USGA CEO Whan On Distance: "It would be irresponsible for us not to relook at something that the last significant look was 1976."

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Thanks to reader JT for Beth Ann Nichols’ interview of new USGA CEO Mike Whan that was posted July 13th, the week of The Open Championship.

It’s an odd bit of timing given that you’d think they’d not want to stampede on the R&A is having its big week. Either way, I doubt many saw it due to the poor timing. However, Whan makes a few noteworthy comments before the headliner on distance.

  • He started the job in mid-May and called word of his July 1 start as “a nice media headline.” That’s because the media did not know otherwise.

  • He’s says it’s “embarrassingly past time” for the USGA to jumpstart a “USA Development Team” for young women golfers. “It doesn’t come as a shock me that in my 12 years I think I saw maybe 11 weeks of a U.S. player being No. 1 in the world,” he said. Making the USGA into a talent development organization would certainly be a huge leap in philosophy and yet another eye-off-the-ball move. The U.S. currently has seven women in the world top 25.

On the distance debate he’s taking a smart approach probably shaped by the legal team he’s been meeting with since mid-May: why not review the 1976 Overall Distance Standard?

I’ve said this many times, but the last time really that the USGA (looked at it), in an attempt to establish a maximum distance with perfect launch conditions, was 1976. Think about any other sport or any other business, if the last time you really looked at the farthest standard was 30-plus years ago. The NBA didn’t have a three-point shot or a shot-clock; football’s goal post was on the goal line.

Everybody evolves not only to make the game better, but to make sure it’s great for the next 100 years. It’s important. I won’t lie to you and say it’s going to be popular, but it’s important and I think it would be irresponsible for us not to relook at something that the last significant look was 1976.

I feel like if you want to critique the USGA, the fair critique is why not before now? I think that’s a fair critique. But why now? I think you’re stretching if you don’t think at some point we need to make sure we establish some new parameters.

Nothing to complain about there. Well, in most communities.