In Week Predicted To Rival Pearl Harbor And 9/11, Golf's Leading Organizations Roll Out 2020 "Revised Calendar Of Events"

We are all clamoring for things to look forward to. It’s already been too long without sports and the dearth of competition stings a bit more as Masters week arrives with no Masters. That the planning has gone on behind the scenes is perfectly understandable. There is no playbook for dealing with a situation like this and golf will undoubtedly be the first major sport back.

However, the Surgeon General of the United States warned just yesterday that this week would be “the hardest and the saddest" for Americans.

"This is going to be our Pearl Harbor moment, our 9/11 moment, only it's not going to be localized, it's going to be happening all over the country and I want America to understand that," Vice Admiral Jerome Adams said on "Fox News Sunday."

There was this from the President of the United States on Sunday, too:

"This will be probably the toughest week between this week and next week, and there will be a lot of death, unfortunately, but a lot less death than if this wasn't done but there will be death," Trump said.

Worldwide, 70,000 people have died and as of this post, at least 9,600 in the United States where there are 337,000 confirmed infections. More than 3000 may die in a single day this week. Hospital bed shortages are prompting makeshift hospitals in multiple American cities. Another 600 lost their lives to the COVID-19 coronavirus in Britain yesterday, surpassing Italy’s death toll for the second day in a row. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, is in intensive care.

Yet, the leading organizations of golf—typically associated with charitable efforts more than all sports combined—have been working hard behind the scenes to help stop the spread by wheeling out a new fall schedule. Even as nearly all experts suggest large gatherings to not be on the table any time soon and doing so on a day when thousands more will succumb.

Feeling the need to share this information publicly, for no rational reason as every other sport quietly waits out this terrible time and with only faint regard for the threats posed by not taking every protective measure possible, diminishes the efforts of those attempting to stop this pandemic.

For Way Too Immediate Release:

Golf World Presents Revised Calendar of Events for 2020

Safety, Health and Well-Being of All Imperative to Moving Forward

April 6, 2020 – United by what may still be possible this year for the world of professional golf, and with a goal to serve all who love and play the game, Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA have issued the following joint statement:

“This is a difficult and challenging time for everyone coping with the effects of this pandemic. We remain very mindful of the obstacles ahead, and each organization will continue to follow the guidance of the leading public health authorities, conducting competitions only if it is safe and responsible to do so.

“In recent weeks, the global golf community has come together to collectively put forward a calendar of events that will, we hope, serve to entertain and inspire golf fans around the world.  We are grateful to our respective partners, sponsors and players, who have allowed us to make decisions – some of them, very tough decisions – in order to move the game and the industry forward.

“We want to reiterate that Augusta National Golf Club, European Tour, LPGA, PGA of America, PGA TOUR, The R&A and USGA collectively value the health and well-being of everyone, within the game of golf and beyond, above all else. We encourage everyone to follow all responsible precautions and make effort to remain healthy and safe.”

Updates from each organization follow, and more information can be found by clicking on the links included:

USGA: The U.S. Open, previously scheduled for June 15-21 at Winged Foot Golf Club in Mamaroneck, New York, has been officially rescheduled for September 14-20 and is confirmed to remain at Winged Foot. For more information and comments from USGA CEO Mike Davis, click here.   

The R&A: The R&A has decided to cancel The Open in 2020 due to the current Covid-19 pandemic, and the Championship will next be played at Royal St. George’s in 2021. The Open was due to be played in Kent, England, from July 12-19, but it has been necessary to cancel the Championship based on guidance from the UK Government, the health authorities, public services and The R&A’s advisers. For more information and comments from The R&A Chief Executive Martin Slumbers, click here. 

PGA of America: The PGA of America is announcing today that the PGA Championship is now scheduled to take place August 3-9 and will remain at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, California.  The PGA Championship was originally slated for May 11-17 but was postponed on March 17.  

Furthermore, the PGA reconfirmed the Ryder Cup remains as originally scheduled, September 22-27, at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin.  For more information and comments from PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh, click here.

