"The entire sport of golf likely will be faced with a fork-in-the-road decision in charting its future."
Jim Achenbach assesses the U.S. Open at Congressional and concludes that the "gulf" between regular golfers and the professionals has "grown dramatically" in recent years with the need for a resolution appearing more evident than ever.
Several technological developments have aided golfers with high swing speeds much more than golfers with slower speeds. On the 2011 PGA Tour, 37 golfers are averaging more than 295 yards in driving distance. The longest hitters, if not constrained by accuracy concerns, can crank 340-yard drives at will.
So golf courses for the pros are growing longer. Meanwhile, the USGA is teaming up with the PGA of America on a new program called Tee It Forward, telling ordinary golfers that they will have more fun if they play shorter courses.
To amateurs who watch the pros in person or on television, such a suggestion doesn’t make much sense. The entire sport of golf likely will be faced with a fork-in-the-road decision in charting its future.
On this front, it sounds like Taylor Made is continuing to move toward wanting bifurcation of the rules to innovate for the everyday golfer, even though there is nothing stopping them from doing so now. Ryan Ballengee reports on Hank Haney's introductory teleconference to announce his signing as a Taylor Made fanboy.
In a call announcing his deal with TaylorMade, Haney said he thought equipment makers could have a bigger impact on the enjoyment factor of the game than instructors. Naturally, then, he would like to see the governing bodies of the game de-regulate equipment rules for the amateur.
(I fully support bifurcation of the Rules of Golf in a formal capacity – not just an unspoken understanding.)
“I wish the equipment manufacturers could be as innovative as they could be so they could make the game easier and more enjoyable.”
Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 09:13 AM 47 Comments | in 2011 U.S. Open, Golf Business, State of the Game, Technology 
Reader Comments (47)
If you want easy golf, play on your I-Phone. If you want to score better, stop playing tees longer than where you belong (or, God forbid, practice).
The equipment business is all about money & selling dreams to hackers. The USGA isn't going to stand in the path of that.
Golf will survive. Courses with bad business models will close. Golfers who are serious about the game will play, the others will drift away. The days of crazy growth in the US are over, however we'll still have a game that true golfers will play and enjoy.
Can the game be fun being a short hitter? Ask a 12 year old. I loved the gmae when I hit a good one 200 and I love the game now that I can hit it 300. And wwhat is wrong with the amateur "Playing it Forward" to get more enjoyment out of the game. Does the short amateur out for fun get in his or her own way?
I was out at the club the other day playing with a woman and she was lamenting how this par 3 had the tees back and how difficult the hole is from there (she can't reach it from there). I said why not move up to the close tee (where she could easily reach it)? No answer. The person wasn't keeping score and was out for fun. Does that make a lot of sense to anyone other than her?
If you don't hit it a long way - Tee It Forward for More Enjoyment!!!
me and my buddies get a good laff when we glance back at the black tees (pro tees)
The stats show that PGA Tour driving distance stopped improving at around 2003. In that year Hank Kuehne was the longest hitter at 321.4 yards, 9 golfers averaged 300 yd drives or more and the 90th ranked hitter (approximately the median) hit the ball 287.5 yards.
So far in 2011 the longest hitter is J.B. Holmes at 317.2 yards. Nine golfers are hitting the ball 300 yards or longer and the 90th longest hitter is hitting the ball 288.7 yards.
The story says that there are 35 pros hitting the ball 295 yards or longer in 2011 - in 2003 that number was 27. In 2007 there were 48 golfers that hit the ball 295 yards or longer.
Maybe the distance creep has stopped - at least for now?
Note - all stats from above were taken for the Stats sections of http://www.pgatour.com/
I do support bifurcation...but why can't the collective pro Tours just agree on making the ball smaller for use in tournaments? It would be a simple solution that should reduce distance, and add a sidespin penalty modifier. (this sounds like a weapon or something from my Dungeons and Dragons days..."+3 Ball of Birdies"...)
The average "Joe Golfbag" could still play ProV1s (which I can't fathom anyhow...I play $1.10 Hogan Tour Deeps...best balll ever, lol) if he wanted to. OR - Joe Golfbag could chose to play the spinnier ball to make a real challenge for him/her-self and pretend they're a pro for a day/round.
-LK
You are so right. Isn't the challenge what makes us coming back for more?
It is sadly a sign of our country. If you can't afford something borrow the money and worry about it later. Why go outside and play a sport when you have a video game, it is easier. Why walk when you can take a cart. Why encourage winners, just give everyone a "participant" award. Why save when the government will take care of you? And on and on..........................................
There are too many Championship courses , far too much hi tech equipment with no apparent limit or intention by our Lords and Masters to control it as they do not see it as a problem.
There is but one game of Golf, separate or break it down and you have nothing – just like a House or Nation divided. If this happens it due to piss poor management and that id the fault of the Governing Body.
Today we need strong leadership, more concentration on the game than making money, our game is sick its being attacked and watered down by money people who do not care about the game just the money they can squeeze out of all of us.
It will be a crime if our Royal & Ancient Game fragments in various game that in themselves hardly generate enough interest or test of ones skill. If the Gulf gets greater we also must take a share of the blame if we just sit and do nothing about the issues.
The question can you be bothered to write letters complaining or are you just going to wait for others to save your game.
Melvyn
Mind you, the R&A keeps insisting the pros are not getting any longer.
