Tag: distance debate

USGA, R&A take next steps in distance discussion by zeroing in on Local Rule, equipment-testing measures

The USGA and R&A identified Areas of Interest for distance – a potential Local Rule and conformance specifications for golf balls and clubs.

Almost a year to the day after the U.S. Golf Association and the R&A declared distance is taking the sport down an unsustainable path, golf’s governing bodies formally announced Tuesday they are interested in researching equipment topics related to distance.

The USGA and R&A want to work with manufacturers and other stakeholders to learn more about how potential changes in equipment standards and testing procedures could curb the growing distance trend at elite levels of play.

“After two years of research and crafting a statement of conclusions, it was our hope to say that now we are going to get into the beginning of the solution phase,” Mike Davis, executive director of the USGA, told Golfweek in an exclusive interview. “That was to be in March of 2020, and obviously, with COVID, we rightfully delayed that.”

With Tuesday’s announcement of two Areas of Interest – the potential use of a Local Rule and the conformance specifications for both golf balls and golf clubs – the USGA moves its distance conversation forward.

“The issue is complex, and this is not going to be easy,” said Davis, who has announced he plans to retire from the USGA at the end of 2021 to focus on building golf courses. “But this is an issue that has confronted the game of golf for well over a century. We are determined to solve what we believe is an issue that needs to get solved.”

The USGA and R&A will collect feedback regarding the potential use of a Local Rule that specifies the use of clubs and balls intended to result in shorter hitting distances. The idea is to give tournament organizers and course operators more flexibility. Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s senior managing director of governance, said this is not a step toward bifurcation or the creation of two sets of rules to govern golf.

Thomas Pagel, USGA
Thomas Pagel, Senior Managing Director, Governance. (Photo: USGA/Chris Keane)

“Model Local Rules are all about promoting flexibility or options in the game, and they have existed for a long time,” Pagel said. “We remain committed to a single set of rules. We think it is one of the great attributes of the game that ties us all together. We play the same equipment on the same golf courses under the same rules. No other sport does that, and we want to retain that.”

As a second Area of Interest, the USGA and R&A want a review of the overall conformance specifications for clubs and balls, including specifications that directly and indirectly affect hitting distances. This means the ruling bodies want to research topics such as the limitation of ball efficiency, golf ball sizes and weights, making drivers smaller in volume and shorter, and reducing the spring-like effect in faces and moment of inertia in club heads.

The comment period for both topics ends Nov. 21.

The USGA and R&A also asked for feedback and research on three proposed changes to equipment standards:

1. Club Length. As a Model Local Rule, reduce the maximum non-putter club length from 48 inches to 46 inches. This concept has been mentioned before, and now the comment period on this potential change ends March 4. If it is adopted a few days or weeks after that date, then theoretically Augusta National Golf Club (and any other facility) could implement a Model Local Rule limiting club length to 46 inches during competition for all clubs except putters. The decision would be entirely up to the tournament organizers. (Hello, Bryson DeChambeau!)

2. Update the method used to test golf balls. Instead of continuing to test balls by hitting them with a 10-degree test driver swung at 120 mph and measuring how fast the balls come off the face, golf balls could be tested for distance at multiple launch angles (7.5 degrees to 15 degrees) with varying amounts of backspin (2,200-2,500 rpm).

3. Change the characteristic time (CT) testing tolerance. The spring-like effect in a driver’s face is limited to 239 microseconds plus up to 18 microseconds for manufacturing tolerances. But manufacturing techniques are improving every year, so what effect could reducing the tolerance to 6 microseconds have on distance?

USGA golf balls

To be clear, the USGA and the R&A have not announced any rule changes regarding equipment. The clubs and balls you used last weekend are going to be legal for play next weekend and probably for years to come. In fact, Davis said the USGA and R&A have no intention of changing things significantly at the recreational level.

The USGA and R&A did effectively set the wheels in motion to learn more about how potential equipment changes and methods for testing equipment might affect distance. They want to discuss with equipment makers, who understand recreational golfers and elite players, what might happen if changes were enacted.

Some people believe distance has played an outsized role in elite players’ success, and they want to see equipment changes made quickly. That’s unlikely to happen.

In 2011, the USGA, R&A and equipment makers agreed to a process for changing testing methods and introducing new equipment guidelines. Commonly referred to as the Vancouver Protocols, they lay out a step-by-step series of events that must occur before equipment changes are implemented. The announcement of an Area of Interest notice is straight out of part 5, section 2 of the agreement:

The USGA and the R&A continually conduct various types of research concerning golf equipment. When a research topic has the potential to result in an equipment Rule change, an “Area of Interest” Notice will be published by the USGA and the R&A. Subsequently, and where applicable, the USGA and the R&A will publish any research which has been conducted and invite manufacturers, other involved entities and additional interested parties to comment and participate in the research.