Augusta National Golf Club: Augusta National has identified November 9-15 as the intended dates to host the 2020 Masters Tournament, which was previously scheduled for April 6-12 and postponed on March 13. For more information, and comments from Chairman Fred Ridley, click here.

PGA TOUR: While collaborating with the PGA of America to find a viable date for the PGA Championship in August, the PGA TOUR worked with its host organizations and title sponsors to move the Regular Season finale – the Wyndham Championship – and all three FedExCup Playoffs events one week later, starting the week of August 10 and concluding with a Monday, September 7, Labor Day finish for the TOUR Championship.

The TOUR will seek to reschedule tournaments into the weeks formerly occupied by the U.S. Open, The Open Championship and the Men’s Olympic golf competition in June and July.  The TOUR will make further announcements about this potential, as well as its fall schedule, in the coming weeks.  For more information and comments from PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan, click here.

European Tour:  Due to the many complexities involved, the European Tour is currently working through various scenarios in relation to the rescheduling of our tournaments for the 2020 season. The European Tour will make further announcements on these in due course.

LPGA: On April 3, the LPGA released a revised look at the LPGA Tour’s 2020 summer schedule, beginning on the week of June 15 with the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G. In addition, the LPGA Tour announced that they have successfully rescheduled their first two majors of the year (the ANA Inspiration moves to the week of September 7 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California; and the U.S. Women’s Open conducted by the USGA moves to the week of December 7 at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Texas). For more information, click here.

Summary:

A listing of the revised schedule of events announced today follows:

• TO BE CONFIRMED: June 15-21 (formerly U.S. Open week) – potential PGA TOUR event

• CANCELED: July 13-19, The Open Championship, Royal St. George’s GC, Sandwich, Kent, England

• TO BE CONFIRMED: July 13-19 (formerly The Open Championship week) – potential PGA TOUR event

• TO BE CONFIRMED: July 27-August 2 (formerly Men’s Olympic Competition week) – potential PGA TOUR event

• CONFIRMED: August 3-9 – PGA Championship, TPC Harding Park, San Francisco, California

• CONFIRMED: PGA TOUR’s season-ending event/FedExCup Playoffs

  • August 10-16 – Wyndham Championship, Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro, North Carolina

  • August 17-23 – THE NORTHERN TRUST, TPC Boston, Norton, Massachusetts

  • August 24-30 – BMW Championship, Olympia Fields CC, Olympia Fields, Illinois

  • August 31-September 7 (Labor Day) – TOUR Championship, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta, Georgia

• CONFIRMED: September 14-20 – U.S. Open, Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York

• RECONFIRMED: September 22-27: Ryder Cup, Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wisconsin

• CONFIRMED: November 9-15: the Masters Tournament, Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Georgia

Murray: What Are The Governing Bodies Waiting For To Cancel The Opens?

While we all enjoy the break of imagining fall majors or any kind of tournaments to anticipate, it is becoming increasingly difficult to imagine scenarios where any significant professional tournaments are played.

We’re a long way from large crowds gathering. And when they do, at the minimum there will there be spacing, temperature checks, masks and even travel restrictions that still might alter fields even after the return. But, we’ll let the five families keep jockeying over fall dates as the rest of the sports world appears frozen by COVID-19’s spread.

With yesterday’s news of The Open likely headed for cancellation and rather forcefully refuted by Chief Executive Martin Slumbers in a statement, The Guardian’s Ewan Murray is trying to understand what the R&A is waiting on as the pandemic worsens. Is it money? Or their love of matching up certain years with anniversaries?

If the R&A doesn’t know precisely what to do about this year’s Open, something is seriously amiss. Sport has been paralysed by coronavirus, with events and seasons dropping from billboards one by one. It is fanciful to suggest the Kent coast can – or should, in respect of public services – host 200,000 visitors and global competitors in a golf event in little over three months’ time. The R&A, for its many faults, cannot be ignorant over a pandemic.

