Equipment of the Past, DBank 1st Hole

[Exactice808]

So some of you I am sure saw the recreated shot by a couple of pro's trying to do the Arnold Palmer shot.

 

 

if not here you go

 

 

Lastly sorry if this has been talked about already....

 

but with all the new equipment blah blah blah no one could recreate the shot? and explain to me how the heck did he drive a real wood, balata ball 346 yards??

 

Dont think pros can drive current distance that far??

 

So is the distance right? Is the equipment really not that advanced? Did Palmer have a better swing?

 

What the heck is going on here? Help me understand this because some people in the other threads tell me how much equipment has changed for the better and that blah blah club is better than blah blah club......

[braker218]

Did you really even watch the video? My guess is no, otherwise you wouldn't have been asking those questions talking about current vs. old equipment blah blah blah blah.

They used persimmon drivers with balata balls. They weren't using current equipment. What the video shows is how impressive Palmer's shot really was.

And if they used current drivers and current balls, a few players would have been able to do it. The fact that I only say a few again shows how impressive it was for Palmer to do that with that equipment.

[Exactice808]

[quote name='braker218' timestamp='1409892731' post='10068249']
Did you really even watch the video? My guess is no, otherwise you wouldn't have been asking those questions talking about current vs. old equipment blah blah blah blah.

They used persimmon drivers with balata balls. They weren't using current equipment. What the video shows is how impressive Palmer's shot really was.

And if they used current drivers and current balls, a few players would have been able to do it. The fact that I only say a few again shows how impressive it was for Palmer to do that with that equipment.
[/quote]

I think you misunderstand me...... I am super impressed and I am actually more so saying that even with the current pro's the current tech, During the regular round I dont think anyone drove the green with their current setups did they?

Secondly I am say that some of the worlds best tried to replicate it and was unable to, more so, make Palmer seem like a BEAST!!!! So again. I am asking is really the 2014 tech better than the 1960 tech?

cause from the video it sure doesnt!

[denvergolf]

[quote name='Exactice808' timestamp='1409895002' post='10068371']
[quote name='braker218' timestamp='1409892731' post='10068249']
Did you really even watch the video? My guess is no, otherwise you wouldn't have been asking those questions talking about current vs. old equipment blah blah blah blah.

They used persimmon drivers with balata balls. They weren't using current equipment. What the video shows is how impressive Palmer's shot really was.

And if they used current drivers and current balls, a few players would have been able to do it. The fact that I only say a few again shows how impressive it was for Palmer to do that with that equipment.
[/quote]

I think you misunderstand me...... I am super impressed and I am actually more so saying that even with the current pro's the current tech, During the regular round I dont think anyone drove the green with their current setups did they?

Secondly I am say that some of the worlds best tried to replicate it and was unable to, more so, make Palmer seem like a BEAST!!!! So again. I am asking is really the 2014 tech better than the 1960 tech?

cause from the video it sure doesnt!
[/quote]yes many hit around, through, ironically Ryan Palmer knocked it on.

[LittleLeftToRight]

From what I read the balls were from 1960, just like the driver. Have you ever seen a 50 year old piece of rubber? Failed experiment if you ask me. Rory would have made it with any normal ball. Ask anyone that still hits a persimmon wood these days (I do for fun sometimes) and they will tell you that yes, they still will launch a ball out there pretty damn far. I also remember back in the 80s guys like Davis Love could make it to 300 yards using balata/persimmon without breaking a sweat. There are other factors too that we don't know about Palmer's feat, like how hard was the ground? Back in the 60s golf courses weren't maintained (i.e. watered) like they are today. I do remember reading that he tried for the first three rounds as well but he didn't make it. He only drove the green on his last attempt.

Personally, I don't think the ball flies that much farther for the average person. It only goes farther for those that optimize the launch and spin. Some people did that back in the day, they just didn't understand what they were doing.

[Golfingfanatic]

If you want to see the difference in tech than look at the not so good shots from the past and now, and not the one palmer absolutely slammed out of the middle.

[Froth]

Palmer was a beast in his hayday, seriously impressive movement into the ball. I'd love to go back in time and bring the 30yr old Arnold to 2014 and throw him on a Trackman.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk66Fej5TS8"]https://www.youtube....h?v=jk66Fej5TS8[/url]

Beast I tell you, beast. Look at the turn at the top, the right leg, the loading in the right side, the lag, just pure immense efficient power. Not to mention he is in phenomenal shape at this point in his career.

