How has technology impacted the golf game?
Image courtesy of Golf Digest
With new technologies such as game improvement irons, smart golf balls, foul-weather gear, and analytics to help guide the golfer, it is hard to realize that the sport has not always been this way. Since the early days of golf, players have continually tried to revolutionize the sport’s equipment.
In fact, the players themselves made the earliest golf equipment out of wood. Soon, they hired craftsmen to produce higher quality equipment. By the 1500s, the playing set included “longnoses” for driving, fairway clubs or grassed drivers for medium range shots, spoons for short shots, and a putting cleek—still made out of wood. It was not until 1750 that craftsmen made the club heads out of iron. In the 1870s, factories began to mass-produce iron club heads, making them more consistent and lighter.
The game grew in popularity as production companies began to experiment with their designs in the 1900s. In 1925, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, the governing body of golf, legalized the use of steel shafted clubs, which provided greater accuracy and durability. It also introduced a 14-club rule, which regulated golfers to carry 14 clubs instead of their average 20 to 30. The traditional names were also soon replaced by today’s numbering system. Following World War II, many golf clubs were introduced, such as the Ping Putter, the graphite shaft, and the Big Bertha driver.
Today, the gear is typically made from metal, and drivers can be adjusted to a certain weight. Golfers have also seen the introduction of custom-made golf clubs, such as PXGs, which cannot be bought at any store, but rather are custom fitted and built for each golfer. Not only have companies remodeled golf clubs, but they have also adapted other parts of the game with the help of technology.
Golf as We Know It Today
One of the first new additions to the course today is golf carts with GPS or a satellite-based Global Positioning System. The golf course management system, powered through a computer and a 10-inch display, shows an overview of every hole to allow the golfer to find the next hole and how to play the shot. The system also provides different views of the course and score data.
Sensors on the golf cart can also determine the distance from the tee to the ball. Using distance measuring lasers, golfers can easily assess the number of yards required for any shot. They can also use swing sensors, attached to gloves or clubs, to measure swing speed, tempo, and angle to guide them in taking a shot. Some golf courses also use sensors beneath the driving range to measure pressure and stance. The Doppler radar can measure the golfer’s movement, the shot distance, and the trajectory of the ball.
Apps such as Arccos are using sensors to provide data tracking to help golfers improve their swings. The sensors, placed at the butt end of a club grip, are all golf-swing based, much like launch monitor technology. The clubs transmit data from the sensors to the app, which then turns the phone into a GPS rangefinder to measure the distance of certain preprogrammed courses. The system captures thousands of location data points during every round to provide golfers with specific advice on how far to hit each shot, which club to use, and what skills they need to brush up on. It also considers elevation and weather, including wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and temperature, as well as collects data on how the golfer grips the club and determines a good grip through machine learning.
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