Not surprisingly, technology was big at this year’s show, which included high-tech computer analysis of golfers swings, from putting to full swings. But is this really a positive direction for helping golfers improve their games? Let me first tell you that I am, what I consider, a bit of a “tech guy”. I have a Dell PC AND a MAC, satellite radio in my car, HD televisions with DVRs, the new Blackberry Curve, and the new Apple Itouch. And of course I do use video when giving a lesson. So I should be on board with all of this new stuff. But I’m not. Why?
Before I answer that, let me say that some of this stuff is pretty cool; several different camera angles, force plates to show where a golfer’s weight is moving throughout the swing, even one that is done like when they make video games (they put little balls on the golfer and the club and the computer tracks the balls and creates an image – very cool). It only stands to reason that the rest of our lives have improved in many areas (some would question that statement), shouldn’t it also hold true for helping golfers learn to play better golf? I don’t think so.
While it’s true that we are learning a lot about what is going in a golfer’s swing by using the latest technology, I’m not sure that this information is what a student really needs. Again, this technology is generally giving feedback based on computer models, or comparisons of tour players, and that information in the wrong hands (which is most golfers and some instructors) is the kiss of death. I find myself using less video each year with students, then I did the year before, and sometimes not at all. I find that kind of visual feedback can be overwhelming and can many times do more damage than good. That’s why in my book, The Negotiable Golf Swing, I focus on helping the golfer understand cause and effect, the relationship between the clubhead and the ball at impact and the results, the ball’s flight. Then how the negotiable elements influence the movement of the club. Without this understanding I don’t care if you have a million-dollar computer analyzing a golfer’s swing. Video and computer analysis can sometimes be a nice supplement to helping a student. However, give me an hour helping a golfer understand ball flight, some of the negotiable elements that he can change to improve it, versus an hour viewing 6 different camera angles of a golfers swing and showing him what he does differently than Tiger, and we’ll see which guy is further along after the hour is over.
In the end, golf is a motor skill performed by a human being. You can guess where my money is.

So I just returned from the PGA Merchandise show. Pretty much the same thing year after year. However, I did come back with a couple of interesting things I learned.
The USGA has approved, on a case-by-case basis, golf clubs that have shafts that can be removed and easily replaced with a tool. Before the shaft and clubhead had to be permanently installed with epoxy or by some other permanent method. Of course you still can’t change it during the course of the round, so I don’t know what the big deal really is. It’s not adjustable; it just allows shafts to be changed out quickly with use of a small wrench. I saw Callaway’s system, and Taylor Made just announced theirs. I’m sure this will be the trend that most manufacturers will follow. But what’s the real benefit? Well, it’s good for a golfer who wants to have the ability to change shafts without buying a new club. I overheard someone say that almost 20% of the drivers are re-shafted, but I can’t believe that number is based on original owners doing that. At least that’s not my experience. So I think this will be beneficial to a small group of players. I think the real beneficiaries; will be golf pros like myself, who have a demo program, and the golfers who like to try out several different combinations of heads and shafts, before making their purchase decisions. It will reduce the number of clubs that the pro or golf store will have to carry, but the number of combinations can be increased, by carrying say, three different lofts, but eight different shafts. Before that same combination would require me to carry 24 different clubs! And of course they can easily be changed right on the practice tee. I think this will prove to be beneficial for both the retailer and the golfer.
I have partnered with Phil Franke (he did the illustrations in my book) and the guys at MasterStrokesGolf.com. They have provided me with some wonderfully illustrated golf tips that I hope to share with you through this blog. Here’s the first one, which is on the rules. If you’d like to see it click this link Download file. Don’t fear the word “download”, its only going to open a PDF file!