Edit: don't worry about the teaching content of that video, just watch Prime time Arnold tearing into some Balata, so awesome.

[Exactice808]

Im speaking out of my you know what, as I have never hit a persimmon nor a balata ball so I have no Idea. I have just heard those things are so hard to hit and being a pro hitting those stuff is at a whole nother level.

I cant imagine though, that people could pound those old equipment 300+ yards back then.... That just seems unreal and amazing!

[LittleLeftToRight]

[quote name='Froth' timestamp='1409902370' post='10068627']
Palmer was a beast in his hayday, seriously impressive movement into the ball. I'd love to go back in time and bring the 30yr old Arnold to 2014 and throw him on a Trackman.

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk66Fej5TS8"]https://www.youtube....h?v=jk66Fej5TS8[/url]

Beast I tell you, beast. Look at the turn at the top, the right leg, the loading in the right side, the lag, just pure immense efficient power. Not to mention he is in phenomenal shape at this point in his career.

Edit: don't worry about the teaching content of that video, just watch Prime time Arnold tearing into some Balata, so awesome.
[/quote]

Wouldn't it be awesome to get all the best players together when they were in their prime? I think they would all be about the same off the tee. Palmer, Nicklaus, Woods. Putting a hurtin' on a golf ball is not a modern invention.

[Kathy Marie]

I know a single digit cap golfer that keeps two indices (hickory and current kit) and he says there are consistently ~2 strokes difference between them. I hope this thread can help with some of the OP's questions:

[url="http://www.golfwrx.com/forums/topic/620362-how-if-at-all-is-your-scoring-affected-by-playing-an-all-classic-kit/"]http://www.golfwrx.c...ll-classic-kit/[/url]

If I understand correctly, the biggest technological leap has been in drivers, which makes Arnie's feat even more impressive. But if I had to put money on it? I think THE way to get more performance from your golf equipment today is by having it fitted. Which they were doing back then too, the pros weren't using off-the-rack equipment

[Froth]

[quote name='Kathy Marie' timestamp='1409959299' post='10072571']
I think THE way to get more performance from your golf equipment today is by having it fitted. Which they were doing back then too, the pros weren't using off-the-rack equipment
[/quote]
Undoubtedly true, you can see evidence of it in the video I posted. The shaft flexes very little in that Video, for that era the shaft had to of been exceptionally stiff and custom fit.

[THenman]

I grew up with balata and persimmion and hit the ball 300 regulary back in the day and was nowhere close to the longest around. The biggest differences IMHO:
1. Balls are much more consistant and don't go out of round like they used to. This means that some old balls were "hotter" than others and also that one was concerned about putting the ball after the drive.
2. Drivers now are MUCH more forgiving than back then. Making it much safer to go all out compared to back then.
3. Driver/ball combo seems longer now. I'm just gettting back to playing and not close to my old swing speed but I'm getting 240yds out of swings I'd think would be 210-220 based om my past exp.

Some of those old pros could really hit the ball...

The guys going backwards were at a disadvantage also from not being fit for the driver and old persimmion drivers really had a different tee height than mordern drivers at least for me!

[DickieThon]

I'm 31, so I didn't really learn the game with balata and persimmon. But I've hit persimmon drivers from time to time, and on a flush shot they're surprisingly long. For the PGA thing, if they're hitting 50-year-old balata balls I'm sure that has something to do with the fact they're not closer to that green.

On the other hand, I think there's a Sports Science episode with Rory and/or Padraig Harrington hitting persimmon vs modern. As I recall, the persimmon driver holds up pretty well to the modern driver, but doesn't match up great with the modern ball because the balls don't spin enough.

[Jolly Golfer]

I play hickory golf (so equipment even older than this video) and to me the two biggest differences are distance and forgiveness. When I flush a hickory, it's pretty much the same result as a modern equivalent. I only use a 7 club hickory set, with a 16* Spoon as my strongest club. My next club isn't until 32* (Mashie) and then I have 6* gaps up to 56*. Once you're within the range of those clubs it is fine, but distances longer than that can be tough. I try to play courses between 5500-6000 yards when playing hickory. Any distance much over that just makes for a long day. I also try to play more classic designs with not many forced carries, water, sand, etc.so that I can play the ball on the ground versus through the air if needed.

