Golf’s distance debate is not new. In fact, pros and everyday golfers have been questioning the length
the golf ball goes for more than half a century. The recent proposal by the USGA and R&A to roll back the distance the golf ball goes for players at the elite-competition level was not spurred by one moment in time but rather by the cumulative effect increased distance has had on the game. Here’s a look at some of the more seminal moments that have led to this tipping point.
LONG TIME IN THE MAKING
1997 Tiger Woods wins the Masters by overpowering Augusta National. He hits pitching wedge into the par-5 15th for his second shot during the final round and requires only a 9-iron to reach the par-5 second green during the third round.
1988 For the first time, metal drivers outnumber persimmon drivers on the PGA Tour.
1990 The Open Championship is played at the Old Course at St Andrews at a length of 6 933 yards (6 394 metres).
1992 The longest recorded drive on the PGA Tour is 372 yards by Mark Calcavecchia in the first round of the NEC World Series of Golf in Akron, Ohio.
2000 Tiger Woods changes to the Nike Tour Accuracy, a multilayer, solid-core ball with a urethane cover, and wins seven of his next nine events. Titleist introduces the Pro V1 – its first multilayer, solid-core ball with a urethane cover. Within two weeks more than 100 tour pros are playing multilayer, solid- core balls with urethane covers. The average driving distance on the PGA Tour is 272.7 yards. John Daly is the leader at 301.4 yards.
1999 Chris Smith hits the
1998 New USGA president Buzz Taylor says the skill of pros combined with high-tech equipment “threaten obsolescence of many of golf’s historic venues.” At the US Open, the USGA says it is developing a test for “trampoline effect.”
first recorded 400-yard drive on the PGA Tour: a 427-yard bomb at the Honda Classic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
2021 Bryson DeChambeau attempts to clear a lake to drive the 555- yard par-5 sixth at Bay Hill during the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He had the distance (370 yards) on one drive but was wide of the target.
2022 The Old Course at St Andrews measures 7 313 yards (6 687m) for the Open, nearly 400 yards more than in 1990. Seventy-seven players hit drives of 400 yards or more on the PGA Tour, and 723 tee shots travel 375 yards or more. Average driving distance hits an all-time high of 299.8 yards. Drives of more than 320 yards – the USGA test limit – account for nearly 20 percent of all measured tee shots
2023 The USGA and R&A announce a proposal for a Model Local Rule that can be applied in elite competitions starting in 2026. The proposal effectively would roll back the distance the golf ball travels by 15 to 20 yards. The proposal would not impact everyday golfers.
GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA 15
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2024
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