At the very least, if not providing a full explanation of contingency, the R&A should have put a public line through Sandwich in its standard slot long before now; spectators alone deserve that much. Augusta National is still to issue detail of a 2020 Masters alternative but it was swift in postponing when coronavirus took hold. That the United States Golf Association hasn’t ditched plans for the US Open in New York in June catapults golf into territory beyond Clubhouse Cuckoo Land. They and the R&A set the rules for this game, you know.

Report: R&A To Cancel The 2020 Open Championship

Until now, golf’s leading organizations have been in postponement mode, but with Wimbledon’s cancellation we appear to have the R&A’s decision on The Open: cancellation.

Joel Beall and Brian Wacker with the first report for GolfDigest.com. This will be the first year without an Open since 1945 and also the first major championship cancelled since then.

This was noteworthy as well:

Similar to Wimbledon, the R&A has a policy that shields against a global pandemic, and a source indicated the Open would have to cancel by a certain date in order to collect on its insurance premium.

“The R&A is the most [insured] of all the tournaments,” a source said. “They have complete cancellation insurance. I just don’t see any golf [being played] before August.”

An early fall Open would have required reducing the field plenty of other scheduling headaches. Still, this would be a massive blow to fans, players and organizers knowing what this championship means to all involved.

**The R&A’s statement:

STATEMENT FROM THE R&A ON THE 149TH OPEN AT ROYAL ST GEORGE’S

2 April 2020, St Andrews, Scotland: In light of recent media speculation, we would like to clarify the position regarding The 149th Open.

Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of The R&A, said, “We are continuing to work through our options for The Open this year, including postponement. Due to a range of external factors, that process is taking some time to resolve. We are well aware of the importance of being able to give clear guidance to fans, players and everyone involved and are working to resolve this as soon as we can. We will give a further update as soon as we are in a position to do so and thank everyone for their support and understanding in this challenging situation.”

As Alistair Tait notes, the inevitable shake-up to the Open schedule will have consequences for both Kent and St. Andrews, the next two host towns.

Roundup: Majors Jockeying For Fall Positions, PGA Tour Aiming For Mid-May Restart, Irish Open Postponed

Given the fluidity of the situation and the overall unlikelihood of a significant event being played for some time, I find the hope of at least seeing some tournaments later this year a decent diversion.

Ron Green covered all of this in his Global Golf Post look at the best case scenario planning, including the challenge of the majors trying to be played on television against the NFL and college football games that could resume.

Television factors into the equation as well, with the behemoth that is the NFL seemingly still ready to re-emerge in September. CBS, which televises the Masters, and Fox Spots, which airs the U.S. Open, would have serious scheduling issues.

GolfDigest.com's Joel Beall and Brian Wacker have tried to decipher sources and tea leaves to figure out a possible major schedule that starts with a late July PGA, a September Open Championship, an October U.S. Open and an early November Masters. The latter two would have to reduce their field size given the length of days and time it takes to move a field around.

This schedule, admittedly a best-case-scenario situation, would appear to be working around the PGA Tour’s playoff events. However, it’s hard to imagine many outside of Ponte Vedra Beach would prefer to see the playoff events contested over majors, particularly if the Grand Slam events have to reduce…playing opportunities by playing when the days are shorter. Graeme McDowell has already echoed the sentiment that majors take priority over all else. Common sense says the playoffs should come after the majors.

Green in his GGP column also featured this quote from Kevin Kisner regarding the PGA Tour’s thinking on a mid-May restart.

“The No. 1 thing we need to do is get back to work. They may try to expand some fields so guys can catch up with playing opportunities but it all depends on when we go back.”

The intention to return in mid-May at Colonial was echoed in this Daniel Rappaport story about the PGA Tour’s loan program for players based on their FedExCup status.

Meanwhile, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open has been postponed, meaning the earliest restart in Europe would come in June.

