Technology and Golf…Good or Bad
“You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the farther you get.” – Michael Phelps
When looking at the game of golf today, things have changed drastically in the last few decades. The game of golf has long been a game of imagination and feel, a sport that has many different ways to accomplish the same goal. There is no one golf swing that is taught.
In recent years, the game has seen a dramatic influx of technology leading the golfer down the fairway. First there is video analysis for golf instruction. Having the ability to show a player their golf swing, slow down the motion, or even freeze the video in certain positions has provided a gigantic leap forward for golf instruction. It provides the golf professional with a great resource to confirm to the student what they need to work on to improve.
Then there is the launch monitor, and the technological advances in golf equipment. In years past, when you were purchasing a new driver, you found something that you liked the appearance of. You went to the range, it a few balls, and if it felt “good”, you purchased it. Now, you hit balls in front of a launch monitor. You have your ball speed, launch angle, spin rates, and carry distance all measured to provide the optimum distance that can be achieved with your golf swing. Science has started to replace the art of hitting a golf ball.
To go along with the advancement of technology, there are now devices that allow you to monitor your weight distribution and shift during the golf swing or create a 3D image of your swing to review on a computer.
Now don’t be mistaken, I definitely use technology to aid my own golf game and that of the ones I instruct. But what I see being lost are the players. The golf swings of today’s professional golfers are beginning to look more and more alike. For the most part players now play a similar game, hit it a long way off the tee, hit a short iron into the green, make a chip or a putt, and head to the next tee.
Players don’t have to get creative in learning how to get the ball around the course in the fewest number of shots. I don’t feel that we will ever see the short game genius of a Seve Ballesteros or the swash buckling charisma of an Arnold Palmer. Long gone are the unique swings that we witnessed from a Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, or a Jim Thorpe.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. I just wonder if this technology is truly better for the game of golf. A game built on the uniqueness of its courses as well as the players.