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    Categories: Blog

The Golf Industry Has Changed A Lot In 20 Years

Where were you in 1998? Bill Clinton was half-way through his second term running the nation, The Chicago Bulls had just broken the hearts of the Utah Jazz for the second straight year to win the NBA Championship. Mark O’Meara dominated the golf world winning the Masters and The Open Championship. John Elway and the Bronco’s defeated the Green Bay Packers for the first of back to back Super Bowl wins. For me, I pulled off the biggest win of my life in convincing the best woman ever created to be my wife! For those of us old enough to remember 1998, it seems like just yesterday, however for the kids dominating the professional golfing world of today, it’s almost a lifetime ago. In our ultra-fast paced progressive world, it seems like companies come and go in a blink. Ideas, fads, and 10 second clips battle for our attention every moment of the day. It’s a rare feat for a business organization to not just survive, but to thrive for such a period of time. My hat is off to Craig and Rick and the fine folks at Avid Media for making an impact and bringing value for the last 200 months!

A lot has changed over the last 18 years, and if you’ve been fortunate or misfortunate to have been roaming the fairways or cursing the rough since the late 90’s, like us you’ve been a beneficiary of golf equipment industry innovations from golf balls to Dopplar radars and everything in between. Each new idea and innovation, designed to help us play this crazy game with a little more flare, precision, and enjoyment, what do you remember?

Every now and then we will have a client come through our fitting who talks about the good ol days of persimmon woods and how pure they felt when you struck them in the center. But remember when the Callaway Big Bertha Driver came out? Those babies were huge, literally and figuratively at 265cc! Naysayers were quick to dismiss “metal” woods as a fad not long for the game. Soon after the release, Callaway claimed 70% of professional golfers were playing Callaway metal drivers. Or maybe you waited and pulled the trigger with the launch of the Taylormade 300 Series drivers released in 2000 with club sizes up to 360cc? The first mainstream driver with a flexible face [COR of USGA limit .830 with 3 different head sizes to provide options for a better fit? Were you quick to rush out and purchase the first edition of the Pro V1 released to the public in 2000 after Titleist dominated the ball market with its soft feeling, far flying Professional line? Or maybe your ball of choice was the Top Flight Strata with the first multi-layer cover released, or the Maxfli Revolution with its urethane cover, wound layer, and solid core designed for distance and feel.

Maybe you were one of the first guys in your foursome to show up to the course with a crazy new club called a rescue designed to be played like an iron with more versatility out of the rough. Or were you convinced that the Adams tight lies fairway woods were the last fairway woods you would ever need?

Did you wait to purchase the 2 ball putter? The innovative visual aid to help see the line and strike the putt with more consistent center contact providing an extremely soft feel. Variations of the two ball continue to fill the new putter line up to this day.

For all the knocks some manufacturers have received for producing too many products too frequently, I’ve got to say that what we have on the market today is absolutely stellar. The combination of forgiveness, speed, feel, and customization bring a whole new level to equipment designed and fit for the player, not the player adjusting to the equipment. Trackman Radar technology and fitting systems available today provide real solutions to common golf swing and performance problems vexing players of all levels. In honor of the great accomplishment of Avid reaching the 200 issue mark, The Club Fix has a special one time offer for those looking to get their game custom fit and built to their swing. See our add on page ____. Here’s to another 200 issues and all of the fun and challenging experiences to come as we invest our time and energy into the greatest game ever invented!

Todd Swallow: