Make a Par Five a Par Five!
This week saw the R&A and USGA release their much-awaited report on Distance. And rather than kicking the can down the road, they’ve announced that the ever-increasing distances in golf do pose a problem for many reasons. That’s excellent news and positive for the future of the game. I have always been more impressed with shot-makers than distance-hitters and it’s no coincidence that the popularity of golf on TV and as a pastime has decreased at the same time as the technology has increased.
Golf is about all-round skill and the increasingly clever (but increasingly ugly!) equipment makes formerly great courses obsolete and turns some competitions into nothing but a physical contest. To overcome the distance we can now all hit it, many courses have had to spend money on extending holes to avoid becoming nothing more than a glorified drive & pitch layout. The longer courses mean that the games take longer and older players give up the game earlier than need be. Playing a friendly four-ball in 3 1/2 hours was the norm when courses measured 6400 yards off the back. Now the five hour rounds leave little time for socialising and makes a round of golf really eat into the weekend. So not only are courses having to spend money on architects, land and more maintenance but they’re also losing money on clubhouse spend as golfers no longer have time to sit in the bar or terrace before heading home.
For me, the answer is in the ball more than the clubs. Whether I hit the ball with my set of 1920 hickories or my 15 year-old Mizuno MP32’s, the ball carries about the same distance as when I try out the latest clubs. So it can be a fairly quick, simple and universal change by introducing balls with a higher spin rate: the distance we all hit it will decrease and the ball will slice and hook a little more too so the game becomes a bit more challenging and certainly more entertaining. And bring the courses back to their 1980/90 layouts and the rounds will take less time and the courses will decrease their maintenance costs and increase their revenues. Distance, after all, is relative and the long hitter will still be a long hitter but instead of walloping a ball 320 overs the hazard, they will have to play around the hazard and we mere mortals will still be impressed at their relative skill and distance compared to ours. Step Two, if necessary, can ensure that the equipment does not go beyond certain boundaries
And don’t worry about the manufacturers – there will be more golfers playing so demand will go up.
Click on the link below to see the Conclusions of the Report. Let’s hope that the R&A and USGA keep the momentum going and introduce the changes soon.
Let me know your thoughts.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://golfholidaysbymorgan.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/RA-Distance-Report-Summary.pdf” title=”R&A Distance Report Summary”]
Morgan