The hornets nest has been kicked. The bear has been poked. Superman’s cape has been tugged.
The R&A and the USGA have released a joint study stating that the pros are hitting the golf ball longer. Really? Surprise, surprise! I could have told them that long ago as well as any golf fan who has tuned in during the last few years.
It’s been debated for years among the talking heads that are paid to fill hours of TV time and the writers trying to gather some clicks on their websites. But this time things may be different.
In some quarters there is talk of “rolling back the ball” a position favored by the Greatest of All Time, Jack Nicklaus himself. And there has been talk about this for years but the ruling bodies have yet to act on that. But the difference this time is that they seem to be positioning themselves for such a move.
But as we saw years ago with the banning of Ping’s square grooves a lawsuit will quickly follow any attempt to restrict distance of the balls on the market.
Is there really a problem here? Is this something that the average amateur golfer cares about? Isn’t that one of the main attractions of the game… watching that ball soar out there out of sight? Yes, and no.
First, the pro golfer is hitting it longer for a myriad of reasons. They are bigger, stronger and more athletic. Today’s pros have been one sport focused for decades before they earn their cards and have everything from coaches to Trackman to nutritionists to gurus refining their game. Their equipment is the best ever and refined to a degree that pros like Nicklaus and Palmer could never have seen. And we are talking clubs and balls…the balls aren’t the only factor driving the increase in distance. Even the course agronomy plays a part with firmer grounds promoting more roll.
Yes, the pros are hitting it farther. But is that necessarily a bad thing? I don’t know.
True, much of the appeal of the modern game is the long ball…the really long ball. Watching Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and all the rest bomb it is a big draw for the average golf fan. At the same time dropping a monster putt or holing a sand shot is also. And a wedge for eagle as Thomas laid on us this past Sunday is about as thrilling as it gets. But let’s remember it was his long drive that put that wedge in his hands in the first place.
Here is where I, like many are conflicted. Now, I enjoy watching the long ball. In fact, even when I find the middle of my driver (no too often for sure) I hit the ball farther than I have in years. Modern driver technology and a responsive ball make it so, not any increase in my skill level. And that technological advantage shouldn’t change.
Any technological improvement in equipment that lets the everyday golfer hit it longer and straighter and improves our chance of a better score and therefore a little more joy from this confounding game needs to be embraced not prohibited.
But I do recognize the issue with the pros increased length when it comes to playing on the classic courses.
The USGA, PGA of America, Augusta National and the R&A have had to lengthen their courses to accommodate this increase in distance. 7500 yards seems to be the magic number now but the classic courses that normally dominated the rota of the U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Open Championship are hard pressed to accommodate so long a course.
This year’s US Open will play on a classic favorite of the USGA, Shinnecock Hills. In 1995 Corey Pavin won there at 6,994 yards. In ’04 Retief Goosen putted his way to victory over 6996 yards. In June it will play at 7,445 yards.
That’s a heck of a lot of yards that were squeezed out of the Long Island sand. Seventeen new tee boxes were built and acres of fairway were converted to rough to challenge these cannon shots. That’s not the Shinnecock that regularly sits inside the top ten ranked courses in the world. That’s a long driving championship with a pedigree.
So here is where the real question arises: Is today’s pro too long for classic courses? It isn’t that the ball goes too far…we amateurs need those balls.
So while Augusta National buys up adjoining property to lengthen their course and the other major organizations force their courses to spend millions to add yards the classics may be left in the dust. And that’s sinful.
I don’t know the answer here. Maybe that horrid word, “bifurcation” with separate balls for pros and everyday players. Maybe restrictions on other equipment like drivers but all of that will end up in lawsuits and drag the game down.
I loved watching the US Open at Merion, a real classic with an unrivaled history in the game. It played at 6,996 yards. It’s a course that Nicklaus himself praised, “Acre for acre, it may be the best golf course in the world.” And Shinnecock holds a special place in US Open lore as do other classic courses in all the majors.
Maybe we should care less about par and how far under par these guys can get. Or maybe driver wedge is the natural evolution of the game. I don’t have the answer.
But excluding old school, classic courses from the majors isn’t the answer. 8,000 yard courses isn’t either. And stealing extra yards from hackers is blasphemy.
There’s no simple answer here. I just hope I get to see more Merions in the rotation.
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