Steel or Graphite?
The progression from Hickory to Steel to Graphite to Hybrid shafts show how technology has made the game easier for amateurs, so why do good players, even today, tend to have steel shafted irons?

The answer is FEEL, CONSISTENCY and ACCURACY.

FEEL - ever hit a bad shot with a steel shaft? If you're used to mis-hits on graphite, the vibrations a steel shaft will send up your arm will feel like you're holding a jack-hammer! Steel shafts give you instant feedback on how well you are striking the ball, without being forgiven by the vibration dampening ability of graphite. Steel shafts make bad shots feel worse and good shots feel better, so it's easier to improve to get a swing repeatable.

CONSISTENCY - Graphite shaft fabrication has now made the difference very small, but it's still there - the tolerances for shaft flex and torque are still greater than for steel. That means graphite shafts on a set of irons will have a greater variation range than a set of Dynamic Golds. It may not mean much to a high handicapper, but for those who know their swing well, it makes a huge difference.

ACCURACY - Shot dispersion can make the difference between a birdie putt and a hazard. Steel is well know to keep things tight - a golf professional used to steel can hit 10 shots in a row within 6 feet with a medium iron, change to graphite and that could go to 10 feet! Golf is a game of POWER and ACCURACY, so anything that helps is beneficial.

Of course, steel is not for everyone - Johnny Miller won the Open in 1976 using graphite, and players on the professional tour have graphite shafts on their irons, but don't disregard the benefits of steel as technology marches forward!

Bobby Jones
As long as the game is played, people will remember names such as Tom Morris, Harry Vardon, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, Henry Cotton, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods - and there will be endless debate on who is the greatest golfer of all time.

But one point is unequivocal, and that is who is the best amateur golfer ever to play the game - that accolade belongs to Robert Tyre Jones Jr., better known to the world as Bobby Jones.

This is a man who played no more than the average weekend golfer (about 80 rounds a year) and yet took on professionals at their own game and beat them consistently. A man who won an incredible 62% of National Championships he played and who, in eleven of the last twelve open championships he entered, finished no worse than second. A man who gave up Tournament golf at the age of 28, having won everything the game had to offer and then proceeded to create a golf course and tournament that has come to symbolize the game for many - The Masters.

In 1930, he won the US Open, US Amateur, British Open and British Amateur, Golf's biggest and most prestigious events at the time. The term ''Grand Slam'' had not been invented yet and it was dubbed the ''Impregnable Quadrilateral''. Famed sportswriter OB Keeler wrote it was ''an achievement that will not be repeated until women are running the 4 minute mile''.

What did Bobby himself think of his place in golf history? He said:

''I think we must agree that all a man can do is beat the people who are around at the same time he is. He cannot win from those who came before any more than he can from those who may come afterward. It is human, I suppose, for every man to think that his days were the best.''

Musings - The most important club in the bag
You have 14 to choose from, but which is the one you have to hit well?

There is common agreement that the THREE most important clubs in your bag are your Driver, your Wedge and your Putter. Lack of proficiency with any of these will certainly lead to high scores, and while many enjoy the satisfaction of a long drive, there are an equal number who give themselves a pat on the back for a long putt holed.

My answer is simple - the most important club is the one you choose to play your shot AT THE TIME. Golf is a game played one shot at a time, and every shot counts! Nothing beats confidence, and when you know you have the right club for the right distance, you just trust your swing and let go

One thing for sure, I have never forgotten the advice from my uncle (his golfing buddies called him ''The Butcher'' in his youth, because he used to hit a 5 iron 220 yards - he ''butchered'' the ball). He told me when I started playing to concentrate on my 5,6,7 irons. He said ''Most club play is Match play, not stroke play, and there is nothing more discouraging for the opposition than to see you drive into the rough only to find your second shot on the green''. If you want to win, get accurate with your irons, you'll enjoy golf a lot more!