The European Tour’s statement:

Postponement of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open

The European Tour today confirmed the postponement of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open due to the continuing threat posed by the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The tournament was scheduled to be the European Tour’s second Rolex Series event of 2020, taking place at Mount Juliet Estate from May 28-31, with Major Champion Graeme McDowell as host. 

Keith Pelley, European Tour Chief Executive, said: “The decision to postpone the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open follows consultation with all stakeholders and was made with public health and well-being as our absolute priority. Our thoughts are with everyone right now and we are all united in trying to fight the spread of the pandemic. 

“With this in mind, we will continue to evaluate all aspects of our 2020 European Tour schedule, and discussions on the rescheduling of postponed events will remain ongoing until we have clarity on the global situation.”

And the Tokyo Olympics have been rescheduled for next July 23 to August 8th, meaning we get to do schedule “compaction” all over again next year. Oddly, that tedious topic seems refreshingly quaint these days.

R&A Guidelines: What Is "Essential Maintenance" During A Pandemic?

As golf shuts down in many regions, there is natural inclination to wonder about maintenance. Not because anyone will be Stimping greens or measuring blade heights when a course reopens. We hope.

However, as know from Depression and World War era reports, golf courses that shut down were often lost or never quite the same due to a lack of maintenance. So to avoid compounding the economic problems induced by the COVID-19 virus, basic maintenance of many things must continue to avoid a world returning to deeper-than-necessary setbacks.

While there will always be detractors, doing basic maintenance will keep a facility going, keep some workers employed and reduce damage done by a shutdown. So kudos to the R&A for issuing these maintenance guidelines to address the governmental restrictions in the UK. (And for the posting by England Golf.)

Here goes:

Essential Maintenance Statement for Golf Courses during Covid 19 Outbreak

The following statement outlines those treatments considered essential for maintaining a golf course during the current government restrictions. It is accepted that golf courses exist in many different forms, on many different soil types and in differing landscapes and that this guidance may require adaption.

Mowing Greens

Greens should be mown according to the rate of growth to a maximum of three times per week. Dew removal should be considered on non-mowing days as required to prevent disease spread.

Tees and green surrounds should be mown according to the rate of growth to a maximum of once per week.

Fairways should be mown according to the rate of growth to a maximum of once per week.

Managed roughs and grass paths should be mown according to need to a maximum of once every two weeks (fortnightly). Only roughs considered to be in direct play should be mown allowing for naturalisation to areas largely out of play.

The height of cut adopted for all these areas is site specific but the elevation of the cutting height on fine turf areas is advised to minimise unnecessary stress on the turf. The aim of the above operations is to maintain uniformity, density, texture and health to allow surfaces to be quickly brought back to an appropriate playing standard once play resumes.

Irrigation and Nutrition

Irrigation and nutrition should be carried out as necessary but with the objectives of keeping the turf alive, maintaining a full sward and preventing turf thinning.

Avoid excesses of either input which will only serve to promote unnecessary growth and necessitate more maintenance.

Machinery and Equipment Maintenance

This should be carried out as required to ensure that essential equipment is kept safe and operational.

*Operations such as maintaining penalty areas (including bunkers), wider practice facilities(other than greens and tees), aeration, top dressing and spraying are not considered essential at this time. However, it is conceivable that occasional spraying to control an acute pest, weed or disease problem may be considered essential at times and in some circumstances.

Given the fluidity of the current situation there may be a requirement to update and re-issue this guidance in respect of future government advice.

The R&A also has this page of links and other notes for golfers and facilities.

Royal Troon Lands 2023 Open Seven Years After Stenson-Mickelson Duel

The Postage Stamp

In a bit of a shocker, Royal Troon is returning to The Open rota, prompting multiple media reactions, starting with Turnberry’s hopes of a return now extending to at least 2025. And will the “historic” Adamson Country House “house” media again? Oh, and why such a speedy return?

Just seven years after producing the Stenson-Mickelson duel, it seems Troon’s 100th anniversary and an ability to turn a big profit took priority.

