Easy Fix to the Distance Discussion

I just thought about this today and I'm not sure why it hasn't been brought up as a solution, at least that I have heard. Everyone keeps talking about making adjustments to the ball or, even worse, bifurcation between the amateur and pro game. All the R&A and USGA need to do is knock the size limit on drivers down from 460cc to 200cc and cap shaft length at 44". It will force players to tee the ball lower resulting in drop in AoA and Launch Angle while increasing backspin. The shorter shafts will also produce a cut to swing speed and thus ball speed. Put all these items together and you should get a pretty substantial drop in driving distance and increase the premium on ball striking with the driver when the MOI is much lower. This will also cause players to think twice about pulling the big stick when it's not so forgiving and will make it much tougher to cut the corner over trees when the player can't tee the ball up 3 inches high. This seems like a very simple solution that I would think the OEMs would sign off on because it would force everyone to run out and buy a new driver. What am I missing here?

I’m gonna guess you haven’t seen them hit 280-300 yard 3 woods down the middle of the fairway regularly?

it sounds great on paper, but seeing what they can do with a 3 wood kind of renders it ineffective.

No I have, but if you can limit the bangers to 320-330 on bombs rather than 370-400 you are making a big dent.

I saw Rod Curl tee a ball up on a felt tip marker and hit the snot out of it. He did it fairly regularly, to get, wait for it, more height and distance.

OEMs running over each other to get those to market! And since you don't like bifurcation the ams get those 200cc drivers, too? Won't be any pushback on that, lol.

It's real easy, am's will just stick to par 3 courses lol... the full 18 holes will be pretty open for walk ins!

What’s the problem with distance again? Seriously, why is it even an issue? It’s not like guys are regularly shooting in the 50s. To the short guys, too bad. Adapt or die.

Rod Curl! That's a blast from the past. Off I go to wikipedia.

Your 200cc driver idea is fine, but I think shrinking the diameter of the golf hole to 3" inches will bring those scores back up to where we want them at 79-82. Breaking 80 will really be something to talk about!!

Agree its one of the best parts of the pro game to watch is the big hitters bombing it. Its not just equipment - advances in understanding of biomechanics of the golf swing and increased athleticism plays a huge role. Eliminating the advantage of the work these guys have done would be bad for the sport. Besides all you need to do is make the fairways narrower and the rough taller and you can change the risk / reward equation.

What are you missing ? You're missing that 99% of golfers do not hit the ball too far and have zero interest in replacing their current driver with a 44" 200cc head that is both shorter and more difficult to hit.

Just eliminate tees... hit everything off the deck

Man I knew I shouldn’t have sold my Taylormade Mini Driver

50+ yards of roll is a key to super long distance. Take 18 at Riviera on Sunday, all three final group players got 50+ yards of roll on an uphill hole. Make the fairways softer with more height on the grass (kind of like we play every weekend)...this would cut down on drives How we stop 8 iron from 189 I have no idea :)

The short guys are the ones against it. Common misconception that the rollback is a friend to the short guy. It’s opposite. Helps the long guy.

Same year he beat Nicklaus at Colonial he played an exhibition at our course - smooth 6 under.

Have shorter players play from different tees. Solved.

Oh, this is a heads up competition. Play what you got. Too bad if you can't hit it as far.

Ban workouts, and make all the guys wear Sans-a- Belt pants.

My suggestion puts premium on accuracy which helps the short knocker. The bangers can haul off with reckless abandon right now because the 460cc drivers are insanely forgiving. Remove that element and the bangers have to start thinking their way around a course more than just bomb and gouge.

You are starting with a false premise that there is a large discrepancy in accuracy between long and short hitters. There isn't. The 200cc drivers wouldn't be substantially tougher to hit. Players also wouldn't lose speed as they are already playing drivers near 44". Its not tough to tee up or swing up on a 200cc driver.

I think this suggestion, and a 5% ball roll back, and we're good to go.

Doesn’t matter. I’m pro rollback to be clear

but a great illustration is a wet and soggy course . Ive played many Rainy tournament rounds . And short guys really get ate up Why ? The course is playing much much longer . The longer you make the course play , the more advantage the longer hitter has . It does not matter what the scale of length is . So we agree on a rollback but , you’re looking at it as a way to shorten bombers . It won’t , not relative to the short guy . It will increase bombers length relative to the short guy .

Changing the ball for professionals is much easier and effective. It also gives them much more control over parameters. Changing the club size would be devastating to companies and the game itself.

I just don't see what the issue is with distance. Scores, on average, haven't significantly changed in the last 10+ years. Yes more guys are averaging over 300 yards than ever before, but is that really the epidemic everyone makes it out to be? I get that people don't like to see classic courses losing their initially architectural intentions, but driving the ball long and straight is the same thing as being a great putter. It's a practiced and learned skill. Why does there have to be such a drastic change to equipment in order to stifle one specific aspect of the game?

Just change the course condition. Long hitters will have to think more before hitting bombs. I think the game is hard enough and making it harder for short old hitters will ruin the growth of the game.

Wk

I've got the answer.................have all the pro's be looking at their playing partner(s) (just like Fowler does in that commercial) when they hit the driver. Now I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd even pay to watch that on pay per view................I can hear the commentary now by the announcers.............."Well Brooks really almost got that one, we hope that lady next to the tee will be alright". She should be, it was only rolling when it hit her in the toe. Can somebody talk to Tiger and ask him not to be laughing all the time, it looks bad on camera...............

It's not like guys are regularly hitting 370-400 either. There's maybe one or two courses the pros play each year where those numbers are attainable, and they are only attainable by a handful of players at most. A course like Kapalua has a couple of holes, but even that is only because of downwind downhill and 80 yards of roll. Some people love to exaggerate for the sake of justifying their own position. Even then, the reality is what difference does it make? If a player is capable of hitting the ball that distance and controlling where it goes, that is an amazing feat and why should they be punished for having that ability?

This is what I disagree with. It’s not mutually exclusive. If it were, I’d be on tour because I have more speed than the majority of guys out there. I can play bomb and gouge and would get destroyed. The guys that are long are still exceptionally skilled in other areas. To me distance is a good thing in the game because I think at the very top, pros need to excel in all aspects. The very top guys have it all - distance, good irons, solid short game and putting. That’s how it should be.

The same logic could be used to say we need to roll back accuracy, or we need to dial back putting. The top guys need to have a complete game. And like I said before, it’s not like you’re seeing 58s and 59s all the time, so I just don’t understand why distance is perceived to be a problem.

Exactly. It’s not like any of these proposed suggestions are only going to affect the long hitters as @bladehunter says. The long hitters will still be longer than the short hitter, and the short hitter at even more of a disadvantage. Let’s say on a hypothetical drive, a long hitter has an 8i approach shot. With whatever roll back in place it’s now a 6i. The short hitter had a 6i previously and now they’re using a 4i or hybrid. Who has the advantage here?
If I’m missing the point with that example above, that means people are in favor of parity where everyone hits the same and distance is no longer an advantage. What sense does that make? If you watch basketball, do you want everyone to just be an average 3 point shooter? Should baseball have a speed limit for pitchers at 88mph?
I just don’t get it.

If we’re talking basketball. The best thing for that game Would be to eliminate the 3 point line. Then it would Be of no statistical advantage to shoot from far away. Which would take the game Back inside the paint. Where it belongs.