I still think it comes back to the opportunities/tools/resources available to the average joe to develop into a top notch amateur. Its night and day different.
Kalen, you are absolutely correct. There is a default setting among this group of Grumpy Old Men to attribute everything to equipment making the game easier and the world a lesser place, but I really don't think that has much to do with this.
The vast majority of top notch amateurs started playing golf early in life, most of them in the junior program at a club. That moves
Lots of truth there, but equipment plays a huge role in allowing kids to develop highly functional technique at a very young age.
Years ago kids were learning golf with stiff, heavy cut down steel shafts, making huge compromises in their speed creation and skill development. Now a kid can get a new set that fits every year reasonably affordably with US kids clubs,rather than continually havng to learn to adapt to ill fitted, heavy equipment-which lead to really bad habits.
Of course there are many other factors as I mentioned earlier (more people playing, more athletes taking interest,far better instruction, better programs,better physical conditioned players, better competitive events for juniors)
but there are also many ways to shoot a 74(as there always have been) and there are definitely more players than ever that can swat it out there 280-300 who have less skills in other areas(so far)but manage to be good enough to be low handicap to scratch despite being quite poor(not scratch) in many other areas of the game because they rarely have more than wedge into a green or a wood into a par 5. Translation-they would be far less likely to be scratch if they were facing more fairway woods and long and middle irons that they might've faced years ago on that same classic 6500 yard course they play now.(Many courses have gotten no longer)
Doesn't help them against their competition, but it sure helps them in relation to their handicaps on that same classic course.(throwing out the curent World handicap adjustment)
Then there's the fact that the equipment lengthens the competive span of a player by keeping older players competitive longer, and also the fact that the same 6400 yard course (that may not have changed-example Palmetto) allows older players to shoot scratch level scores for more years than they would've 30 -40 years ago with wood and steel.
To say nothing of the fact that young kids can compete with men at a younger age than ever with light , well fitted equipment(was always true with girls, but moreso now)