Alistair Tait shares some eye-opening and extensive remarks from Martin Slumbers about the need to grow Open revenues to invest back in the game. While Slumbers’ motives are certainly noble, it also would appear to put pressure on venues to be revenue producers.

Tait writes:

Could the real reason be that Troon can deliver more fans than Muirfield and Turnberry? Exactly 173,134 people turned up at Troon four years ago compared to the 142,000 who attended Muirfield in 2013. Turnberry delivered 123,000 fans for the 2009 Open Championship.

“We’re looking at the Open,” Slumbers said. “It’s growing. The size of crowds is growing. We’re heading into Royal St George’s in just five months now. The previous record for size of crowds at Royal St George’s was 183,000. We will be through 200,000 come July.”

It could also be as simple as Trump Turnberry and Muirfield still having perception issues the R&A wants no part of. Because both are arguably superior to all venues not named the Old Course or Royal Portrush.

Rory: "If they want to try to contain what we do as touring professionals, I'm all for that."

It’s rare in golf history to have an active player call for sensible regulation or a splitting off of the pros from amateurs, but Rory McIlroy did it yesterday at Riviera.

Speaking in advance of the Genesis Invitational, answering a question from the LA Times’ Mike James who filed this piece on the distance debate:

Q. Rory, where do you see the discussion after the distance insight survey evolving and where would you like to see it end up?

RORY McILROY: How long have you got?

Q. I have lots of time.

RORY McILROY: You know, I think the biggest thing that came out of the report for me, a lot of the stuff about the ball going too far and technology, it really pertains to 0.1 percent of golfers out there. So look, if they want to try to contain what we do as touring professionals, I'm all for that.

Selfishly, I think that that's only a good thing for the better players, but for the game in general, I think one of the best things that came out of it was the sustainability aspect and the fact that architects building these golf courses, and not even architects to a degree, but also the people that are giving the architects the money to build these golf courses with this grand ambition of maybe having a Tour event one day. Building these golf courses on these massive pieces of land, having to use so much water, so much fertilizer, pesticides, all the stuff that we really shouldn't be doing nowadays especially in the climate we live in and everything that's happening in our world. You look at what happened in Australia, you look at what happens in this state every August, September, October time with fires and global warming.

I think golf has a responsibility to minimize its footprint as much as it possibly can. For me, I think the sustainability aspect of what they're trying to do is very important and that's the one thing I would definitely stand behind.

What The Governing Bodies Cannot Say: The Golf Equipment Industry Is A Financial Blip In The Grand Scheme

In the wake of the USGA/R&A distance insights study, we’ve predictably heard golf pros whine about the same old stuff in hopes of appeasing their golf manufacturer sugar daddies.

There are the laments of amateurs making rules for pro golf.

Desperate analogies to other sports.

Reminders of winning scores not changing much.

Developers causing all of this.

It was windy at Pebble Beach and the greens are so goofy small, that’s all you need to protect the shareholder value.

Webb Simpson beat Tony Finau, case closed.

Anyway, the Golf.com gang recentered the debate with some great stuff in their weekly Confidential, including this rebuttal to Phil Mickelson from Michael Bamberger.

Bamberger: Lefty made a point but I would say different from the one he was trying to make: the amateurs who run the USGA and the R&A–in concert with a group of highly trained professionals–aren’t looking to make money in the game. That keeps them pure. Pro golfers are typically trying to move product in the interest of making more money. The amateurs who serve at the USGA and the R&A have something broader in mind.

To the point of something broader, a few numbers to consider and which the USGA/R&A cannot point out without hearing excessive manufacturer whining.

Golf is an $84.1 billion industry in America when you factor in everything from courses, to travel to sales, according to We Are Golf.

In the United States, the National Golf Foundation puts the manufacturers contribution to that number at $2.6 billion. Frankly, that seems woefully low to me, but even if you quadruple the number it’s still not a significant portion of the golf industry.

