USGA, R&A delay next phase of Distance Insights Report ‘until a more suitable time’

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the USGA and R&A have delayed the release of the next phase of Distance Insights Report “until a more suitable time.”

Much like the rest of the world, the golf industry has been flipped upside down due to the widespread coronavirus outbreak.

Local courses and famous clubs like Augusta National are closing their doors. Professional tours are canceling and postponing tournaments and major championships left and right.

Before coronavirus dominated the news cycle, one of the biggest topics of discussion in the game was last month’s release of the USGA and R&A’s Distance Insights Report. Golf’s governing bodies determined distance is playing an excessive role in the game and causing the sport to go in an unsustainable direction.

If you’ve been waiting on answers and updates to the report, you’ll have to wait a little longer. The USGA and R&A released the following statement Wednesday morning:

On February 4, The R&A and the USGA committed to releasing research topics related to the next phase of our Distance Insights work within 45 days. At this time, the golf industry needs to focus on its response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, we have decided to delay this announcement until a more suitable time. This will obviously extend the deadline for the research. We will share more information in due course.

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