Take a look at Trackman or similar results. To a good approximation, a player who produces 10% more clubhead speed hits the ball just about 10% farther. There is darned near an exactly proportional relationship between clubhead speed and distance if the ball is struck squarely and the launch conditions are optimized.
There is not and never has been any ball that flies 20% farther when hit 10% harder or any such nonsense. At least not when we're talking about solid contact, optimal launch and realistic clubhead speeds (90mph and up). I don't know where you guys keep getting this turbo boost for good players argument but it is unrelated to observable results.
Presumably you are thinking of the difference between some player 30 years ago swinging at 110mph with launch conditions far from optimal with a player today swinging at 120mph with optimized launch. In which case damened right, the 120mph swinger hits it way more than 10% farther. But comparing like for like optimized equipment, distance tracks clubhead speed quite proportionally. You may detest how far that distance is, but it's not a problem with proportionality. You just don't like the ball going as far as it does.
David M,
Strong players hit the ball farther than average players to exactly the extent that they produce more clubhead speed and make better contact than average players. I think I do understand your point. You want strong-player distances to be only slightly longer than you or I hit it so that you and I can play the same courses that the strong players play.
That's your ideal world, isn't it? The 85mph slicer and Dustin Johnson can both enjoy the same course just by choosing 6,000 and 6,500 yard tees You just need to acknowledge that you are asking for SOMETHING to negate the fact that in any normal equipment scenario Dustin Johnson will hit the ball much, much more than 10% longer than you or I can. It's not that equipment gives him an unfair or disproportionate advantage, it's that you want his ball performance penalized (or handicapped if you like) in service of your dream to see him playing a course you could play and from similar distances.
Pat M,
The manufacturers deliberatgely developed balls that would go farther for those with higher swing speeds.
In addition, spin rates were lowered, making the ball fly straighter.
The manufacturers catered to a select sub-group and with hi tech equipment and balls provided them with an advantage not offered to the mediocre or poor golfer
I think you have the facts correct except for the illogical spin you put on it. Yes, the manufacturers noticed that balata balls preferred by elite players were spinning way, way too much. Costing distance and going too far offline. So yes, they responded with balls that spin less thereby increasing distance and going straighter.
And the best players very quickly switched to them. Because they still played OK around the greens while having none of the severe disadvantages (when hit hard with a driver) of the old balata balls.
The manufacturers always catered to the top players. For decades they catered to them by making interchangable, lumpy, expensive balata balls that didn't worth worth a damn when hit hard with a driver. Because that's what the elite players demanded. It's suprising to me that such a situation persisted as long as it did but never underestimate the conservatives of the golf establishment. Once the better balls were made available, the manufacturers "catered" to elite players with the new product that those elite demanded. It just took a long time for them to realize they could have their short-game performance and still get full advantage of their strength and technique with a driver.