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  1. #1
    Axis 1 Maximus user Order of Merit winner
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    Default Equipment 15 years ago - two major things!

    Well, while going through my old golf magazines, i came across the 1993 equipment guide from all of the manufacturers.

    Two major things i noticed while reading.

    #1 The Prices! holy crap its expensive, even for todays money.

    Some big staff bags were $600+ (some 900!) and irons were 1500 to 1800 a set, although alot of sets cam with 3 woods, but still, everything big $$$$. Driver were 600 to 900 for a small metal thing! balls still 6.50 plus for good balls.

    If you bought irons for $1800 now people would just laugh! well forum people would.

    #2 The technology hasent really changed. Bigger yes but ideas, no.

    Driving irons = Hybrids

    60 and 64 degree wedges

    forged blades

    Combo sets

    it was all there, its like the ideas have got bigger but not really that different in terms of set make up, its still driver, woods, irons, wedges, putter. i dont know what else it could be, but in 15 years you would think the 3-pw would have changed a little more.

    thoughts, ideas, experiences?

  2. #2
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    Iron Lofts have changed heaps Matt
    Grant

    Grunt's Golflink
    TM Burner - Cobra F Speed 3W - TM Draw 3H - TM Burner 4i-AW - Vokey 54/58 Wedges - Wilson 8862 Blade


  3. #3
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    The concept of design still the same (I guess) but the technology of material making allows massive improvement on those oldie but goodie concept. i.e. Thinner Titanium and steel allows more backward and lower CG.

    Don't forget the Carbon material too....

    the old C4, then the 460Comp and FT series etc....

    how about COR, MOI??? These are new concept.

    Apply driver technology to iron head wasn't possible neither in 15 yrs ago?

    TM iron's inward cone thingy, Fusion irons etc....

  4. #4
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    Balls and drivers are probably all that has changed. The rest is all marketing spin.

  5. #5

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    I went out for a hit with old gear and a new ball. Barely noticed a difference in distance hitting a ProV with an old persimmon driver versus my 907D2.

    Take an old ball out with modern equipment and you lose 20m off almost every club in the bag. So I think the biggest tech advances have been in the ball!
    Moe Norman

    Ping G30 9* | Wilson Staff Tour F5 15* | Ping G20 20** | Ping i3 Blades 3-PW | Ping Tour 54.12 & 60.08| Yes! Marilyn

    "I had played so poorly recently, I started thinking that maybe I should do something else. Then I saw my friends going to work every day and realised that my life wasn't so bad." -Steve Pate

  6. #6
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    Wedges definitely spin more.
    Forum needs more banter.

  7. #7
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    Wedges and Irons both spin a LOT more - if you change the ball you have to change the irons to match up the technology.

    Old Drivers hit new balls VERY low compared to the newer ones. They go close to the same distance - bit Mishits just crucify you.

    Driver heads are made of lighter material so the shafts have been made a lot longer.

    Shaft technology has improved HEAPS !

    The ball is the big thing... the clubs all came after a ball change. Hence the reason why I always play the same ball as my driver. TM Driver = TM Ball - Titty Driver = Titty ball. The ball was changed first and then the clubs were made to work with the new ball.

    Old balls were soft inside and hard outside. Now they are hard inside and soft outside. They are alos solid and not wound with rubber.

    Putters are almost unrecognisable now.

    Wedge grinds and groove patterns.

    Steel shafts are now lighter and much better made. Go and grab and old Wilson Blade and put a Nippon NS1050 in it... amazing stuff, it just transforms the club.

    Grips have changed in a huge way - especially in wet weather. Which I could also say about wet weather gear.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by virge666 View Post
    Steel shafts are now lighter and much better made. Go and grab and old Wilson Blade and put a Nippon NS1050 in it... amazing stuff, it just transforms the club.
    I think I am still using the same iron shafts as always (although the flex has changed). DG x100. Have to say, I like my swingweight at D5.
    Forum needs more banter.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by sms316 View Post
    I think I am still using the same iron shafts as always (although the flex has changed). DG x100. Have to say, I like my swingweight at D5.

    Yeah your not Robinson Crusoe there. But build quality and consistancy has changed a lot. Launch angle on the DG range has also gone up a touch, hence a big move by professionals to Project X to keep the spin down. Also check out the KB Tour shafts.

    True Temper and Nippon are experimenting with 40gr steel shafts now... unheard of even 3 years ago.

  10. #10
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    Keeping the spin/launch angle down was pretty much my reason for going from S300 to X100.
    Forum needs more banter.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by virge666 View Post
    The ball is the big thing... the clubs all came after a ball change. Hence the reason why I always play the same ball as my driver. TM Driver = TM Ball - Titty Driver = Titty ball. The ball was changed first and then the clubs were made to work with the new ball.
    You honestly think matching your ball and driver makes a difference?

  12. #12
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    what ball do I use if I have a ping driver?




    Nudgee Plate /McLeod Cup


    The battle field

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by peter_rs View Post
    what ball do I use if I have a ping driver?
    http://reviews.ebay.com/Tips-for-Col...00000000763235

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by rick3003 View Post
    You honestly think matching your ball and driver makes a difference?
    It seems to make a difference with my swing type... I had an FT5 for 2 weeks and the Tour iX always went further than the ProV1 and Platinum I usually use.

    Same can be said for the 905T I played for ages... Tittlie balls always went further.

