Golf Humor: Par's Fore!Cast for the state of
Golf in 2055
If you are anything like me, you may sometimes
find yourself thinking about what our world will
be like, ten, twenty, even a hundred years from
now. Thoughts like these don't usually just
pop into my head out of the blue but are triggered
by reading magazine articles or hearing about dramatic
advances in science and technology. After I marvel
at the article's contents and mutter the
obligatory "what will they think of next?",
my mind starts to wander and before you can say "Tiger
Woods is a Capricorn" my eyes are glazing
over (any of you vets out there will recognize
the "thousand yard stare"), I have
assumed the dreamer's classic position (rocked
back in my best chair, feet on the desk, hands
behind my head) and am trespassing on territory
best left to people like H. G. Wells.
Deep Thinking from a Recliner
I generally restrict myself to whimsical wool
gathering about golf rather than more serious topics
primarily because: a) it is pointless for me to
speculate on such serious issues as advances in
science and technology due to the fact that I am
seriously deficient in deep thinking genes; and
b) thinking about serious stuff only gives me a
headache.
Having been a golfer for over thirty years, and
with my special talent with "golf sight",
I am as qualified as anyone else to speculate on
where our great game might be headed. If there
is anyone left who, after reading my prognostications,
still has the slightest inkling that golf has reached
its zenith as far as technology is concerned, I
have news for them…
You think technology is at its peak now in terms
of how far the ball can go and how big the heads
of our drivers can get? Imagine how our great game
will be in 50 years and let your imagination run
wild. What will PGA Tour Events be like then? What
about changes in golf
instruction and equipment? Will they keep making
the ball go farther and if so
just what will the yardage be for that course in
2055? Will they dial the ball back and limit the
super ball effects of the latest entry into the
ball market?
When you think of golf as it was just a mere 50
years ago you can visualize Arnold
Palmer as a
young man, just getting into the game, swinging
a persimmon driver with a plain steel shaft and
hitting a golf ball that was not meant to fly over
300 yards. He didn't have an agent, nor did
his plain white golf shirt sport multiple logos
like a Nascar driver. Golf Pros were a breed that
instead of being idolized by millions and given
celebrity status, they were not even allowed into
the club houses of the courses where they played.
In some circles they were considered worse than
2nd class citizens and told to use the back door!
My, what a change in just 50 years!
As the golfer in 2055 takes a look back through
the years at where we are today with advances in
golf
equipment, instruction, and course design,
they will shake their heads and marvel at what
pioneers we were but also in their heart of hearts
be thinking "how could they hit THAT!?" We
laugh now at the poor fellows that had to contend
with hickory shafts and gutta percha balls. What
will the golfer in 2055 be laughing at?
After some serious analysis of the star charts
and their position within Golfulus (the Golf Constellation,
in case you don't know) I am predicting some
really far out advances in the game. I wanted to
go fifty years into the future for the most impact,
while still being somewhat realistic but some of
what I list here could actually happen sooner.
Maybe some equipment companies will be shocked
to read this because they secretly already have
some of these projects in the hopper. (I have instructed
my heirs to open a secret file if I should suddenly
disappear).
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