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Golf has undergone a myriad of changes in my 69 years. I’m not sure I can remember everything that happened to the game, ’cause I’m affected by the 50/50 law. If it didn’t happen 50 seconds ago or 50 years ago, it didn’t happen. But, I just drank a couple beers, so that will help my memory.

My first recollections of golf are from when I was a young teenager and saw Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf on TV. My two older brothers got into golf and I saw them coming and going with their bags of funny looking clubs. I had only seen 1 or 2 golf courses by the time I was 15.

In high school, we had one golfer in our class, and that golfer was a girl. She was one of the few in our class whose family had a country club membership, and was interested in the game. She was a good athlete, and she and I shared the Babe Ruth Award for outstanding class athletes (blowing my horn a little). As I recall, as a teenager she was capable of beating her father’s business associates, and often did.

So, there wasn’t much going on in golf for the person of average means. Only the wealthier folks participated. I got a chance to play a couple of times with my oldest brother, but mostly only walked around the course behind him to watch him play. Occasionally, he would let my younger brother and I hit a shot.

I bought a set of clubs one week after I got married, but never used them much until I was about 45 years old. Having five children, working two jobs most of the time and not having much disposable income prevented the opportunity. Then, after waiting that long, I became a fanatic.

Tracing the golf timeline, there were a ton of changes in the equipment and the rules governing the equipment. But, the most important change came in the number of new public courses that were built. Golf course construction exploded all over the country through the 60s, 70s, and 80s. The competition brought the green fees down to a level that the average person could afford, and the public took to it in droves.

The expansion of golf interest was great for all aspects of the game. The touring pros have benefited big time from all the fan interest and sponsor involvement. The equipment industry has grown to enormous sales….with new companies like Callaway and others coming into the picture.

The biggest and best change for me was the creation of The Golf Channel. Now, I have golf 24/7/365!

Here’s a look back at the last decade in the golf industry…the so far nameless decade.  There was a lot of bad, but there was a lot of good, too.

For golfers, this decade provided a lot of improvements in the equipment we use. Here’s a summary of all the changes and innovations.

A Decade of Rules and Regulations
If there was one common theme regarding equipment that covered the entire decade, it would be rules. The USGA and R&A have published The Rules of Golf for some time now that provides the rules and regulations which golfers and manufacturers abide by. Pressured by the rapid advancement in technology, the ruling bodies imposed several technological restrictions to “preserve the integrity of the game.”

At the beginning of the decade, the largest drivers were in the 325 to 350cc range. Many drivers were 250cc (or smaller) and made of stainless steel. Not one driver, today, is made of stainless steel!

2001 yielded the 400cc driver, and in 2002, a 500cc driver became available. The larger driver would have a higher moment of inertia (MOI) and make it easier to hit the ball straighter, even on off-center hits. Then, the USGA began to propose size limits on drivers because Read the rest of this entry »