Technology, courses always in state of change

While the sport of golf has been around for more than 500 years, the pace of change in the game probably hasn't been any faster than the last few decades.

Technological advancements have brought changes in balls, clubs, training techniques and even the golf courses.

"It's funny. With all the technological advancements, most people still shoot the same score they've always shot," said Mark Allen, who operates Golf Mart of Cape Girardeau. "That gets to another frontier of exploration: the mental part of the game."

Allen, a former golf club designer who plays competitively, has some tools at his store that will help golfers improve their game and gain confidence. Among them is a launch monitor that was installed in the past year. The monitor is a high-speed camera that makes calculations on a player's swing after taking photographs around the time of the impact.

"It calculates backspin, sidespin, launch angle, ball speed, clubhead speed," said Allen, who said those numbers can help a golfer select the correct driver and other clubs to achieve maximum length.

Also new to the Cape Girardeau area in the last year is teaching pro Chris Schneider, who came from the Nike Golf Learning Center in Orange County, Calif., and has been teaching at Arena Golf Learning Center since last spring.

One of Schneider's teaching tools is a video analysis machine, which he inherited from Mike Uhls and the Heartland Golf Academy.

"It can break the swing down to a hundredth of a second," said Schneider, who then uses a computer monitor to show golfers how different parts of their body are positioned during the swing. "The biggest change in golf is the swing. It's a more compact swing, which is more friendly for shorter guys. People find they can hit it just as far and be more accurate."

Golf courses in the area also have made adjustments, some to make the game more challenging and some to make the experience more enjoyable:

* Dalhousie Golf Club, a private club that opened in June 2002, contracted with a new management group last fall. The course also will have more ground broken by construction crews than by weekend hackers with a habit for creating divots.

OB Sports, an Arizona firm which operates 20 golf courses around the U.S., will manage and market Dalhousie.

Andy Diero began his assignment as general manager in December. He previously had worked for OB Sports in opening the Aliante Golf Club in North Las Vegas.

He said the company's 33 years of experience and national properties will be an asset for Dalhousie's development.

"Because of the number of courses we manage, we can take advantage of some preferential pricing on golf cart leases and merchandise," Diero said. "We've been in the business a long time and we can lend experience of things we've tried that have been successful."

Diero will oversee a building boom at Dalhousie this year and next.

Construction on the Members Manor, which will house the clubhouse, men's and women's locker rooms, dining and a pub, will begin this spring with completion expected sometime in 2006.

Ground has been broken on the pro shop, which should be finished in the summer.

Diero said cottages for temporary housing of out-of-town members also will be built this year and "sometime shortly, we will have the first two cottages available for the summer."

He also expects some housing construction from those who have purchased lots to build homes in Dalhousie.

"One of the things about Dalhousie that's so neat is that it's really a hidden gem, and we're trying to help people find out about it," Diero said. "We're hoping someday people refer to Cape Girardeau as the place Dalhousie is located."

* Cape Girardeau Country Club hired its current general manager in 2004 as well.

Dave Kaesheimer, who is beginning his first full golf season in the area, said he and the membership of the club still are setting priorities about any new projects there.

The club's historic clubhouse dates to 1921 and the course had some recent modifications.

"Other than working on the normal wear and tear, we're in the planning stages right now," Kaesheimer said. "We're looking at the feasibility of replacing the sand bunkers, releveling some tee boxes. We have a lot on the plate, we just determined the priorities yet."

* Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course, which is coming up on the 50th anniversary of its opening, made some recent changes on its course. "They added some moguls just to make things a little different," said golf course manager Jason Karnes, another new addition to the area golf scene having joined the Cape Girardeau Parks and Recreation Department in January.

* Kimbeland Country Club in Jackson reported no major projects at its course. Attempts to reach officials at Perryville Country Club were not successful.

* Bent Creek Golf Course manager Mike Litzelfelner said his staff always is making changes to improve the public golf course in Jackson. Most noticeably this year, he said, work has been done on the bunkers and also on the irrigation system to keep the course -- and particularly the greens -- in better shape.

"We never quit making improvements," Litzelfelner said. "We try to create an atmosphere that's challenging for everyone and enjoyable for everyone."

Schneider and Allen both note that the game of golf should be about enjoyment.

"It can be frustrating," Schneider said, "but as long as you realize it's only a game and you can overwhelm it with fun."

Schneider offers classes and lessons for all ages out of Arena Golf, including a class on tempo and rhythm, which he calls "kind of the Holy Grail of golf."

He said one thing having a large impact on the game is hybrid clubs, similar to 5 woods and 7 woods.

"You're not going to see long irons anymore," Schneider said.

Allen was a part of many changes with clubs during his years in research and development for club manufacturers, but he said golf balls actually are making greater technological strides, particularly in aerodynamics.

"The science that goes into a golf ball is amazing," Allen said. "The new balls are more durable and fly a whole lot straighter. The high-end balls actually give you the best of both worlds. They give you less spin when hit with a driver, and on a shorter club when the swing speed is slower, it gives you more spin.

"The club technology has been slowing down just because we're getting close to a lot of limits."

Allen said one club always manages to sell well, and it gets back to the mental game. "People buy putters," he said, "more than any other club in the bag."