Equipment Vs. Skill: Do Expens Essay, Research Paper

A revolutionary breakthrough in golf club technology.” These claims are often made when a new golf club hits the market. Golf companies, through new technology can make the clubface harder which results in longer shots. Although the clubface is an important part of the golf club, the shaft is equally important. New clubs have lightweight, graphite shafts, which lower the center of gravity therefore making the clubhead speed faster at impact. Again, the outcome is a longer golf shot. Long shots aren t always the answer to improving a golf score, but the accuracy. Offset and weighted clubheads are becoming more popular. They reduce sidespin, which cause slices and hooks which, in turn, affect the score drastically.

Callaway Golf has built a new club that has shattered the competition in which golf companies have participated in for hundreds of years. They have engineered a golf club, which achieves long distance shots with minimal effort. They take titanium fragments and mould them into a clubhead design by force. This compresses the metal and when a ball is struck, it creates an elastic effect which gives the ball extra flight. The club has received varying reviews from five stars to one. This is because it sacrifices accuracy for distance. A beginner or even intermediate golfer who strikes shots with sidespin will have a hard time hitting accurate shots because the club will exaggerate the action to the side. Even so, this club will improve distance and therefore get a golfer from tee to green faster and in less shots, thus lowering the score.

A good golf shaft is imperative for an effective golf club. Most golf clubs now are made with lightweight graphite to increase swing speed and so that golf club manufacturers can extend the shaft longer. Both of these result in a longer golf shot. A new material has been introduced to the golf world in the past few years, this is called Ultralite Graphite. Ultralite shafts have been reduced to as low as 55 grams, this is incredibly light. Due to the lightness of the shaft, the center of gravity is lowered and it increases the downward force and the swing speed of the golf club. These factor greatly into increasing the distance of the ball flight and roll. Again, the further it goes, the less it takes to get to the green. As a direct result of the light shaft, a golfer must completely alter their swing to accommodate the different weight. This setback is a small one, which can be said with any new club, the player must react and adapt to a different feel.

Distance is all well and good, but at some point a golfer must weigh the importance of distance over accuracy, or in some cases, accuracy over distance. Now that the study of the golf swing has reached a new level, so has the technology that goes into the making of a golf club. Offset clubs are an up and coming thing in golf. In this design, the clubhead is set slightly back in relation to the shaft, this results in the shaft getting further ahead of the clubhead than it usually would. By achieving this in the golf swing, the chance of a slice is lowered. Not only does the position of the head make an impact but also the weight distribution in the clubhead. Weights are now being put in the heel and toe of the club so that the club will turn a specific way and create a sound golf shot. Improved accuracy is a definite plus for any golfer and can never be one hundred percent constant. These golf clubs keep the ball on the fairway and give the golfer a better chance at hitting the green and lowering scores.

Accuracy is probably the second most sought out skill in golf, number one being distance. These two game variables are equally important in that usually when one is heightened the other takes a hit. A golfer must find a median between these two and this is usually achieved by selecting the right clubs. Golf equipment can only go so far, there has to be an inherent skill somewhere that defines the Tiger Woods from the Sunday hacker with the nice clubs. Golf is about 99% subjective on your swing. How far will that extra 1% get you?