Golfers chase a better game through technology and purchasing "the next big thing." Here's my list of innovations that truly changed the game for the better: Driver: Callaway Big Bertha. It introduced the idea of lightweight drivers with oversized heads. Honorable mentions: Taylormade for the first mass-market metal woods and also for adjustable weights/lofts/faces. Woods: Adams for bringing us utility/hybrid woods. Irons: Ping Eye, for both perimeter weighting and square grooves. Honorable mention: Tommy Armour for their T100 titanium irons. Lousy? Sure. But the introduction of titanium to irons paved the way for others to provide composite irons made up of steel, titanium, and other materials. Wedges: Alien wedges for their high-bounce approach, making bounce angles a point of consideration when selecting wedges. Putters: Ping Anser for introducing perimeter weighting. Ball: Titleist ProV1 and ProV1x. Not even close. Titleist single-handedly moved the golf world (at its highest levels, anyway) from balata, windings, and liquid centers to urethane, and multiple layers. They were the leaders in balata balls and displaced themselves with their new product! What an amazing chance to take! Honorable mention: Spaulding for their Strata, the first multi-layer ball, a concept that is universally held by top manufacturers. Honorable mention (2): Bridgestone for their low-compression "Laddie." A golfer on a mini-tour was tearing it up with a Precept "Lady," a low-compression ball made for women. Turns out, lower compression helps most golfers! They turned the "Lady" into the "Laddie" and now all manufacturers produce lower compression balls. Bag: Not "bag," really. But "strap." Before Izzo came onto the scene, bags were carried by an awkward single strap over one shoulder. But Izzo developed a second strap that could be attached to your bag, allowing you to carry your bag balanced on both shoulders (and without requiring balance from your off hand--a real plus). Almost overnight, bag manufacturers incorporated this concept into their bags. Now, it is almost impossible to purchase a single-strap bag. Honorable mention: whoever invented the stand bag. Shoes: Adidas for bringing athletic designs to what was a staid lineup of dress shoes with spikes or grandpa's loafers. Honorable mention: Softspikes for sparking a revolution away from metal spikes. Tees: None. Seriously. Don't be fooled by the hype. Look at the pros. If there was any advantage in using those, they'd be doing it. But they don't, because it doesn't matter. GPS/Range Finders: The GPS field was quickly overwhelmed by iPhone apps, but range finders were led by Bushnell. My Personal Favorite: The Cleveland VAS 792. Extreme offset, extreme perimeter weighting. And ugly, too! I left these behind 20 years ago, but I often wonder why.
