USGA DISTANCE INSIGHT

[tsecor]

i only have 1 first place trophy so its behind glass......all my participation trophies are on my mantle.....i have many of those :)

 

 

[storm319]

Bitter, self-hating millennial. This is how people turn out when they don’t receive hugs as a child :)

[smashdn]

Chess would be more fun too if it weren't for all those rules about how and where the pieces can move.

 

Like playing board games with my kids, just throw out the rules and challenge to make it easier to "win."

[kasting333]

You are sure to swing a lot of opinions with that terrible analogy.

[oikos1]

You do realize you are comparing a game where people "get strokes" to make the game easier.

[smashdn]

First, I'm not here to sway opinions. I just offer up my view point with supporting reasons for it for others to consider and comment upon.

Second, I keep a handicap. I understand how that works. But you still have to hit the shots. And getting strokes only applies to how your score compares to another's. You still have to hit all the shots within the rules, unless you agree to waive the rules, which is actually against the rules. Getting strokes doesn't make the game easier. It makes the scores of disparate talents equitable.

[kasting333]

And some of the shots don’t count to make it easier on the players that aren’t as good.

 

Your analogy works much better with handicaps than it does with equipment. It would be like giving a bad chess player extra moves and thus throwing out the rules and challenge to make it easier to “win”

[mahonie]

My understanding of bifurcation is the division of something into 2 parts. We currently have:

1 Tour balls (that we’re told only work for swing speeds greater than 100mph)

2 All other balls (that work for slower swing speeds)

Why is that not bifurcation?

[kasting333]

Those are categories of golf balls not seeing the division. Also, urethane or tour balls work better for everyone

[storm319]

Bifurcation as it pertains to golf refers to rules, not differences based on player choice. The two categories you mention both conform to the same set of regulations. Any PGA Tour player could choose to play with a ball that fits into category 2 just as any amateur can play with a ball that fits into category 1.

The closest form of equipment bifurcation that exists would be the groove rule which is temporary and the USGA fails to recognize as bifurcation since it is enforced by an optional local condition that is part of the uniformed set of rules.

[ThinkingPlus]

Not really. You have urethane covered balls for all players that are more expensive and Surlyn covered balls that are less expensive. The "bifurcation" is primarily economic.

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

The first category actually goes shorter as it is. For instance, ProV1 go shorter than cheaper Top Flite balls. They spin more and are more durable.

If I had to guess, they’ll just enforce more spin (and control) with these balls. The net result will be faster swingers will use that advantage to hit more fairways and play more strategically. Ugh, I can’t believe I’m saying anything potentially positive about the proposed new regulations.

I’m against forced bifurcation simply because it should be a players choice, and most everyone will use those instead because they want to play the “same game” as the pros. It won’t be a good thing for the many reasons the opponents of distance regulation have already stated.

[tsecor]

I thnk i had too many hugs as a kid.....im soft....lol....

[storm319]

Maybe the USGA can simply mandate all distance measurement to be in metric (won't make @mahonie happy).
300 yards --> 274.3 meters = optically progressive rollback!

[Lincoln_Arcadia]

Liking the rational and logical direction this thread is progressing.

[farmer]

When I was a kid, I used to play chess with the owner of a pool hall, and he would spot me a rook to try and level the field.

IF the USGA would go to increased spin to reduce distance, one unintended consequence would be that no pin would ever be safe.

[mahonie]

What if I have no choice and can only afford Pinnacles? Am I “bifurcated?”

[15th Club]

Yes. I am one of your several “likes” on this.

I do think that “Tour” urethane balls (Pro V, etc.) are optimized for those players’ swing speeds. Although we’ve seen some interesting products (AVX, etc.) that purport to be urethane balls for lower swing speeds. I keep watching LPGA witb reports to see if anyone really uses them. Balls have always been a mystery to me. I certainly understand the basics, but I always have more questions than answers.

 

[mahonie]

So I can be economically bifurcated? That’s not fair if I can’t afford Tour balls...I can feel a lawsuit against Titleist coming on...lol

[mahonie]

So why would the manufacturers make and sell a ball that doesn’t perform as well as a Tour ball that works for everyone? If they concentrated their production on the Tour ball we would all benefit from cheaper balls, no?

[smashdn]

It wasn't when balata was popular.

[mahonie]

Perhaps it’s just me but the Bridgestone Tour B I mainly play vs the Q-Star Tour I play occasionally definitely has a distance and a control advantage with no loss in durability.

Rory stated on a promo programme on Sky this week that he has changed balls this year to a slightly spinnier ball that gives him more control but loses him 5 yards off the tee. Instead of driving it 315 yards into the rough, he’s driving it 310 in the fairway. Perhaps more spin is the answer?

[mahonie]

I worked in both Imperial and Metric with my job so you can’t pull the wool over my eyes ?

[storm319]

Again no because there is no difference in regulation. What the ball you play is always a choice and the willingness or not to pay more for a different ball does not equal to an inability to afford (especially considering the typical green fee often greatly outweighs the ball cost). BTW, there are multilayer urethane options that are priced not that much higher than typical 2-piece ionomer options.

[Roadking2003]

Nobody has to use a local rule. They are all optional.

[Roadking2003]

Not true at all. The game isn't any easier with strokes. Strokes just make it possible for golfers of different skill levels to compete.

[oikos1]

This is part of the beauty of having a plethora of golf ball options to choose from. An interesting article: Myth vs. Fact - Soft Golf Balls | MyGolfSpy

[Roadking2003]

Very few golfers buy balls because the perform better since the average golfer has no idea how his ball performs. We buy mostly because we want to play what the pros play.

[oikos1]

That really sounds silly when you read it out loud.

If we play a game, and my skill level is less than yours, and you give me something to make it possible for us to compete, and then I beat you, did I really beat you?

[smashdn]

Hang on now. We can't rollback the ball because the poor average, average golfer would lose distance. Are you saying that he isn't even attempting to maximize his performance with a ball that fits his game and swing.