What a country…you can buy a game

I was watching one of the recent tour events on TV and couldn’t help but notice all the golf commercials touting how great a particular club was. One club hits it farther than any other on the market, or so the claim. Phil Mickelson says his driver is a game changer. Seems modern equipment is all you need to tool around the course under par, and not one mention about whether any skill is required when swinging said utensils. I have been around golf a long time. I have never seen a club that did not require the individual to have some proficiency regarding proper technique. Remember when they created the offset driver and fairway woods that were guaranteed to cure the average person’s slice? Seen any of those clubs lately? One of my golf buddies just bought the new white head driver. I thought he was hitting the one he had pretty well, but he marveled at how great he hit the new club the first time he used it. On the first tee last week he had his old driver out. Had to work the kinks out of the new one a little more, he said. Wow, how can that be? This was supposedly the be-all of golf clubs. It is amazing how easily people fall for hype. Few want to believe that golf requires effort and that equipment can help, but it won’t compensate for poor fundamentals. I don’t have a problem with manufacturers discussing the research and features designed into their clubs. I do have a problem with saying the club does all the work. What I would like to see from golf companies is a message that says this equipment along with practice and good instruction will do wonders for your game. I don’t think that is too much to ask for.