Was the change from hickory to steel the biggest change in golf equipment?
No. Reducing the weight of the shafts was bigger. When I played, the shafts were heavy. Now, with lighter shafts, you can gather more clubhead speed. That’s what makes the ball go a long way. How much has the swing changed in the 70 years since you became the father of the modern swing? Very little. The swing is fuller now with lots of extension, lots of time to build clubhead speed. I had a three-quarter swing and used a lot of foot and leg action, which I learned to do on my own because nobody did that with hickory shafts. When Davis Love III came out to the Tour, his backswing was 17 inches longer than mine. It’s the same with Tiger. But there is a reason I still get credit for the modern swing. It’s because I was the first player to use the lower body. You couldn’t use your lower body with hickory; you had to hit against a firm left side. Sarazen said I’d never make it because I had too much lower-body action. Of the great early triumvirate of Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen and Gene Sar
