USGA Distance Rollback and the Future of Golf?

[davep043]

56 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

Not likely according to Jack.

 

On whether Masters officials could have a ball just for Masters play:

“They could, and I think that Augusta thought about it and considered it for a while. But I think they felt like that would put them above the rules of the game of golf. 

For once I agree with Jack.  There's also the financial side, what manufacturer would be willing to develop and produce a ball to be used for one week a year by less than 100 players?  But nobody, not the Masters, not the PGA Tour, nobody wants to take responsibility for the Rules of Golf.  If you don't accept all of them, you don't get to use any of them.

[3GoodPutts]

The biggest problem with today's equipment is not length, it's the forgiveness.  Give Bryson a circa 1980 persimmon driver with steel shaft and balata ball.  He would still crush it over 300 yards, but his misses would hook/slice 40 yards offline.

 

 

[maamold]

3 hours ago, 3GoodPutts said:

The biggest problem with today's equipment is not length, it's the forgiveness.  Give Bryson a circa 1980 persimmon driver with steel shaft and balata ball.  He would still crush it over 300 yards, but his misses would hook/slice 40 yards offline.

 

 

Yup...

[maamold]

Well said by Nick Faldo It's strike. that is the issue, the clubs and balls are too forgiving. Later he talks about the tee; I don't love the idea of using the tee to fix the distance issue, but I'm not ruling it out. 
 

 

[milesgiles]

8 hours ago, maamold said:

Well said by Nick Faldo It's strike. that is the issue, the clubs and balls are too forgiving. Later he talks about the tee; I don't love the idea of using the tee to fix the distance issue, but I'm not ruling it out. 
 

 

 

Obviously agree. Cliffs if you haven’t got time to watch, he suggests 7/8” tee max, just try it for one tournament.. don’t touch the ball.

[me05501]

I seriously doubt the golf equipment industry would ever get on board with restricting distance or forgiveness. OTOH adjusting course conditions is relatively easy and would have basically the same effect. 

 

Course specs for PGA Tour events are often very different from what the members see the other 45 weeks of the year (assuming the course is "adjusted" for the pros over a 6-8 week period). If you ever visit a course the week after the pros have been there you'll notice the stress all over the course. The greens are shaved bare and the fairways are knocked down to nothing. This is how things are today, but it doesn't have to be that way, but the TV audience wants to see guys hit it far and knock it close and convert the putts. Not only is it more fun to watch, but it definitely helps sell the equipment. 

 

When it comes to the local course, I think superintendents probably have a lot of tools at their disposal. Maybe they'll start pinching down the fairways and make pulling driver a tougher decision.

 

They can also go the other direction and leave less rough and let the ball roll more, which can be great on straight balls but harder on the guys who hit it crooked. Think St. Andrews...the more your ball rolls, the more danger you face. 

 

[kenstl]

On 11/21/2020 at 6:55 PM, 3GoodPutts said:

The biggest problem with today's equipment is not length, it's the forgiveness.  Give Bryson a circa 1980 persimmon driver with steel shaft and balata ball.  He would still crush it over 300 yards, but his misses would hook/slice 40 yards offline.

 

 

Agree. I wold add the forgiveness includes irons, driver, hybrids and the ball!  it's one thing to argue that the players are bigger, stronger, more athletic, but the equipment is allowing the players to swing out of their shoes with no downside for misses.