 of 228 comments (clear)

  1. The Middle Class Brat Experience by Quirk · · Score: 4, Interesting
    I had 3 years of pro lessons from the age of 5. The pro who taught me was English and very much given to a classical swing. The trick of a great swing and/or putting is like the secret of enlightenment... there is no secret to enlightenment. It's just if you're looking for the answer... you don't have it, and, once you do, you're no longer looking for it, but it's unlikely you know exactly the steps you took to get it.

    I golfed for 18 years. It's a great head game, really almost zen like, but championship calibre play doesn't come from expensive toys. Expensive toys can hone natural talent but that's about it. For all that, expensive toys can ruin natural talent.

    Micheal Jordan was touted a a "physical genius", whatever that is. When Jordan turned to baseball it was said his physical genius would allow him to achieve the same greatness in baseball as he did in B ball. Did not happen, and it's likely Jordan had access to every toy available.

    The X factor will always be part of championship play and all the toys for all the boys won't replace it.

    --
    "Academicians are more likely to share each other's toothbrush than each other's nomenclature."
    Cohen
  2. Re:No way by ceoyoyo · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Some people need to get a hobby. Oh, wait....

    There's a saying among photographers: the amateur says "gee, I wish I had better equipment." The professional says "gee, I wish I had more time." The master says "gee, I wish I had better light."

    Applies to lots of things, including golf, except you might have to change the light thing. Or maybe not.

  3. Then and Now by Hootenanny · · Score: 5, Interesting

    There was a time when we used to play golf with:

    1. persimmon woods
    2. hickory shafts
    3. blade irons
    4. something called a "mashie niblick" (look it up, for a trip down memory lane)
    5. leather balls stuffed with feathers

    Now, thanks to new technology we play with:

    1. oversized titanium drivers
    2. graphite shafts
    3. cavity back irons
    4. 60-degree wedges
    5. four layer solid-core distance balls

    Now for the kicker - according to the USGA, the average handicap hasn't dropped significantly. What does that tell us?