The Tournament Ball Played on Monday

[Rob Miller]

If a tournament ball was implemented, what would it mean for the golfing public?  Would it just be a matter of time before the golfing masses stopped playing with an 'illegal' or 'juiced' golf ball and conform to the ball the pros use? 

[Ian Andrew]

An email I received this morning.

Hi Ian...thought this might be of interest to you.  I meet this guy at the Jane Rogers Championship at Greystone last Friday...he was taking distance measurements with a similar device used for the shotlink on the par three 11th hole.   He said that he was working for the R&A and in conjunction with the USGA on the performance of the reduced distance ball with "elite" golfers.

There's always hope...

[JMEvensky]

If a tournament ball was implemented, what would it mean for the golfing public?  Would it just be a matter of time before the golfing masses stopped playing with an 'illegal' or 'juiced' golf ball and conform to the ball the pros use? 

This is the Rich Goodale theory that bifurcation will lead back to unification--with the shorter ball.

The national amateur events(elite golfers) will be followed by the regional events,then the state events,etc.--all the way down to club tournaments.Eventually,the only people playing "juiced" balls will be the same guys who used to play the Polaris ball and smear Vaseline on their driver.

[Ian Andrew]

Driving the ball a long way is a skill, and an important one.  Has been since the game's beginning.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a philosophical problem with a ball that penalizes you more the more skilled you are.

Longer players are still longer players. They will always have an advantage of playing shorter approach shots with higher irons.
Skill is more than length, its control and it was the ability to work the ball.

To counter your arguement: The ProV rewarded length over every other skill, were you philisophically opposed to that at the time?

The new ball requires too much ground to be economical and the costs are killing the game.

[Dan Herrmann]

Ian,
When the USGA/R&A were out at French Creek, they took Trackman readings on 3 different tees AND the practice range.  It looks like they've been researching this for a while now.

However, the R&A gentleman we had lunch with gave us the impression that we shouldn't hold our breath waiting for anything to happen.

Besides - does anybody think that Acushnet and its competitors wouldn't sue the USGA if a reduced flight ball were mandated?  It'd make Ping's lawsuit look minor in comparison.

[Scott Warren]

I don't see why it is such a big issue for the OAMs.

Driver technology was restrained and they found new ways to compete.

We will still tear covers, hit cart paths, dunk balls in the water etc... I don't see how this reduces the number of balls they will sell.

[Mark Pearce]

And they'll all be able to claim to have the "longest, straightest, softest" conforming (to the new rules) ball on the market.  I'm sure a ball roll-back is as much an opportunity as a threat to the manufacturers.

[Jud_T]

If, in fact, they can produce a ball which puts more of a premium on ball striking and reduces the distance gap of the pros, yet while not changing things much for the average 15 hcap. club player, I don't see how this isn't a win, win situation.  My question is whether this holy grail really exists...

[Dan Herrmann]

Jud,
Let me paraphrase a friend who's about a 4 handicap and spends hours on the range...  After playing with the shorter ball, talking to the guy from the R&A:  "I'm not about to give up the distance I worked for hours to get in practice, lessons, equipment, etc..  I don't care about architecture of the classic courses - I just want my distance!".

Seriously.  And I think his would be the majority opinion.  He saw this as an elitist movement meant to save 100 or so classic courses.

I couldn't disagree more, but it is a voice that's out there.

[Jud_T]

Dan,

That's exactly the guy I was getting at.  If he goes from hitting it 270 back to 250 you're going to have to carry him off the range in a straight jacket.  Although if he could still gain an advantage by working on working the ball both ways and sharpening his short game, AND was unable to post a handicap or play in the club championship with a Pro-V?  Hmmmmm.....

[Garland Bayley]

Driving the ball a long way is a skill, and an important one.  Has been since the game's beginning.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a philosophical problem with a ball that penalizes you more the more skilled you are.

Specious

So one skill out of the many skills required for a golfer is to be rewarded while the others devalued. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a philosophical problem with that.

Before the current generation of balls were invented, were you advocating balls be improved to allow long ball hitters to get more advantage? It seems to me that long ball hitter Jack Nicklaus did very well without the current generation of balls.

[Scott Warren]

Dan H:

Let me paraphrase a friend who's about a 4 handicap and spends hours on the range...  After playing with the shorter ball, talking to the guy from the R&A:  "I'm not about to give up the distance I worked for hours to get in practice, lessons, equipment, etc..  I don't care about architecture of the classic courses - I just want my distance!".

Seriously.  And I think his would be the majority opinion.  He saw this as an elitist movement meant to save 100 or so classic courses.

These people need to realise what they will be saving is a serious amount of money in their pocket. perhaps that is a better line for proponents of a roll-back to argue because everyone will listen when you tell them it will result in them spending less money.

[Jud_T]

Dan H:

Let me paraphrase a friend who's about a 4 handicap and spends hours on the range...  After playing with the shorter ball, talking to the guy from the R&A:  "I'm not about to give up the distance I worked for hours to get in practice, lessons, equipment, etc..  I don't care about architecture of the classic courses - I just want my distance!".

Seriously.  And I think his would be the majority opinion.  He saw this as an elitist movement meant to save 100 or so classic courses.

These people need to realise what they will be saving is a serious amount of money in their pocket. perhaps that is a better line for proponents of a roll-back to argue because everyone will listen when you tell them it will result in them spending less money.

Don't forget spending less time!

[Mark Pearce]

Does it matter to the guy who hit it 270 and is now 250 if the guy who hit it 250 is now 232?  Particularly if the course he's playing is now 6800 rather than 7100?

[Scott Warren]

Time and money!

I think we are well on the way to an argument "regular golfers" (I like that term - it makes clear that people like us are abnormal in some way!) might be open to hearing.

[Dan Herrmann]

Scott - amen.

The treehouse gang isn't exactly the kind of guy you'd find in many grill rooms.  We're in a minority here.

[Niall C]

Driving the ball a long way is a skill, and an important one.  Has been since the game's beginning.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a philosophical problem with a ball that penalizes you more the more skilled you are.

Longer players are still longer players. They will always have an advantage of playing shorter approach shots with higher irons.
Skill is more than length, its control and it was the ability to work the ball.

To counter your arguement: The ProV rewarded length over every other skill, were you philisophically opposed to that at the time?

The new ball requires too much ground to be economical and the costs are killing the game.

Ian

I agree with your comment on skill which is why I ask does this new ball make it harder to spin the ball ? If it does then that would make more of a premium in controlling the ball with good ball striking and good positional play. For my money I got just as much distance out of a NXT than a Pro V. Where the Pro V won was round the greens.

Watching the pro's at St Andrews, and I appreciate they're a different category to you and I, it was dispiriting to see how they partially negated a lot of the greenside borrows by imparting so much spin.

Niall

Niall

[Tags:]

Tags: