I'm a former PGA club pro extremely close to my 50th birthday. I have been playing golf since I was 3 years old, growing up on a resort course where my father was the pro. I have seen a great many changes in the game in the last 45 years. One not so good in my mind.
When I was a kid, golf could not be mastered with equipment alone. Granted you still have to learn to play, but the learning plateaus are so much shorter now. When I was a senior in high school (1977) breaking 80 would very likely put you in the high school state championship tournament. Now the kids are progressing so quickly you have to shoot around par to be an individual qualifier. Do the kids take it more seriously now and practice more than 30 years ago? Maybe a higher percentage do, but still the equipment has made the game almost too simple. Not necessarily to score, but to strike the ball purely. I am all for enjoying the game and achieving lower scores , but seeing 16 and 17 year old kids turning pro and actually having the game but not the mental maturity to compete is somewhat frightening. I long for the days of a slow learning process and a stronger feeling of accomplishment. Where the combination of your physical game and mental game was an aging process. Now MY age is showing!
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