Guest post on how far we hit the ball

Post featured from Golfshaker Tony Brent after recent newsletter discussing distance

Hi Darren

Thank you for your latest newsletter, as ever a good read. I thought I would give you a little bit of feedback from a "seasoned" golfer.

Why the fascination with distance you ask, well I think that is a very good question. I have been playing golf for 38 years (I am now 52) and "how far do you hit it?" has always been a question that golfers pose to each other (and themselves). Technology has advanced the cause of distance, but not so accuracy as the ability to manoeuvre the ball has reduced considerably over the years. Many golf courses that were great challenges to all standards of golfer find themselves playing a lot shorter than they were designed to, even many "club" courses are too short for the average golfer. Is this because we are better golfers, I think not ( I compare this to the question that comes around every year - are 'A' Levels getting easier).

Nowadays I do not have the time to play on a regular basis, although my 6 or 7 rounds a year still allow me to play off scratch, but as well as a new set of clubs this year I also received a GPS unit (Skycaddie SG5 - bloody fantastic). Whilst it felt a bit like cheating, or actually like having a good caddie whispering the distance to me, I was astounded by how far I was hitting the ball. I am not going to boast, so I won't tell you the distances, but whilst I have always been a long-hitter, these were crazy and I had to make comparisons between a yardage chart and the GPS unit as I couldn't believe it. As it was the first time I had used the clubs (the latest Taylormade, setup to my requirements), I made use of the "ball mark" facility on the GPS to measure the distance of as many shots as possible. I duly noted these and made comparisons when I had finished.

Now, my background is that I started playing golf at 14, turned pro at 16 and was a club pro until late twenty's. I am heavier now than I was (aren't we all) not as flexible and the clubhead speed is a little slower. But in comparison I was hitting the average iron about 15 yards more than my previous set (which were only 3 years old) and at least 2 clubs longer than when I was playing in my 20's. With the Driver I am an average 40 - 50 yards longer than when I used to blast a 6 degree Toney Penna persimmon. I have been privileged to play with some of the greats and was never far behind them, so given the advances in technology I can perfectly understand how Tom Watson went so well in the Open this year. If you have the skill, (and the old guys have more than the modern guys), then the technology helps you keep up, but only if the body is fit enough!

My concern is where do we go from here? With new developments all the time (look at the new Taylormade ball), many golfers will never have need to develop the "shot-making" skills that the golfers of yesteryear had to have, we will simply become "golfers of distance". Maybe someone should start petitioning the R&A and the USGA to come up with stricter equipment / ball design?

In a recent trade article Jack Nicklaus went on record;

But Jack’s big hobby horse, along with many of his peers, is the distance problem. Though his courses have been among the beneficiaries of the move of tournament golf away from classic era tracks, he clearly feels the trend has gone too far. “It would be very simple for the R&A and USGA to bring the golf ball back 10-15 per cent, and we would have many, many courses around the world that are now obsolete for good players that could be championship courses again,” he says, citing this year’s Open venue, Royal Birkdale, as an example. “I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. Here you have Royal Birkdale that’s hosted seven Opens. Golf really didn’t change a lot from 1935, when steel shafts came in, to 1995. All of a sudden, since 1995, the ball goes 50-60 yards further, and it ruins the game. All the records from past Opens at Birkdale are out of the window. It’s a new golf course, all because of the egos of golf ball manufacturers. It’s ridiculous that manufacturers can control the game of golf.