Re: ShopTalk: Why no improvement?

[Jeremy Ingle]

Bernie. Wonderful-- Keep it up.
Jeremy

Bernie Baymiller wrote:

Al,

Speak for yourself, Al Taylor. After 6 months off for shoulder surgery
repairs, all drugged up for the kidney transplant and with a band of
dialysis fat (peritoneal fluid is a sugar solution) still around the lower
middle, I started playing again three weeks ago. Among seven sloppy
80-somethings (all under 85 and four consecutive rounds at 81) were two
rounds in which I played one nine 2-under and another nine 1-under, for a 76
and a 75. Am driving the ball like I was 30 again...just as far and more
accurately with my 48" longstick. When I stop blading simple chip shots and
the putter swing stops wobbling, I'll be as good as I ever was. (My optimism
springs eternal.) Not only that, but sometime this summer, I'll have all my
33 years of collected junk moved to a new house looking down on the second
green. The cart path is right on the edge of my back yard, cart parked 50
feet away behind my basement door, and I'm a couple minutes by cart from the
range and clubhouse. With an NF4 to profile and custom match my clubs, I'll
have better equipment than ever. And, if my body cooperates, I'm bound and
determined to not only get back to a 2, but also shoot my age next year
(70). I wonder if there are any openings in Q-school? :-) Betcha that I'd
meet TFlan there, too.

Guess I ought to mention, I couldn't have done it without the clubmaking
help of Shoptalkers all the way back to Bozman. And, I certainly appreciated
all the support when I needed it...my "new" 33 year-old kidney is working
great...BP this morning (barely awake) was a nifty 113/68 a year and a half
from transplant. How's that for a nearly septuagenarian?

Bernie
Writeto: [EMAIL PROTECTED]


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Al Taylor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 3:56 PM
Subject: Re: ShopTalk: Why no improvement?


  

Well Dave,
I read the rest, now here is the best.  Reason is: 1)  More golfers in
    

last
  

decade?  I donno, doubled the population?  New golfers = higher scores and
averages.  2)  Old pharts.  We, that's right, you included, are getting
older (thank goodness), some with larger girths, and are not what we used
to be.  Even Bernie and TFlan.  These take the scores up.

High tech weapons.  1)  Balls.  My balls seem to play much better than
    

they
  

used to.  2)  Heads.  Much more forgiving etc.  3)  Shafts.  Generally
    

able
  

to improve the game if fitted correctly.

Theorum:  More newer and older golfers cancel the equipment improvements
for a net handicap change of zero.  If Tom W gets out of the component
business, handicaps will sky rocket.



Al

At 12:38 PM 5/26/2004, you wrote:
    

It is generally agreed that the average handicap has not dropped in the
past ten years. (I have seen references. All estimate the ten-year change
between 0 and 0.25 strokes improvement.)

Why do you think this is, given all the improvements in golf club and
      

ball
  

technology over the same period?

BTW, this lack of improvement on average also seems to be true for the
tour professionals. So I can't write it off to a huge influx of novices
dominating the stats.

DaveT