“This is about long-term, for the whole of the game,” Davis said. “I think golfers need to understand that this every-generation-hits-the-ball-farther is affecting the game negatively. The cost of this is being born by all golfers. We’re just trying to fit the game of golf back on golf courses.”

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Bryson DeChambeau brought distance to the forefront of golf, and Gen Z took notice

This next generation of golfers and golf leaders is already comfortable addressing the status quo in golf.  Add distance to that list.

Golf is a game built on tradition. It’s a sport defined by respect and rules of etiquette that span attire, behavior and care for the course. During a culture-shifting year like 2020, these norms were challenged.

Clubs like Augusta National and professional golfers like Cameron Champ promoted diversity and initiated conversations about making the sport visually represent the United States, but these actions only mark the beginning of a cultural and demographic shift that is overdue.

That’s where the next generation steps in.

This next generation of golfers and golf leaders is already comfortable addressing the status quo in golf. Members of Generation Z, born from the late 1990s through the mid-2010s, are already thinking about how the sport is changing and how they want the game they love to be perceived by future generations.

While all under the age of 30, their insights and experiences speak of where the sport is headed in the areas of distance, traditional fashion and most importantly, diversity.

This is part two of a three-part series analyzing Gen Z’s perception of the changing landscape of golf.

Distance, Bryson and the LPGA

An often-used word in the 2020 season: Distance. Another very popular word: Bryson.

You might have heard, but this year Bryson DeChambeau transformed his body and his game, adding 20 pounds before the Tour’s COVID-19 break in March and another 20 before the June restart. The 2015 U.S. Amateur winner spent two to three hours per day lifting in the gym and consumed 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day to achieve an athletic build unlike anyone in golf.

The plan was questioned for its effectiveness, but the distance DeChambeau achieved proves its brilliance.

In the 2018-19 season, DeChambeau ranked 24th on Tour in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (.421) and 34th in driving distance (302.5 yards). In the 2019-20 season, he rose to first on the Tour in each category.

Bryson DeChambeau tees off on the ninth hole during the second round of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. (Photo: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports)

So far, DeChambeau, who had five Tour titles before his transformation, has been unrepentant of his experimentation and results. That’s what Josh Koch, 2018 and 2019 World Long Drive Championship qualifier and speed and distance coach, loves most about DeChambeau being the face of the distance debate.

“I think when guys get to the top level a lot of times there’s a level of complacency and rightfully so,” Koch said. “A lot of guys are afraid to kind of mess up what got them there and I don’t blame them. There is some truth to that. But his fearlessness of trying to keep pushing the bar and he’s not afraid to mess up or fail. I think that’s the thing I love the most about it: the fearlessness.”

After his 40-pound weight gain, DeChambeau won his first major in September at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot. During his post-round interview, the 27-year-old recognized a few people who inspired him to work to achieve the impressive distance he has this year: World Long Drive competitors Kyle Berkshire, currently No. 1 in the world; Justin James, No. 4; and Koch.

“They all inspired me to try to go harder at (gaining speed and distance),” DeChambeau said of the World Long Drive competitors in September. “They’re the ones breaking the barriers. I can see what is possible so that inspires me to keep pushing the limits.”

Koch is impressed with how DeChambeau has trained his body, gained speed and produced results. But even more, Koch loves what DeChambeau is doing for the sport – loves that DeChambeau’s hard work, sense of adventure and creativity are making the game fun.

It can be intoxicating, especially for young players.

“It’s the sex appeal of golf. It really is,” Koch said. “No matter where you’re at, this is the crazy thing, I don’t feel like anyone really ever feels like they’re fast enough. I’ve never heard someone say they wouldn’t mind gaining a few more miles per hour of speed. With where the stigma was going, it’s like where is the ceiling going to be at? … I think that’s in part to this Bryson Effect and basically, the millennials growing up who are chasing because the reality is speed is longevity. Not only does it keep you more competitive now but it also keeps you playing the game longer.”

In 2019-20, DeChambeau averaged a Tour-best 322.1 yards off the tee. The Tour average was 296.4 yards. In his three appearances this season, which includes two majors, the distance of his average drive jumped to 337.8 yards. In the 2020 season, Cameron Champ was runner-up in distance (322.0) followed by Ryan Brehm (315.3), Rory McIlroy (314.0) and Grayson Murray (313.8), respectively.  

While DeChambeau has dominated the distance conversation, it’s a topic on the LPGA, too. Rookie Bianca Pagdanganan led the tour in distance (283.071), with Maria Fassi a close second (282.173). The 23-year-old Pagdanganan is not a protein-shake pounder like DeChambeau. Imagine what she could do if she pulled a Bryson.

