Linking fashionable topics...
Climate change, degrading environment, fauna sick with plactics and chemicals... We should talk more about it.
Golf too slow, obsolete courses, McIlroy and DJ drives...We have heard and discussed the subjects at length.
How many millions of balls pollute our land, courses and lakes?
Could we not kill two birds with one stone there?
The golf authorities should impose a green ball
for all the right reasons, and at the same time use this occasion to cut their length by applying some new standards. "Using" the excuse of green behaviour to force the change upon the players and the manufacturers.
The benefits of that revolution should be immense in terms of PR for the sport, time spent on golf courses, boosting R&D at golf ball major makers, requalifying a lot of courses for tournament play, reduce the costs of maintaining or renovating courses, and for short-sighted people like me who cannot see past a 5 iron.
The cons are: some courses will be too long; but that's easier to fix than too short. And the arms race in ball length might pick up again at some point once the green process will be mastered. But at least we will have push the science of materials and gained environmental benefit. What's not to like?
I know some balls like this exist. And ARE shorter. But they are aimed at specific green-friendly customers.
I guess and hope that the major ball-makers are looking into the environment impact of their products.
Maybe it is that they are even ready. But stopped in their tracks by low guidance on sales, because of the short distance produced.
The USGA and R&A have a role to play here.
Better: they have a responsibility.
PS: apologies if that's been discussed before.