Innovation always has been a constant in golf. But Barney Adams, creator of the popular Adams Tight Lies fairway woods, said it's really a matter of what's old is new. Metal-headed drivers go back to 1850. Technology, however, has allowed designers to refine new materials to fit innovations. Metal woods may have been around in 1850, but they weren't as efficient as they are in 1999.
Golf companies spend millions of dollars each year trying to find the new hot material.
Liquidmetal Golf believes it's on the verge of a breakthrough with its new metal. Adams begs to differ. Most of the materials' success story comes from the marketing departments. Adams is a strange contrarian in this case. Unlike Callaway, he supports the USGA's efforts to limit technology's impact on the game, even though any negative ruling could have a serious effect on his business.