Needless to say, we thank the companies for taking the risks they take as businesses, for bringing joy to lives and making wonderful equipment within the Rules of Golf.

But in the grand scheme, fussing and fighting over the manufacturing world’s needs over the greater good seems short-sighted given the course industry and its 2 million or so domestic jobs. A healthy golf industry is good for all, but giving disproportionate attention and weight to the view of one constituting such a small portion of the overall financial picture, seems unwise.

Distance Insights: Robust Survey Of Fans Suggests Long Ball Prioritization Is Overrated, Especially On TV

I’ve jumped ahead in the Distance Insights Report released this week based on the responses this week suggesting distance is something cherished above all else by fans and recreational golfers.

The USGA and R&A’s “online attitudinal survey” received 67,862 responses from 115 countries over two months and while I’d urge reading the report, a few numbers stood out.

Contrary to the players and manufacturers responding to changes in course length, “98% golfers attribute changes in their hitting distance to their skill, fitness or equipment. Only 2% believe that the golf course they played contributed to the change in distance.”

Of those who drive longer (12,867 respondents), clubs and ball were cited as primary factors (Fig. 65):

As to whether distance is an issue in the sport, 17% of the “stakeholders” surveyed said it’s a major problem, while 31% called it a minor problem. And 36% said no problem, meaning 48% of respondents see it as some form of problem for the sport (Fig. 67).

Recreational golfers also placed “hitting a long drive” lower on their overall list of priorities, again, contrary to the fairly consistent narrative that gaining distance is a primary motivation to play golf (Fig. 70). Only 6% disagreed with the idea that accuracy should be a more important factor. A whopping 60% said the sport should be more about accuracy than distance:

And the global survey’s most powerful slide of all: what elements golf fans find most interesting.

Figure 73, supported but a healthy number of respondents (29,448), shows that there “there is a low level of interest in the elite/professional game being dominated by any one element.”

Most votes for what makes things “interesting” went to tracer (45%), recovery shots (44%), stars (42%) and venues 39%), while long drives (10%) and golf history (10%) drew the same level of “interesting.”

Five Families Early Polling: Rollback 3, Distance Sells 2

A case could be made for the LPGA Tour and European Tour bringing golf’s power family total to seven, but let’s be realistic: there are still only five families with a prime seat at the table.

The USGA, R&A, Augusta National, PGA Tour and PGA of America all have the power to sway votes and alter the course of history.

Only one of those aforementioned families carries a vote capable of doubling or tripling in times of regulatory crisis, and that’s Augusta National.

So as we assess reactions to the Distance Insights Study and consider the language suggesting action is needed to end expanding distance cycles, maybe we should start caucusing the families.

The USGA and R&A can safely be registered as votes after statements made in the “Conclusions” document.

The PGA Tour and PGA of America have indicated they are opposed to change in recent years, but at least took a slightly less hostile approach in the report’s wake.

And Augusta National, home of the Masters?

When contacted, the club offered no new statement regarding the Distance Insights Study, but instead pointed to past remarks by Chairman Fred Ridley as indicative of their position.

From the Chairman’s press conference in 2019:

“Although we now have options to increase the length of this hole, we intend to wait to see how distance may be addressed by the governing bodies before we take any action.  In doing so, we fully recognize that the issue of distance presents difficult questions with no easy answers.  But please know this:  The USGA and The R&A do have the best interests of the game at heart.  They recognize the importance of their future actions.  You can be assured that we will continue to advocate for industry‑wide collaboration in support of the governing bodies as they resolve this very important topic.”

A year prior:

“We have been consistent in expressing our confidence in the governing bodies, and we will continue to support their efforts.  Although differing views may well, in fact, exist on the subject among golf's major stakeholders, we hope and strongly encourage all who are a part of our sport to work together in the best interest of the game as this important issue evolves.”

Note the jump from advocating togetherness in 2018 to a full endorsement of the USGA/R&A in 2019.