Distance is proving to be a big differentiator on the LPGA. All of the top 10 in distance are under 30 years old and only three in the top 20 are 30 or older.

Ryan Ruffels of Australia hits off the 18th tee in the third round of the Utah Championship. (Photo: Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)

Ryan Ruffels, who currently plays on the PGA Latinoamerica Tour and was 13th on the Korn Ferry Tour in distance last season (318.3), said he’s always played long so emphasizing distance was a part of his game before DeChambeau’s transformation took it to a new level. However, he saw firsthand how important distance is becoming in the LPGA when he caddied for younger sister Gabi, a senior at USC, at the Pelican Women’s Championship in November.

“I told my sister, she’s got a tremendous opportunity to dominate on the LPGA tour because there’s starting to be a few here and there,” Ruffels said. “Obviously Lexi (Thompson), Maria Fassi and people who are starting to bomb it and have some success. If you can be one of those people on the LPGA tour, I think there’s a tremendous opportunity to dominate because I don’t think anyone’s really quite done it yet to the level that let’s say Tiger did it in the early 2000s and Bryson’s doing it now but they just separate themselves completely in that category.”

While Hailey Borja, a sophomore on the University of Michigan’s women’s golf team, and Ruffels agreed that women typically hit the ball straighter than men, the emphasis on distance could propel the women’s game to a place it has never been. Ruffels would obviously like that person to be his sister, who won the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur and was runner-up at that event in 2020, but thinks the star who could change the women’s game is just on the horizon.

Borja said she’s primarily focused on hitting the ball straight rather than hitting bombs, but the conversation of gaining more distance is a common one among college golfers.

“It’s definitely being thought about,” she said. “I am one of the more average-to-shorter hitters so me and my coaches have definitely been working on strength and conditioning for me as well as getting my club speed up so I can hit the ball farther.”

Koch, Ruffels and DeChambeau are all unsure about where the game is headed, but they recognize Pandora’s Box has been opened. And they’re not afraid.

Young golfers see the results of DeChambeau and top LPGA stars, and with access to the same technology like TrackMan, pressure plates, biomechanists and trainers, young golfers are willing and able to copy those gains.

“Now that golf’s being viewed as an athletic sport and there are more athletes playing, the reality is if you get more athletes swinging the club, they’re going to be able to swing it faster and then someone else is going to be able to do it,” Koch said. “I think there are a lot of factors … definitely the biggest one is just a testament to where coaching and the technology available has evolved to people under 30.”

The year began with the release of the Distance Insights Report, a joint effort by the USGA and R&A. In a 102-page document which includes data and information from 56 different projects, golf’s governing bodies determined distance is playing an excessive role in the game and causing the sport to go in an unsustainable direction. Those conversations about the future of the game will continue into 2021.

When asked how DeChambeau’s gains impact the tradition of the game, Koch noted golf has been challenged with the approach of a new young star before, and he made the sport better. Woods, who began playing professional events in 1992, long before Borja or Ruffels were alive, ushered in an era of entertainment in golf resulting in the highest annual increase in rounds played in the U.S. (63 million) in 1997, when Woods won his first Masters title. DeChambeau is proving to be a similarly impactful player in that he has changed the narrative for what a player needs to do to be successful.

Tiger Woods celebrates after sinking a 4 feet putt to win the 1997 Masters. (Photo: Stephen Munday /Allsport)

“We’re always going to be trying to get stronger, fitter and more athletic, and Tiger inspired this whole generation to do this and we’re going to keep going after it,” DeChambeau said after the U.S. Open. “I don’t think it’s going to stop. Will they reign it back? I’m sure. I’m sure something might happen. I don’t know what it will be, I just know it’s always going to be an advantage.”

What the governing bodies do, or don’t do, in terms of rolling back the performance of golf balls or dialing back the distance of drivers remains to be seen. These questions were put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic, but the USGA and R&A are expected to release the next phase of their report in late 2021, at the earliest. Any changes that result could not realistically take effect for years.

Koch knows the increased focus on distance is now part of the game. DeChambeau proved this new strategy is possible, and more than that, it’s fun.

“As the game gets younger it has to keep appealing to different demographics. It’s like anything, unfortunately, stuff changes and gravitates over time,” Koch said. “Right now it’s exciting. As far as the purists go, they should, in my opinion, want what’s best for the game and what’s best for the game is that distance and that debate is creating some excitement around the game …

“At the end of the day, if there’s that buzz it’s going to get people watching. If it gets people watching that, essentially it’s going to grow the game for future generations.”

