Golf Governing Bodies Say “Time To Rein In Distances”

[Michael Whitaker]

See Reuter’s Article:


https://uk.reuters.com/article/golf-regulations-idUKL4N2A413W

[Erik J. Barzeski]

Just go to the source(s):

http://usga.org/distanceinsights
http://randa.org/distanceinsights

I disagree with bifurcation or rolling anything back for 0.01%, especially if it's optional, as I'm not sure I see the PGA Tour willingly rolling back via a Local Rule.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Key Findings listed here:


https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2020/02/key-findings-distance-insights-usga.html

To facilitate input from manufacturers and other stakeholders in the golf community, specific topics of further research will be identified and published within 45 days. It is expected that this important step in gathering input could take approximately nine months to one year.

Key findings of the project include:
 

There is a 100-year trend of hitting distance increases in golf, as well as a corresponding increase in the length of golf courses, across the game globally The USGA and The R&A believe this continuing cycle is detrimental to the game’s long-term future.

• The inherent strategic challenge presented by many golf courses can be compromised, especially when those courses have not or cannot become long enough to keep up with increases in the hitting distances of the golfers who play from their longest tees. This can lead to a risk of many courses becoming less challenging, or obsolete.
  

• Increased hitting distance can begin to undermine the core principle that the challenge of golf is about needing to demonstrate a broad range of skills to be successful.
  

• If courses continue to lengthen, it is at odds with growing societal concerns about the use of water, chemicals and other resources
  

• Longer distances and courses, longer tees and longer times to play are taking golf in the wrong direction and are not necessary for a challenging, enjoyable and sustainable game.
  

• A concern has been identified that many recreational golfers are playing from longer tees than is necessary relative to their hitting distances, and, in particular that the forward tees on many golf courses are very long for many of the golfers who play from them.
  

“This is not about the last few years or the next few years but rather about the long-term future of the game,” said Mike Davis, chief executive officer of the USGA. “This report clearly shows a consistent increase in hitting distance and golf course lengths over the last 100-plus years. These increases have had a profound impact on costs to build, modify and operate golf courses and they have impacted golfers at all levels. We believe this problem will continue unless this cycle is brought to an end. With collaboration from the entire golf community, we have an opportunity to stem this tide and help ensure golf remains sustainable and enjoyable for generations to come.”

• Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said, “We believe we have reached a pivotal moment in golf. The publication of this report is highly significant. The impact of long-term hitting distance increases on some of golf’s essential elements are now clear – including changing the strategic challenge of the sport, altering the balance of skills needed to be successful and risking courses being less challenging or obsolete. Our objective as governing bodies is to work with the key stakeholders in golf to address this issue in a way that brings the sport together and which ensures it continues to thrive for many years to come.”
  
  No solutions have been determined as yet. The USGA and The R&A will now enter the next phase of their work by assessing potential solutions that can help end the cycle of increased distance. It is expected the main topic for research and assessment will be potential changes in the Equipment Rules, along with further inquiry into the effects of course design, conditions and setup on hitting distance.
  With this background in mind, a broad review of both clubs and balls will be conducted to understand and assess a full range of options for addressing these issues relating to hitting distance. Without limiting the scope of topics that may be considered, this review is expected to include the following:
  The review of overall conformance specifications for both clubs and balls, including specifications that both directly and indirectly affect hitting distances. It is not currently intended to consider revising overall equipment specifications in a way that would produce substantial reductions in hitting distances at all levels of the game.
  
  • The assessment of the potential use of a Local Rule option specifying the use of reduced-distance equipment. Such an option could be available as a choice at all levels of play for competitions, courses and individual players.
    
  • Guidance on the availability of short enough forward tees and the appropriate tee-to-hole playing distances for golfers of all levels.
    
  • Several other topics including equipment testing processes, potential guidance on how design, agronomy and setup can affect hitting distance, and others.
  • All research and any work regarding potential changes to Equipment Standards in golf are guided by the Equipment Rulemaking Procedures, which were agreed upon and published by the USGA and The R&A in 2011 to ensure a transparent and collaborative process among key stakeholders in the game.

[David Wuthrich]

At least it is a start!

[Thomas Dai]

I’m also wondering how many pages this thread will reach too.
Atb
See also - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,68010.0.html


It should also not be forgotten that there are various non-golfer related factors to consider - see report extract below.


"Watch out, there's a Greta about!"

[Ben Malach]

Just finished reading the report. Great to see that the governing bodies finally get that the issue is more the stratification of the game and not distance on its own. Hopefully, that is the message they push as it's kind of an amorphous concept of what hitting it too far actually looks like. It's far easier to explain that a par 4 that requires driver, long iron, for top players is in the range of 500 yards, which to most players is a good par 5. That is the problem with golf today. Not the fact the ball is hot but the ball is hot for the guys that don't really need it to be.

[Tom_Doak]

It's far easier to explain that a par 4 that requires driver, long iron, for top players is in the range of 500 yards,

More like 530 now, I'm afraid.

[Ira Fishman]

It is quite telling and sad that even governing bodies for Olympic Sports can act more swiftly than those governing golf.  The ruling on the new Nike running shoes is not ideal but it only took a short amount of time. Even a better example is the banning of swimsuits that led to unbelievable performances about 10 years ago.  Driver and Ball technology got out of control many years ago, yet they study, and study, and study.  Do they really think that less people will watch Tiger or Brooks or Rory etc. because they hit it only marginally further than Jack and Greg?  I guess that they do.


Ira

[jeffwarne]

It is quite telling and sad that even governing bodies for Olympic Sports can act more swiftly than those governing golf.  The ruling on the new Nike running shoes is not ideal but it only took a short amount of time. Even a better example is the banning of swimsuits that led to unbelievable performances about 10 years ago.  Driver and Ball technology got out of control many years ago, yet they study, and study, and study.
Ira

faster running or swimmig via technology-(or via whatever) doesn't alter the strategy.
(If suddenly one had shoes enabling them to stride 100 yards at a time maybe it would)
Yet their governing organizations acted.


Ours have done nothing while literally billions have been spent on attempts to restore scale via venue, rather than via equipment.
We will ALWAYS admire long hitters-and it has always been relative.

[Ben Malach]

Cool, can we all flip to the page of the report where the builders and architects all are more afraid of the distance growth than the rest of the golf industry. It's funny to me that this is thegroup wants to roll back the ball the most. When it's us that gets a lot of work fixing it's problems. It just shows that there are people that care more about the game than just their bottom lines. Maybe we should hang out more with the other people to see if we can change some minds.

[Jim_Kennedy]

"Watch out, there's a Greta about!"

Thomas,


Today maybe, but I think that'd be "Watch out, there's a Rachel Carson about" some 60 years ago. I know her book "Silent Spring" had some effect on stopping a golf development along the Housatonic River 9 years after it was published, and it spilled over to existing courses who started paying more attention to the range and amount of chemicals they were using.