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 Club makers breathe a collective 'whew' USGA OKs big titanium clubs; announces test of 'trampoline effect'
Posted: Monday June 22, 1998 12:50 PM
SAN FRANCISCO (CNN/SI) - That sound of rushing air you heard Wednesday afternoon was the collective sighs of golf's big equipment manufacturers. Thanks to the United States Golf Association's announcement that all clubs currently on the market will conform to new testing standards, equipment players such as Callaway, Taylor Made and Titleist will not be forced to spend millions in legal fees defending their newest products. But according to golf's governing body, future club development will have to pass the new standard designed to measure the "spring-like effect" of golf balls off of metal woods, golf's ruling body in the U.S. said. In a decision that relieved club manufacturers, the USGA said that "virtually all" of the current titanium clubs would pass a proposed new standard to measure the rebound of a golf ball off a golf club. "We are not uncomfortable with what we see in the market today," said David Fay, USGA executive director. The USGA's announcement came after speculation arose in the last few months that it would move to rein in the latest technological advances in titanium clubs. The organization said it has developed a test to measure the springboard effect from golf clubs and would be sending it to manufacturers for comment. "We don't believe that clubs submitted at this point have lessened the skill to play the game at championships such as the U.S. Open or at a recreational level," Fay said. The people who did nearly $2.5 billion in wholesale business on clubs and balls last year came out swinging at even the hint of a revision by the USGA on equipment standards. Callaway Golf, maker of the Big Bertha drivers and pioneer of oversized clubs, took out full-page ads in national publications, followed quickly by Ping, an innovator in perimeter weighting, attacking any change in standards by the USGA. It was clear the equipment makers were willing to do battle even before the battle lines were drawn. They see no need to save the game from technology. A major factor in the increased sales for clubmakers is the turnover in equipment generated by advances in technology. The most troubling number for the industry is that the average drive on the PGA Tour has increased from 260 yards to 269 yards in five years. The most troubling number for the USGA is that the average handicap of a recreational player has dropped from 16.8 to only 16.6 since 1981.
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