Melvyn
Folks come in with expectations of being modestly competent in short order if they have the right gear and if they are able to play other sports. When they discover that the sport is really hard and remains really hard even for reasonably competent single digit golfers, they lose interest. Unrealized expectations never lead anywhere good.
We would might not get as many impulse golfers but we would probably attract more people who become core golfers if the up front message was "this is really hard. it will always be really hard but if you put the time in it will be worth it."
I know plenty of people who suck at this great game, and love every minute of it. (Might have something to do with getting away from their wives for a few hours).
Respectfully, I disagree, and offer another sport as an example. Does baseball suffer and exist as nothing because aluminum bats are used in the younger (i.e.- amateur) ranks? <sarcasm> My heavens, Ray Kinsella and his dad will never get to play catch now that there is bifurcation in the sport! </sarcasm>
Come on Melvyn et al., this is not a holy crusade with infallible rules developed waaaaay in the past. It is a sport, nothing more. If/since technology has had such an effect on things, bifurcation at the pro level makes sense. Rein in the pros and let them demonstrate their superior skills with tougher equipment. Heck, use it yourself for all I care. My request is that you consider to reognize the potential benefits that would result from bifurcation.
Mind you, this is coming from a guy who will have a persimmon 3-wood and 5-wood in his bag for his Thursday night league play. I'm a traditionalist, too, just not a fanatical one.
Soon our great courses around the world will be destroyed due to long ball travel, costing millions to modify or build new - is this what you want ever increasing Green Fees so a few little boys can win a pissing competition. Let’s stop and think about the majority for a change and let these little rich boys follow our example, pay our fees and use our older clubs.
Forget Championship courses there should only be courses and the game properly policed by the governing body. Crusade, you bet this is a crusade because we are fighting to keep our great courses and our traditions. My question - does the game mean that much to you guys, it does to me as my family have been playing golf for over 250 years, that is walking and thinking golf.
Melvyn
If using technology is cheating then what equipment can we use? Featheries and hickory shafted clubs? Gutties? Steel shafts? How far do you want to roll back the game?
How many pounds of feathers do you have to boil down when making a new ball?
People are leaving the game because of technological advances & now the business market with the likes of Haney & his ilk are calling for more of rthe same.
What was that definition of a fool? Keep doing the same thing? BTW Wayner, if there was a consistency of manufacture of gutta percha balls, I'd love to give it a go. (And wear breeches).
Dion
I am not convinced that the time to play a round of golf is primarily related to distance - I think it is more related to emulating the pros. It was very refreshing to see Rory McIlroy play so quickly.
My club is the same distance today as it was 20 years ago and it still takes about 4 1/4 hours to play a round. It likely plays shorter, due to technology, but no one is ripping the course apart save from the few occasions when Touring Pros are on the course.
I find that good players can play well no matter the techonolgy. Two years ago I was in Scotland when they were holding the World Hickory Championships at Gullane. At North Berwick the day before the tournament I got put together in a group with a golf pro from Sweden and a very low handicap amateur who were playing hickories. They were able to hit the ball farther than I did and I am a slightly longer than average 10 handicap with a Ping G5 460cc driver. However note that they were using Pro V1s rather than historical balls.
And Dion, was there ever consistency in gutties? I am guessing that each ball played differently from the last.
Technology should be used to standardise ball/clubs not to constantly push the distance further yet again minimising the quality of our courses.
Just think, how much does it cost to extend a golf course or build a new one, how much does it cost to replace you clubs and some golf balls, anyway it’s not me you should be addressing it’s the R&A, but they say all is OK there are no problems.
Just look at the history of the R&A they have never led, they have dithered and delayed, they never understood technology.
The alternative gentlemen is 10,000 yard long courses, hell the only way to play those would be by using carts (bloody fast carts) and if you think 6/7 hours is long expect 8-10 hours a round – gone will be the days of an enjoyable 36 Holes. Then just think of the maintenance costs and thus the Green fees – are we saying that golf in the future will only be played by the rich, being the only people who could afford the Green Fees. But of course you can believe the R&A when they say there is no problem, yet don’t elephants fly too.
Melvyn
In the 40s-80s the majority of the courses were built weren't for big distances. IMO. I'm sure loads of ppl will tell me differently but in that era most of members levies were to build bigger clubhouses not longer courses. Technology, what an advance.
So nothing has changed in the last 8 years - so what's all the fuss about.
Melvyn
I see no reason for new rules, if the manufacturers want to build non conforming equipment to amateur they can.
We are talking about the course that has dictated the format of golf courses for centuries, and still to this day designers wonder and find new aspects which they had not noticed before. Hell I want to keep it, I want to see it survive as the spiritual soul of our great game, but then I am and have been a golfer. What’s your reason for your apathy?
So you see you have the wrong MHM
Have a nice day
Melvyn
Courses are becoming "obsolete" due to length for a few hundred players, those being Tour pros. For 99% of the rest, 6500 yards is PLENTY of golf course.
Let's say only those with a handicap of 5.0 or lower should play 7000 yard tees. That would be about 7% of players with a handicap. Many (most?) don't even have a handicap and I think it's a safe bet that those w/o a handicap tend to be higher-handicap players. So that percentage of sub-5 handicap players is probably more like 3-4% of all players. No, courses aren't becoming obsolete for us.
http://www.usga.org/handicapping/articles_resources/Men-s-USGA-Handicap-Indexes/
Spend that $300 on lessons, rather than a new driver, and watch your scores drop.