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The telegraph
Golf Governing Bodies Take Action To Address Game Distance Problem
Major golf authorities on Tuesday signaled their intention to save the future of the heavy hitter sport by unveiling proposals to curb Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. The game’s two governing bodies, the R&A and the US Golf Association, have paved the way for equipment restrictions, including limits on driver length and the introduction of a standardized tournament ball on circuits. Growing golf distance issue is wrecking great courses move is likely to leave DeChambeau’s plan to employ a 48-inch driver to defeat Augusta National at the Masters in ragged April. It was the landmark day that purists – including Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods – have been waiting for the powers that were reported last February that, with the “Distance Insights” project, they were finally ready to take on the pro. the issue of length of play that their joint studies indicated was “critical to the future of play”. The pandemic has pushed for a pause on progress, but it has resumed and has finally reached what is called the “solution phase”. With Martin Slumbers, the managing director of R&A, confirming to Telegraph Sport on Tuesday that a radical overhaul of professional gaming was all but inevitable – “it’s highly unlikely that we will end up doing nothing” – he will now begin to garner comments on The potential use of a local rule that specifies the use of clubs and balls to reduce striking distances. In the short term, comments have been sought on the proposal to introduce a local rule reducing the maximum length of non-putter clubs from 48 inches to 46 inches. The deadline for this is March 4 and, as it should, it will allow Augusta and all the other tournament organizers to put a damper on long hitters. Slumbers denied it was “individual-specific,” but accepted that the big hitters there could be “personalized.” Yet the big battle will surely come in attempts by the R&A and the USGA to persuade OEMs to review overall compliance specifications for clubs and balls, including specifications that directly affect striking distances. This means that governing bodies want to research topics such as limiting ball efficiency, ball size and weight, making pilots smaller and shorter, and reducing the spring effect in faces and the moment of inertia in the club heads. They chose to lower the “local rule” to ensure that golf continues to have a set of rules that professionals and amateurs of all skill levels adhere to. The “local rules” are not part of the official rules, but are a modification or addition to a rule that any tournament committee may adopt for a particular competition. The rules would, in fact, be different in practice and that would ultimately mean that while the weekend hacker would still be able to use the best possible technology – there is no appetite to change things. significantly at the recreational level – the pros will be game-changing restrictions. Slumbers, however, don’t see it that way. “The local rule could be applied on a much larger scale than professional play or elite amateur play,” he said. “I think it is misleading to say that this is only elite golf.” There is no doubt that lawyers will become, and are already involved, with OEMs desperate to protect their billion dollar industry, but the hope is that a deal can be reached after the conclusion of the feedback stage in November. “This is a serious issue and now is the time to think seriously and I have no doubts that the game and its many facets can come together to do what is right for our sport,” Slumbers said. It’s a complex subject, but Slumbers stressed that while they intend the conversations to be as deep as they are responsible, they shouldn’t go on forever. Players like DeChambeau are already threatening the 400-yard mark and there is an urgent need to reduce the bombers to ensure that the big courses do not become stale and the game does not become too one-dimensional. “There’s a balance between skill and technology that we’re trying to find because the game is in danger of losing that balance,” Slumbers said. “After the lockdown, the various tours, governing bodies, golf federations, golf unions and organizations such as Augusta and the PGA of America came together to make sure the sport could get back on track on as efficiently as possible. It gives me confidence in this regard. Mike Davis, Slumbers’ counterpart at the USGA, added, “It’s about the long term, for the whole game. Golfers need to understand that this hit of the ball in every generation negatively affects the game. The cost is being borne by all golfers. We’re just trying to get golf back onto the golf courses. The “ local rule ” route is the perfect plan to thwart the big hitters and manufacturers. The R&A and the United States Golf Association are far from stupid and are well aware that they will fight OEMs with their proposals for reducing distance strikes in professional games. Still, if they expected it to be essentially a battle with the touring bombers, Webb Simpson pointed out that even the plotters could be in opposition. World No.9 Simpson is one of the elite’s shortest hitters, ranking 114th in PGA Tour driving distance statistics, failing to finish in the top 100 in the last six last seasons. If the power of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Rory McIlroy were suddenly reduced, that should surely be good for Simpson’s chances of adding to the only major on his resume.
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