Therefore, Augusta National would appear to support the notion of breaking “the cycle” of increasingly longer hitting distance and of efforts to restore “a broad and balanced set of playing skills” as the primary determinant of success.

I believe that puts things at 3-2, with those three votes representing the three most prestigious championship titles in golf. And while playing those under a different set of equipment rules would not be ideal, a splintered scenario has happened before and could be the outcome should the Tour’s and PGA of America decide to hold their ground.

PGA Tour Spokesman: "We feel today's game is more exciting than ever for our fans"

Rex Hoggard of GolfChannel.com examines the likelihood of the PGA Tour not going quietly on the distance issue, even though their initial statement after the Distance Insights Study exuded peace and prosperity! Silly me for thinking Live Under Par culture could be restrained for long.

Hoggard writes:

However, asked specifically if the Tour considers increasing distance gains a “problem,” a spokesman for the circuit offered a slightly less sanitized version: “The PGA Tour will continue to work with the USGA and the R&A in monitoring trends. At this point, we feel today’s game is more exciting than ever for our fans and the integrity of the competitions are intact – we still see a diverse set of winners on the PGA Tour and our examination of the data reveals that the skills involved in winning a PGA Tour event remain largely unchanged. But we are carefully reviewing the findings in the Distance Insights Report and we will collaborate with all of our industry partners, including the USGA and the R&A, on the next steps in the process.”

Down boy, down!

Is this a bad time to note that Sunday’s Golf Channel’s pre-coverage of the 2020 Waste Management Open lost to Hallmark Channel’s Kittlen Bowl VII and CBS’s final round coverage was way down for this more exciting than ever golf?

Hoggard added this commentary:

Clutch putting will always be a central element of the game – along with ball-striking, the short game and course management – but fans don’t tune in to watch players convert 3-footers for par. Fans want to see long drives and birdies and eagles and excitement. Anything that endangers that simple formula is going to be heavily and understandably scrutinized.

An excess of seeing three-footers is a television issue.

And last I looked, the highest rated, best attended golf tournament featuring the toughest ticket in sports, shows us just a few tee shots. The roars all come at the greens.

Players Say The Darndest Things: Reactions To The Prospect Of Rules Bifurcation

Paul Casey: “There’s an argument for this. I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. But the golf courses became longer because the golf developers said if we can make the golf courses longer, we can get four more houses on that hole and two more on that hole, etc. That’s more money. And that’s when the manufactures and the players – including the amateurs – rose to the challenge. They had to start hitting the ball longer. I don’t like us players and the manufactures[SP] getting the blame. We’re not the only ones to blame.”

Billy Horschel:

I was presented with a vast research a few years that showed in the 90s courses that started being built were being built dramatically longer that before. Developers wanted championship courses. It was believed to be a championship course you had to have length. Also, developers.

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) February 5, 2020

wanted more room for houses. The course designers who built these courses went along with the developer because they were being paid a nice sum. So courses were being built longer so OEM had to figure a better way to increase distance quickly. Driver improves. ProV1 is produced.

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) February 5, 2020

Brandel Chamblee: “The golf ball can easily be constricted by raising the fairway heights, growing the rough and firming up the greens,” he explained.

Distance Report Closer Look: "The performance of golf balls has changed significantly over the last 25 years, with many of those changes contributing directly to hitting distance increases."

What I have read so far adds up to one impressive piece of documentation and yes, at times, subtle maneuvering. Before finishing the entire Distance Insights Report compiled by some smart and very talented folks at the governing bodies, I can’t help but highlight parts that get at prevailing debates.

The USGA and R&A have come at this issue from many angles, with the early portion of the report laying the groundwork to get at key questions related to primary causes of sudden jumps in distance, the increases at different levels and around page 22, the role of equipment in distance gains.

For those keeping an open mind, the report’s detailing of aerodynamics related to the golf ball and driver heads builds a case before concluding that a disproportionate advantage is enjoyed by elite players as the golf balls have grown, gulp, stiffer.

