If new equipment and balls are so much better why is the average golfers round still 92, same as in the 50's?

Question

If new equipment and balls are so much better why is the average golfers round still 92, same as in the 50's?

Answer 1

Ah you all struggle to see what has happened to the game.  Manufacturers especially over the past 25 years have developed equipment that makes it easier and easier to get the ball airborne and have it go pretty straight.  Thus anyone with enough money can purchase equipment and hit the ball pretty well.  This equipment is particularly designed for the "over the top" swing (progressive offset, perimeter weighting, high MOI, the hybrid clubs, even drivers and fairways woods with a lot of offset, and attempts at the shank-less iron.  All these things are designed to allow someone with a fundamentally poor swing to hit the ball better.  And it works - so we have a lot of players who fundamentally are quite poor playing the game because it is enjoyable for them to smash long drives and hit sky high irons that stop pretty quickly when they fall from the sky.  But these players don't really know the intricacies of the the game, or the rules, and they don't chip or putt very well so the average score hasn't come down much in spite of the advances in equipment.  The other big factor that some have touched on here is that the modern golf course is much more difficult than the more traditional course of the 1950s and 60s or earlier.  I dare say that there are a couple of generations of golfers that never hit a forged iron or an actual wooden headed club, and that there are quite a few professionals that could not break 80 with a set of sticks from 1960, leave alone 1690.

Answer 2

Look at what you are getting with top grade clubs: An average man can drive the ball 260-280 yards with a top of the line driver. Thats probably 50 yards further than in the 50s. With a good swing, that's going to be a huge advantage, but with an average swing, that means you're going to hit more balls off target, and they're going to be deeper into the wood. So the average player now is often worse off than the average player in the 50s because they're 20 yards deeper into the trees, and will have a harder time getting it on the fairway.

Greens are a contributing factor as well. Greens today are cut much closer and play much faster than in years past. A great putter may be able to be more precise and make more putts, but an average golfer who's just trying to get close and 2 putt is going to see their ball fly by the hole a lot more often. How many times have you seen you or your buddies putt the ball clear off the green because they misjudged the speed? That didn't happen 50 years ago.

Answer 3

I don't know what the average score is  for golfers,but myself I've been playing now for 6 years and took to it  quickly. My first year my handicap was a 26.6 now 6 years later my handicap is a 14.2. That pretty good for some one who only gets 6 months of decent golf weather and I play about 5 times a month. I do practice a lot,I believe that is the key to getting better at anything you do. Thanks for the 2 points.:)

Answer 4

1 - the average golfer still three puts 5 times a round

2 - 300 yard drives... 150 forward + 150 sliced

3 - More golfers, practicing less

4 - Harder courses (length & slope/ratings)

Answer 5

very good question, star for you.

I think its down to the length of the golf courses-mine is 6800 yards from the comp tees, theres a couple of par 4s over 440 yards which many high handicappers will stuggle to get within 100 yards after 2 shots.

I think it would be asinine to blame it totally on length, even though equipment is better, and by that i use the term "better" very loosely, if you want distance, then these new drivers are awesome, the multi layer balls are just brilliant now as well.

But if you want to work the ball ie draw it (right to left) then its almost impossible with these new drivers, a lot of amateurs tee shots tend to go way right....i think this because the faces now are so thin thats its very difficult to impart right to left spin on the ball.

A few months back a member at my golf club decided to bring a wooden headed driver and 5 wood to the range and the difference is huge, i found it so easy to draw the ball, the fade was a fade and not a huge slice.

Even though i prefer the drivers now as they go much higher I think it would be more beneficial if we could use wooden heads as i really belive that the slice will be reduced dramically.

Answer 6

Interesting thought.  The courses are getting longer and a little tougher overall.  Also, the game is more popular which can drag down average scores.  Remember too, at the end of the day, its about chipping and putting.

Answer 7

the range is bigger

Answer 8

Ohio_Golfer has a good point and this is a great question.  My immediate thought is better equipment does not automatically equate to a better player or lower scores. I.E I've seen some bags with expensive clubs however; the person using them didn't give them justice.

Answer 9

I would say golfers are working less, and relying on their clubs for more. What can i say. I thought new clubs were the answer at first too. Then i played for a year with them and got even better.

Answer 10

Tell us where you got that information so we can better reply. I just can't assume your statement is true.

You guys are assuming that this statement is true. Tell me where I can verify his claim.

Answer 11

YOU SAID AVERAGE GOLFER. THATS THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, THEY ARE AVERAGE. THE EQUIPMENT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR SOME OR ALL PEOPLE. PROS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES BY HITTING IT LONGER, GETTING MORE ACTION/SPIN ON THE BALL, ETC. THE AVERAGE GOLFER DOES THE SAME THEY MAGNIFY THE FLAWS IN THEIR GAME LIKE FOR EXAMPLE THEIR SLICE/HOOK GOES A LITTLE FURTHER INTO THE WOODS OR OB. DOES THAT SOUND LOGICAL?

Answer 12

I gotta agree with MBL.  It's all about the short game.  Scores won't change much unless you can putt & chip.

Answer 13

Coopertype -

Very interesting question.

I have my own opinion on the answer.

There are A LOT more golfers now than there ever used to be. Thanks to the electric cart, more courses, easier to use and more readily available equipment, and a variety of other factors...there are just more golfers today than there was in the past. This leads to a more watered down average, and I'm not sure where you got 92 from, I thought the average score was over 100!!

I would bet there are a lot more better than average players now by % than there were in the 1950's....there has to be thanks to the equipment, instruction, course conditions and generally just more knowledge of how the golf swing is supposed to function. If you walk down to the local library you can find 100 books on how to swing a golf club, whereas 60 years ago I don't think those resources were available.

Good question, I'd like to see someone write an article on that in Golf Digest....."Are we getting better?" ... :)

Answer 14

I would say longer courses, more difficult approaches, and faster, more undulated greens.

Answer 15

I think you mean 72 - not 92. This is the par for the majority of courses worldwide. If someone consistently played 92 - they would have a handicap of 20.

The reason courses have stayed at par 72 - is that they have had to change the courses - longer; more hazards added (bunkers , water, narrower tree lined fairways, longer grass in the rough etc).

This is the only way they could continue to keep the par at 72. This has become a big problem - especially having to make the courses longer - as it requires more land to do this. & especially in cities - there isn't always more land available.

Answer 16

The average score has to be higher than 92.  The majority of people playing these days don't play often enough to be better players.  Many people don't use the proper equipment and that includes balls.  Several have said that the short game is the key and most everybody worries about how to hit the ball farther not how to putt and chip better or how to hit better wedge shots.  People need to play to their strengths and manage their games better; just figure out what their game is.

Answer 17

Courses keep getting longer. And the average age of golfers is getting higher.

Answer 18

I don't really agree with anyone else who has answered here. I think the equipment is better, but you still have to have a good quality swing. So yeah, maybe the equipment was crappier in the 50s, but as long as you have a good solid swing, you can hit a round rock with a golf club a good distance.