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Schupak: Why the 2020 Masters could be the turning point in golf’s distance debate

The 2020 Masters can serve as Exhibit A for why action is needed sooner rather than later to address excessive distance in the game.

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Before Bryson DeChambeau attempts to turn Augusta National into a pitch-n-putt, it’s worth reflecting on this moment in time in golf’s distance debate.

Azalea, the 13th hole at the home of the Masters, was designed by architect Alister MacKenzie and club co-founder Bobby Jones to be a tempting and dangerous hole. It invites the long driver to bend one around the corner on the left at the 510-yard dogleg hole. A tributary to Rae’s Creek winds in front of the green, and behind the putting surface are four bunkers. As Jones so eloquently put it, the second shot was designed to be a “momentous decision,” and it can produce eagles and big numbers with equal infamy.

This is where Byron Nelson in 1947 played the hole in six under par for four rounds as did Phil Mickelson when he won in 2010, and the likes of Curtis Strange in 1985 and Rory McIlroy in 2011 crashed and burned.

But as Bubba Watson and other modern-day long bombers have shown, No. 13 can be reached in two with a mere wedge, leading Fred Ridley, who was named the seventh club chairman in 2017, to concede last year, “Admittedly, that hole does not play as it was intended to play by Jones and MacKenzie. The momentous decision that I’ve spoken about and that Bobby Jones often spoke about, of going for the green in two, is to a large extent, no longer relevant.”

This year, he doubled down, saying, “It still provides a lot of drama, but its challenge is being diminished. We don’t think that’s good for the Masters. We don’t think it’s good for the game. But the issue is a lot larger than Augusta National and the Masters.” 

Still, it’s not farfetched to assume its caused sleepless nights as Ridley and Augusta National officials have been thinking overtime on how to restore the inherent character of the hole, including purchasing land in 2017 from neighboring Augusta Country Club for the purpose of lengthening the 13th hole, which is one of the shortest par-5s in major championship golf. It raises eyebrows within the golf community among those who don’t want to see a mustache painted on the Mona Lisa of golf courses. Indeed, the club’s refusal to allow technology to render the famed course obsolete presents a doubled-edged sword as Ridley explained during a press conference Wednesday.

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“I’ve been reluctant thus far to make any major changes regarding adding distance to the golf course,” Ridley said, forgetting, of course, that the club stretched the par-4 fifth hole, Magnolia, under his watch, to 495 yards in 2019. “I think sometimes when you do that, I mean, I think there are unintended consequences that come out of that. The scale and the scope of the hole, it changes when you add distance. It changes more than just adding distance. The look of the hole changes. And the design philosophy of the hole changes. And that’s something that we have always and I have always been very focused on is maintaining the design philosophy of MacKenzie and Jones.

“Having said that, I think we are at a crossroads as relates to this issue. We have always been very supportive of the governing bodies; we will continue to be supportive. We think that it’s good that the game of golf is governed by the USGA and the R&A. We think they are great stewards of the game. But I’m hopeful that with the work and the studies that have been ongoing for some time, and I understand that in April there’s to be some sort of publication of their conclusions, I do think that we’re coming closer to a call to action. And all I can say is that, as it relates to our golf course, we have options, and we will take the necessary action to make sure we stay relevant.”

The subject has reached a head as the U.S. Golf Association and R&A released a 102-page paper, its long-awaited Distance Insights Projects, in February, which concluded that distance is playing “an excessive role in the game and causing the sport to go in an unsustainable direction.” Next steps, however, were tabled this summer until March 2021 due to the global pandemic.

But in many ways the Masters this week can serve as Exhibit A for why action is needed sooner rather than later. It is central to the debate as the one major championship that returns to the same venue each year, where even the most casual golf fan knows that the 10th tee calls for a draw and that since the days of Ben Hogan the safe play at No. 11 always has been right of the green and don’t even think of aiming at the Sunday pin at No. 12. Nothing would serve as a greater wake-up call to the governing bodies more than seeing DeChambeau or one of the game’s other younger bombers turn 7,475-yard Augusta National into a par 68.

“We have options, as I said, we can make changes, but not every golf course can. Having said that, it’s a balance because the next question is, obviously, or should be, well, you don’t want to make the game harder,” Ridley said. “On one hand, we want to say we want to grow the game, and on the other hand, we’re saying we’re worried about distance. I think everybody just has got to get their head together and figure it out.”

Could changes come to Augusta National as soon as April 2021? Ridley said no.

“Our season is underway, and we would not make any changes in that time period,” he said. “Beyond that, I wouldn’t speculate.”

So, the distance debate rages on and, just like at the 13th hole at Augusta, the risk of tackling this longtime problem will be worth the reward of going for the green.

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