[kloyd0306]

TGC (Practice with the Pros) had Mark O'Meara hit his current driver against a Hogan Persimmon that he used on tour - side by side. O'Meara couldn't believe the difference.

[Gem]

[quote name='LittleLeftToRight' timestamp='1409901792' post='10068613']
From what I read the balls were from 1960, just like the driver. Have you ever seen a 50 year old piece of rubber? Failed experiment if you ask me. Rory would have made it with any normal ball. Ask anyone that still hits a persimmon wood these days (I do for fun sometimes) and they will tell you that yes, they still will launch a ball out there pretty damn far. I also remember back in the 80s guys like Davis Love could make it to 300 yards using balata/persimmon without breaking a sweat. There are other factors too that we don't know about Palmer's feat, like how hard was the ground? Back in the 60s golf courses weren't maintained (i.e. watered) like they are today. I do remember reading that he tried for the first three rounds as well but he didn't make it. He only drove the green on his last attempt.

Personally, I don't think the ball flies that much farther for the average person. It only goes farther for those that optimize the launch and spin. Some people did that back in the day, they just didn't understand what they were doing.
[/quote]

I am sure Davis Love went from 286.4 ave. yards with persimmon to 286.8 with his first year using a metal driver.

I think the new tech has brought people closer together not where years ago the long hitters were a good bit longer than the field. Longer shafts and a slight increase in COR with not a lot of drop off all over the face has led to people going a bit longer.
Fitting has optimised people as well where as you say some were already at their limit but by chance rather than science.

On my own course I remember where I used to hit to with old persimmon or laminated drivers in my youth and there is not a huge difference with where I can hit to now although my average will be more due to mishits going further.
What you dont really see now (at club level) compared to years ago is the odd long drive when you got everything right. Todays drivers mean this isn't needed to hit long drives.

Back in the day Faldo wasn't really all that short due to how close to the sweet spot he would hit it meaning he got his max. out of most drives.

[MNoonan]

[quote name='denvergolf' timestamp='1409895250' post='10068391']
[quote name='Exactice808' timestamp='1409895002' post='10068371']
[quote name='braker218' timestamp='1409892731' post='10068249']
Did you really even watch the video? My guess is no, otherwise you wouldn't have been asking those questions talking about current vs. old equipment blah blah blah blah.

They used persimmon drivers with balata balls. They weren't using current equipment. What the video shows is how impressive Palmer's shot really was.

And if they used current drivers and current balls, a few players would have been able to do it. The fact that I only say a few again shows how impressive it was for Palmer to do that with that equipment.
[/quote]

I think you misunderstand me...... I am super impressed and I am actually more so saying that even with the current pro's the current tech, During the regular round I dont think anyone drove the green with their current setups did they?

Secondly I am say that some of the worlds best tried to replicate it and was unable to, more so, make Palmer seem like a BEAST!!!! So again. I am asking is really the 2014 tech better than the 1960 tech?

cause from the video it sure doesnt!
[/quote]yes many hit around, through, ironically Ryan Palmer knocked it on.
[/quote]

No, he didnt. If you listen it clearly states McIlroy was theonly one to get close.

[Gem]

[quote name='MNoonan' timestamp='1410090451' post='10078661']
[quote name='denvergolf' timestamp='1409895250' post='10068391']
[quote name='Exactice808' timestamp='1409895002' post='10068371']
[quote name='braker218' timestamp='1409892731' post='10068249']
Did you really even watch the video? My guess is no, otherwise you wouldn't have been asking those questions talking about current vs. old equipment blah blah blah blah.

They used persimmon drivers with balata balls. They weren't using current equipment. What the video shows is how impressive Palmer's shot really was.

And if they used current drivers and current balls, a few players would have been able to do it. The fact that I only say a few again shows how impressive it was for Palmer to do that with that equipment.
[/quote]

I think you misunderstand me...... I am super impressed and I am actually more so saying that even with the current pro's the current tech, During the regular round I dont think anyone drove the green with their current setups did they?

Secondly I am say that some of the worlds best tried to replicate it and was unable to, more so, make Palmer seem like a BEAST!!!! So again. I am asking is really the 2014 tech better than the 1960 tech?

cause from the video it sure doesnt!
[/quote]yes many hit around, through, ironically Ryan Palmer knocked it on.
[/quote]

No, he didnt. If you listen it clearly states McIlroy was theonly one to get close.
[/quote]

I think they were refering to Ryan being the only one to hit it on during the actual event.