From page 34 of the report:

The performance of golf balls has changed significantly over the last 25 years, with many of those changes contributing directly to hitting distance increases. The most significant change in golf balls in this period has been the replacement of the wound-core golf balls used since the early 1900s with the multi-layer, solid-core balls that are ubiquitous today. Multi-layer solid construction golf balls is not a new innovation, but many golfers continued to use wound golf balls until as late as the beginning of the 2000s. Typically, multi-layer, solid-core balls spin considerably less than wound-core balls at typical driver impact angles (R20 - Effect of Equipment on Distance - Golf Balls). This is an important factor for driver shot distance because decreases in spin can directly contribute to increases in distance. For example, referring to Figure 27, a decrease of spin of around 250 rpm can lead to an increase in distance of as much as five yards at a swing speed of 120 miles per hour.

A comparison of a popular, older, wound-core golf ball and a popular, modern, solid-core golf ball suggests that the latter has both improved aerodynamics and is optimized for a lower spin rate. It can be seen in Figure 27 that for the impact speed typical of elite male golfers, at a spin rate of 3000 rpm, the aerodynamic improvement of a modern solid-core ball was calculated to be worth approximately ten yards over a traditional wound-core ball.

Couple that with what happens at impact and you have, well elite players getting a bigger boost from recent advances than the rest of us:

The coefficient of restitution of the impact between the club and the ball, previously discussed in Section 3.2.1.1, is also dependent on ball material and construction. As impact speed increases, more energy is lost in the collision between the clubhead and the golf ball resulting in a lower coefficient of restitution. However, the stiffness of a golf ball can significantly reduce this decrease in coefficient of restitution, especially for the impact between the ball and a clubhead having significant spring-like effect. A golf ball with a lower stiffness will have a lower coefficient of restitution reduction at higher clubhead speeds (R19 - Effect of Equipment on Distance - Driver, Figure 28).

It can be seen in Figure 28 that the difference in the coefficient of restitution (and thus the resulting launch speed and distance) between a soft ball and the stiff balls (A-C) is much greater at high impact speeds than at low ones.

While certainly not warm and fuzzy language, this case is an important part of the debate over possibly tightening up certain equipment rules. Many average golfers believe possible elite player equipment rule changes will cause them to lose all of their hard-bought distance gains. The science says otherwise.

PGA Tour, PGA of America Sing Fresh Tunes After Distance Report Release

The PGA of America had no comment on the USGA/R&A distance report opening the door to rules bifurcation, while the PGA Tour issued this statement, as reported by ESPN.com’s Bob Harig:

"Since 2003, we have been working closely with the USGA and The R&A to closely monitor distance, and this latest report is an expanded and thorough review of the topic, and others, which are all important to the game," the PGA Tour said in a statement. "The R&A and the USGA are our partners, and the PGA Tour will continue to collaborate with them, along with all of our other industry partners, on the next steps in this process.

"We believe the game is best served when all are working in a unified way, and we intend to continue to approach this issue in that manner. The PGA Tour is committed to ensuring any future solutions identified benefit the game as a whole without negatively impacting the Tour, its players or our fans' enjoyment of our sport."

While hardly endorsements, it’s noteworthy that both organizations have shifted from the recent stances of distance-is-everything, to saying nothing (PGA), or sounding quite respectful of the process ahead of us (PGA Tour).

Ultimately both organizations may revert to recent form and battle the governing bodies. But as has been noted here and elsewhere, their cases that distance helps sell golfers on taking up the game to the benefit of PGA of America teaching pros, or puts people in the seats at PGA Tour events, seems worthy of deeper consideration.

Links: Distance Insight Report And Other Pertinent Documents

The USGA’s page devoted to all information imaginable on distance, perhaps minus their ideal solution. We have to wait at least a year on that.

Here is a direct link to the full 102-page report.

If you prefer the R&A version, here is their page devoted to the project with various documents to download.

Here is the excellent summary report, also addressed in my blog post.