    If they don't make balls - Try the Titleist and compare to your current ball.

    Outstanding effort there Adlo.

  15. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by virge666 View Post
    Old balls were soft inside and hard outside. Now they are hard inside and soft outside. They are alos solid and not wound with rubber.
    Are you for real?

    The old Balata is MUCH softer on the outside than the modern ball.
    Moe Norman

    Ping G30 9* | Wilson Staff Tour F5 15* | Ping G20 20** | Ping i3 Blades 3-PW | Ping Tour 54.12 & 60.08| Yes! Marilyn

    "I had played so poorly recently, I started thinking that maybe I should do something else. Then I saw my friends going to work every day and realised that my life wasn't so bad." -Steve Pate

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Moe Norman View Post
    Are you for real?

    The old Balata is MUCH softer on the outside than the modern ball.

    Very real - pull them apart and have a look at the cover. New covers are thicker and softer. Old covers are thinner and harder. Hence the durability issues with old balata balls.

    New balls are much much harder compression for low spin, but the covers are softer to give you wedge spin around the greens.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by virge666 View Post
    The ball is the big thing... the clubs all came after a ball change. Hence the reason why I always play the same ball as my driver. TM Driver = TM Ball - Titty Driver = Titty ball. The ball was changed first and then the clubs were made to work with the new ball.
    Be better off matching your ball with your irons as you would get a lot more hits with them, would you not?

    Or go one step further and match up your ball with your putter.

  18. #18
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    I have a 1988 edition of US Golf Digest, which I keep because it has a good article about coming over the top.

    It is a US Open special edition, including an article asking whether they set up the US Open courses too hard.

    There is virtually no equipment discussion in the mag, but lots of good ads. Metal woods were just being introduced. A couple of companies, including Ping, advertise a persimmon wood alongside their metal wood option.

    I agree that irons haven't moved forward all that much, and they have dropped a lot in price. Drivers and hybrids and lob wedges have advanced a fair bit though.
    "There are 50 things to remember in the golf swing. Trouble is that I can only remember 49 of them" - Bob Hope.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by jimandr View Post
    Ping, advertise a persimmon wood alongside their metal wood option.

    Ping woods were all laminated shite!!!!
    I'm back.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by virge666 View Post
    Very real - pull them apart and have a look at the cover. New covers are thicker and softer. Old covers are thinner and harder. Hence the durability issues with old balata balls.

    New balls are much much harder compression for low spin, but the covers are softer to give you wedge spin around the greens.
    virge, there is no way that the modern balls like the proV1 have a softer cover than the old Titleist balata balls or even the Titleist Professional (the one that Tiger won the 97 Masters with)for that matter. Even the Tour Edition from the mid 80's had a softer cover than todays modern balls and it was a two piece ball with a solid core.

  21. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack View Post
    virge, there is no way that the modern balls like the proV1 have a softer cover than the old Titleist balata balls or even the Titleist Professional (the one that Tiger won the 97 Masters with)for that matter. Even the Tour Edition from the mid 80's had a softer cover than todays modern balls and it was a two piece ball with a solid core.
    Have to agree with Jack on this one, the old balata's back in the 80's and early 90's were way softer than the modern balls of today. I remember balls like the Optima balata and the Royal Maxfli felt as soft as cookie dough off the clubface.

    One thin shot or blade and the ball would end up with a bigger smiley on it than the Joker

  22. #22
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    I believe Virge was talking about cover hardness. The apparent hardness of the cover will vary with the thickness of the cover and the feel of a golf ball has little to do with the cover hardness but more so with the compression of the ball - i think?

  23. #23
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    Wouldn't surprise me if the cover is softer now. I don't seem to remember shredding the cover of a balata with grooves like I do now.

  24. #24
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    I can remember denting the old balls with a bad shot.
    Grant

    Grunt's Golflink
    TM Burner - Cobra F Speed 3W - TM Draw 3H - TM Burner 4i-AW - Vokey 54/58 Wedges - Wilson 8862 Blade


  25. #25
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    Guys, You are confusing CONSTRUCTION with SOFTNESS.

    Old balata ball = wound rubber and a cover - these were usually rated in "compression" 80,90 and 100. Soft guey ball than spun like a bastard, But the actual cover was quite hard otherwise it would be like one of those old "super ball" that you got for 20 cents outside the milk shop. It felt very soft becasue there was wound rubber underneath it, not because the cover was very soft.

    Two pice balls came out and the cover was "Surlyn" - they did this durability. 2 piece was Surlyn and bit of old tyres in the middle.

    3 piece was the next big thing with 2 covers - one hard and one soft and the same old bits of old tyres underneath. You had heaps of options here in how soft the cover was whilst underneath the core was quite hard.... this gave you distance but on the chip shots around the green the club could grab the ball and spin it.

    4 piece is now the current thing... with a mixture of covers and cores. But the expensive balls all have a "Super Soft Surlyn" or composite of that for the cover. It feels harder because clubs are now geared towards HIGH LAUNCH AND LOW SPIN... and for that you need a harder ball / core.

    The super soft cover is there just for your little wedge shots around the green, everything else is low spin with a premium ball.

    As I said - pull a couple of balls apart... you will see a very thin soft cover on new balls (and two extra layers) - you will see a thick spongey cover on the old balls and wound rubber.

    Compression and Contruction are two different things.


 

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