Chuck Stogel first took up the game of golf at the age of 12, as a walk-on at the local muni course in his hometown.

He came fully prepared with a set of hand-me down clubs from his uncle. The woods were really wood, the putter blade was microthin and, if memory serves, the irons were a set of Joe Turnesa models by Spalding, probably made in the late 1940s, with the leather grips unraveling. They had steel shafts but were painted brown because some players were still having trouble adjusting from hickory shafts to chrome.

There wasn't a lot of "game improvement" in clubs back then, and virtually no forgiveness on off-center hits.

For attire, the young aspirant was wearing baggy shorts and a pair of green Converse sneakers. And the balls he had were either Spalding or Dunlop, most of which were round enough, but the covers, unfortunately, cut all too easily.

Let's just say, in the intervening years, both the golfer and golf equipment have come a long way since.

An avid enthusiast who firmly believes, "Any day on the golf course beats a day in the office," Chuck has been testing, reviewing and writing about golf equipment for more than 20 years. He certainly favors some limits on the manufacture of clubs and balls, but would like to see them at a minimum because "most golfers need all the help they can get. Don't penalize the bulk of us because tour players come from a different realm."

His basic equipment credo: "Better golf through technology." And, as the population ages, Chuck has added a codicil for senior citizens: "Better golf through pharmacology." Who doesn't recognize ibuprofen as the 15th club in the bag? Most of all, to one and all: Enjoy.