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Cleveland, Ohio . . . A hotspot for golf innovation?
by Taylor Spalding
In the past century Cleveland folk have made
some very important contributions to the evolution of golf. Here is a brief summary.
Past
Rubber cored ball invented by
Clevelander -- According to the forward of The Art Of Golf, by
Sir Walter Simpson, the game of golf was changed radically in 1898 by a Cleveland area
resident named Coburn Haskell. Although he was only an average golfer, Haskell was very
disappointed with the gutta percha ball. With the creative juices flowing he decided to
visit his friend at the Goodrich Rubber Company. His friend was very busy and suggested
that Haskell might enjoy walking around the plant. While meandering about, he happened
upon a pile of rubber strippings. He began to wonder how a better golf ball might be made
by winding these rubber strippings around a solid rubber core. With the help of his friend
at Goodrich, Haskell developed the rubber cored ball. This new ball revolutionized golf as
much as the gutta percha ball did when it replaced the feather stuffed ball in the
mid-nineteenth century.
IMG founded by Clevelander -- Realizing
that sports figures would be turning into major celebrities, Clevelander Mark McCormack
founded IMG. With a strong belief that these emerging stars would need professional
management, McCormack signed on Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer as his first clients.
Since then IMG has grown into one of the largest sports management and marketing companies
in the world. IMG is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. And of course IMG at present is
representing Tiger Woods, a golfer that will likely eclipse all that has happened before
him in the world of golf.
Medicus invented by Cleveland area
inventor-- This device is essentially the technological grandchild of The Ernest
Jones method. Jones often used a pocketknife attached to the end of a handkerchief to
demonstrate the pendulum properties of swing. See "Swing The Clubhead." This could
possibly be the second greatest training device ever devised. Invented by Bob Koch from
the west side of Cleveland, the Medicus has earned the Davis Love endorsement. I lived on
the west side for a time and recall seeing the yet to be named Medicus being demonstrated
back in 1988 or 1989 at Sweetbriar, a public course in Avon, Ohio.
Future
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