Golf Pros Who Put The Game Above Themselves When It Comes To The Distance Debate
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While golf’s move to placing players above the game has never been better highlighted of late when immediately seeking their views on distance, something strange has happened. While we still have some weird, even delusional comments in response to the USGA/R&A stance that something must change, an equal number are coming around. This is a huge change from even a few years ago.
Graeme McDowell, as reported by GolfChannel.com’s Randall Mell:
“When it starts to affect the integrity of some of the greatest courses in the game, where you don’t have a lot of real estate left to make changes, there’s a problem,” McDowell told GolfChannel.com. “To me, when they moved the 17th tee at the Old Course, I was like, 'Is that necessary?' It’s one of the most iconic tee shots in the world.”
“If this continues, continues, continues, and we fast forward into the future, it could become silly,” he said. “I guess I generally agree with [the project’s conclusion]. I don’t think we want to continue the way we are going. It really needs to stop somewhere.”
Padraig Harrington, who may want to get a golf ball tester for his next batch of Titleist’s, as reported by Adam Schupak at Golfweek:
“I’ve told him I 100-percent support a rollback for the golf courses. It’s purely because of the cost to the golf course – the size, the maintenance, the water, all the costs. There are great golf courses that can’t be used. Roll it back and start again,” he said. “My personal opinion is I would set new specifications and the let the manufacturers have another race to the top. If the ball was rolled back 10 percent, we’d all start again and off we’d go.
“I’m with Titleist, which I think has the best ball now, and they’re a big enough company that if they had to start from scratch, they’d be the best ball again.
Remember Wally, I just copy and paste this stuff.
Sorry, go on Padraig…
“It would be a shock to the system, to the manufacturers, sure. There’s a risk when you have a company like Titleist that has the largest market share. They would like the status quo but I think they are in the best place to produce the next best ball under the new parameters. Let them compete again. I think Titleist would actually gain from it.”
There is, of course, Jack Nicklaus who has been consistent on this topic since the late 1970s. He took to Twitter to express his joy at the news of the USGA and R&A:
For those hoping to hear what younger guys think, check out the comments here from Justin Thomas and Jon Rahm acknowledged in 2017 that something will have to be done. The clips aired on Golf Central this week for the first time.
Rahm notes that at some point the distance chase will make golf “not as attractive to watch” while Thomas says, “They’re going to have to change some technology things…there’s going to be a big change at some point, whether it’s the golf ball or the driver.”
