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Show me another »Why doesn't the PGA have one tournament each year, where all players use the same clubs, right out of the box?
That way we can see who the real "best" player really is without all the tweeking, bending, weighting, etc. that occurs for each player - like NASCAR with it's restrictions on car make up.
by green_la...
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Why doesn't everyone who runs in the Boston Marathon wear size 10 shoes, regardless if they're that size or not? It just doesn't make sense.
The thing is, you don't have to buy your stuff "off the rack", either. True, you may never be able to buy a driver with the face 7* open (similar to one Vijay Singh gamed a few years ago), but that wouldn't do anything for you (or pretty much everyone else). However, you can have the shaft and grip replaced with brands/types you do like (that fit), to the length and flex that best suits your body type and swing mechanics.
Golf manufacturers dictate to you what "standard" is... and even then, there are no true "standards" between every manufacturer. They hope you buy something off the rack, find out it doesn't work for you- while getting frustrated with the new stick in the process- and go out the next season to buy another "magic wand", just to start the process over again (unless you get extremely lucky).
Truth be told, not every pro is gaming the "new and shiny"- Lucas Glover won the US Open last year with what many considered to be an "outdated" driver (Nike Sumo 5000). Graeme McDowell did it this year with an old Callaway FT-3. Briny Baird games an old Taylormade 300 Ti driver, and he's considered one of the most accurate off the tee on tour.
Mike Stachura, one of Golf Digest's "Equipment Editors" (he's also known as Gouge in their "Bomb & Gouge" equipment blog) has even gone so far as to call people who don't upgrade their equipment regularly "pretenders" (full disclosure: I wrote a nasty response, the jack@ss never apologized, so I stopped buying Golf Digest). Honestly... according to Stachura, anyone not gaming the "newest and bestest" are only pretending to golf. That's the type of BS they try to feed you.
The point is, you'll be fine with what you have, so long as it's properly fitted. The only real difference is, if you're very accurate off the tee, you can use whatever size driver head you like. If you're not that straight, you'd be better off with something over 400cc's. That's it.
While I'm thinking about it: it doesn't matter what your handicap is. You're never "too good" or "too bad" to be properly fitted. You wouldn't wear shoes too big or too small, or clothes that didn't fit properly, so why should you play clubs that don't fit (thus making a tough game even tougher)?
The thing is, you don't have to buy your stuff "off the rack", either. True, you may never be able to buy a driver with the face 7* open (similar to one Vijay Singh gamed a few years ago), but that wouldn't do anything for you (or pretty much everyone else). However, you can have the shaft and grip replaced with brands/types you do like (that fit), to the length and flex that best suits your body type and swing mechanics.
Golf manufacturers dictate to you what "standard" is... and even then, there are no true "standards" between every manufacturer. They hope you buy something off the rack, find out it doesn't work for you- while getting frustrated with the new stick in the process- and go out the next season to buy another "magic wand", just to start the process over again (unless you get extremely lucky).
Truth be told, not every pro is gaming the "new and shiny"- Lucas Glover won the US Open last year with what many considered to be an "outdated" driver (Nike Sumo 5000). Graeme McDowell did it this year with an old Callaway FT-3. Briny Baird games an old Taylormade 300 Ti driver, and he's considered one of the most accurate off the tee on tour.
Mike Stachura, one of Golf Digest's "Equipment Editors" (he's also known as Gouge in their "Bomb & Gouge" equipment blog) has even gone so far as to call people who don't upgrade their equipment regularly "pretenders" (full disclosure: I wrote a nasty response, the jack@ss never apologized, so I stopped buying Golf Digest). Honestly... according to Stachura, anyone not gaming the "newest and bestest" are only pretending to golf. That's the type of BS they try to feed you.
The point is, you'll be fine with what you have, so long as it's properly fitted. The only real difference is, if you're very accurate off the tee, you can use whatever size driver head you like. If you're not that straight, you'd be better off with something over 400cc's. That's it.
While I'm thinking about it: it doesn't matter what your handicap is. You're never "too good" or "too bad" to be properly fitted. You wouldn't wear shoes too big or too small, or clothes that didn't fit properly, so why should you play clubs that don't fit (thus making a tough game even tougher)?
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Other Answers (4)
- Because it doesn't make sense.
That would be like suggesting every baseball player share the same equipment in a real game.
And your NASCAR comparison is not accurate - because in golf there are equipment limits via the rules in which all players equipment must fall, just like equipment rules in racing - and what you're suggesting is something like IROC (which they don't do anymore, in part because it was nearly impossible for them to make matching/out of the box cars, just like it would be impossible to select exactly matching clubs).36% 4 Votes - Which clubs? Titleist, Nike, Mizuno? What about the ball? Does everyone ahve to use the same shaft length, stiffness, and lofts?
I mean, it's an interesting idea, but it will NEVER HAPPEN. Anyway, the top pros have the best equipement for THEIR SWING, because they've all been tweaked.9% 1 Vote - Because the PGA is a business. And it would create a contractual nightmare. Another idea, from Jack Nicklaus, would be play a restricted ball. I am 47 and I am hitting the ball further now than I was 25 years ago.0% 0 Votes
- Not sure, it probably would not matter. Most of the clubs are the same anyways.0% 0 Votes
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