Club golfers should not be penalised by distance debate

Oh for goodness sake! After all the talk about finding a solution to golf’s perceived distance problem, the powers-that-be have chickened out again, delaying any possible decision on change until 2030.

No matter what they may tell us, there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that this decision has been taken because of pressure applied by club and ball manufacturers, for whom this is a multi-million pound industry.

You may be aware that Cameron Young has been using a ball that would have conformed to the proposed distance rollback proposals - and has lost no distance whatsoever.

So guess what? Other options are now being considered to try to solve the game's distance problem.

It should surprise nobody that there remains a lack of agreement among the tours, players, manufacturers and governing bodies who have been anxious to implement change. For the past eight years the R&A and USGA have been looking at ways to counter the length modern players such as Rory McIlroy and Young generate. To be frank, who cares?

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

They originally proposed new rules that would have meant that from 2028 leading pros would be forced to use balls manufactured to new distance-curbing specifications. Young has already demonstrated that this is a non-starter.

Estimates suggested they would see a reduction of around 15 yards as a result of changing the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) of the new balls.

Because of their slower swing speeds, recreational golfers would be less impacted and the changes for them were scheduled come into play in 2030.

Now it has been announced that any change in the elite game will not occur before 2030 and that there will be no phased introduction of new regulations.

There is also another issue. If new ball regulations come into force on, say, January 1, 2030, does the R&A honestly believe that club golfers, driving ranges, pro shops and sports retailers are going to throw away their existing stock of "illegal" balls? Not a chance. So how on earth do you police it? It would be a logistical nightmare.

My gut feeling is that no matter what steps are taken it will ultimately have little or no impact on the professional game. Today’s tour professionals are muscle bound athletes who learn to swing the club as hard as they can.

I keep coming back to something I have said before - if the PGA Tour wants to get rid of 30-under-par winning scores then the answer is surely to make the courses tougher. And that doesn’t equate to lengthening them. Proper punitive rough and fairway bunkers will do the job.

Short of going back to persimmon drivers and balata golf balls, what can they do? Club manufacturers spend vast sums developing clubs designed to hit the ball as far as possible. Ball manufacturers do precisely the same thing.

Do we really expect them to re-tool in order to save 15 yards. And even if they can make those distance savings, what difference is it going to make if McIlroy drives the ball 320 yards instead of 335?

It is a nonsense!

And there is something else to be considered. Golf clubs and balls are bought by club golfers and the game is already difficult enough for them without trying to impose distance limits. Yes, driver and iron technology has made the ball easier to hit but all the evidence suggests that your average golfer hits the ball no further now than he did 20 years ago. And although today’s drivers have larger sweet spots and are easier to hit they are far more difficult to control than their wooden counterparts. So why would the powers-that-be want to punish the people who make up 99% of the golfing population?

Mike Whan, the chief executive of the USGA, said: "We need to get at it and do it with a sense of urgency."

The R&A and USGA believe increased distance in the elite game, where drives can regularly fly up to 350 yards, is rendering historic golf courses obsolete and making the game one dimensional. You have my solution for the tour pros - makes the courses more challenging. They don’t need to be longer. But leave the rest us alone!