![\"tourny-sub-header-image-v2\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/tourny-sub-header-image-v2-300x147.png\")
\n![\"unnamed\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/unnamed-300x169.jpg\")
\n <\/p>\n\n
Like many golfers of a certain age, this one views the game\u2019s ever-burgeoning technological advances with ambivalence. No argument that new materials and equipment design have allowed players across the board to hit the ball farther and straighter. New course-mapping software has changed the way we approach strategy; and computer-generated analytics have revolutionized club fitting and swing coaching.<\/p>\n
At the same time, I don\u2019t need a precise calculation of my smash factor to understand that it\u2019s less smash, and more splat, every season; that Iron Byron has morphed into Nylon Byron. What\u2019s more, even though the technological sophistication is often dazzling, it sometimes seems less and less consonant with golf\u2019s most alluring aspects \u2014 a test of raw athletic acumen, combined with fellowship and recreation \u2014 at least for us amateurs.<\/p>\n
So it\u2019s inspirational to chat with two guys in roughly the same cohort, age-wise, who are not only unfazed by the intricacies of technology but have built distinguished careers on it: Barney Adams, CEO of Breakthrough Golf Technology (BGT)<\/a> and Mike Zisman, President \/ CEO of Golf Genius Software<\/a>.<\/p>\n The former has been a fixture in the golf equipment galaxy since founding Adams Golf in 1988, which in turn introduced the Tight Lies line of fairway metals and hybrids, sticks that still enjoy a devoted following. (The company was purchased by TaylorMade in 2012.)<\/p>\n Barney Adams<\/p><\/div>\n His most recent project is the Stability shaft, certain, at $199 MSRP, to appeal to inveterate equipment geeks, pros and accomplished players determined to do anything to improve their putting. The Stability shaft \u2014 the latest iteration is the EI\u2022GJ 1.0 model \u2014 is designed to look and perform better than traditional steel putter shafts, thanks to multi-material construction and \u201cnew geometries never used\u2026..before.\u201d<\/p>\n The underlying theory seems sound: Putter shafts have failed to match enormous technological advances in mostly heavier putter heads, resulting in vibration, deflection and inconsistent performance. The Stability shaft is nearly identical in weight to steel shafts \u2014 it just looks cooler \u2014 and fits any putter head.<\/p>\n Of course, the refreshingly ebullient Adams concedes that the golf equipment industry is \u201ca marketing-driven business, not a product-driven one\u201d \u2014 he was once named Manufacturing Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young \u2014 but he\u2019s also clearly fascinated by the potential of new engineering.<\/p>\n This writer\u2019s unscientific test run with the Stability shaft \u2014 paired with a new Rife Hero head, also cool-looking \u2014 turned into a running gag for my foursome: Not only did I join the 90 percent of users cited on BGT\u2019s website who report improved putting, I concluded that the 56 percent more made putts also touted was too low.<\/p>\n Will it last? Dunno, but it will continue to look really great.<\/p>\n Golf Genius Software\u2019s Mike Zisman may not have attained the household-name status of Adams, but chances are just as good that you\u2019ve benefited from his technological prowess.<\/p>\n Founded in 2009, the company\u2019s reach in managing tournament golf has expanded astronomically. The weekend preceding my conversation with Zisman, the company handled the logistics for some 2,500 tournaments, including 100,000+ rounds of golf played. In the past year, Golf Genius Software has powered almost 18 million rounds of golf in 38 countries, in collaboration with almost 8,000 golf clubs and state and regional associations, including the USGA.<\/p>\n Private clubs comprise about 75 percent of Golf Genius Software\u2019s client base, with the rest being public facilities, helping to schedule leagues, club championships, and one-off events. This approach \u2014 the Golf Genius tag line is \u201cLess Work. More Fun. More Revenue\u201d \u2014 allows course management to cultivate additional revenue streams and spend more time with their golfing customers, less on paperwork.<\/p>\n But while large-scale tournaments represent the biggest chunk of the company\u2019s profit profile, it\u2019s the buddy-trip expertise that ought to prove of greatest interest to beleaguered \u201ccaptains\u201d responsible for arranging such extravaganzas.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t help you decide where to go,\u201d observes Zisman, himself an experienced golf traveler and a member at Merion, Saucon Valley, and Sea Oaks. Everything else, though, including pairings, real-time scoring, and even expense accounting for a group trip, can be handled by a Golf Genius specialist for a $250 fee \u2014 a bargain, as anyone who\u2019s shouldered such responsibilities can attest.<\/p>\n With a Ph.D. in Decision Sciences from Penn, a stint as a professor of computer science at M.I.T., and other extensive experience in software development, Zisman isn\u2019t exactly your average golfer. Like Barney Adams, however, it would be a pleasure to find yourself paired with him on the first tee.<\/p>\n They make technology fun. And it’s not just for kids anymore.<\/p>\n # # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"![\"Barney](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/Barney-Adams-BGT-1093-300x240.jpg\")
![\"GGS_LOGO\"](\"http:\/\/theaposition.com\/tomharack\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2018\/11\/GGS_LOGO-300x150.jpg\"){kind=logo}
The company\u2019s staff of 62 includes 24 PGA professionals who arrange everything from real-time scoring for tournaments and multi-round pairings of participants to custom trip websites to keep traveling golfers current with photos, message boards and other trip data.<\/p>\n