Fair comment

[sunshine]

Changing the ball by restricting distance would make no difference at all. Taking, for example, 10% off the distance would still mean big hitters like Bryson would still be 40-50 yards past Fitzpatrick and hitting an ‘easier’ club into the greens. I think loft and shaft restrictions would mean a more level playing field.

This post is just crazy. Sounds like you're in favour of handicapping long hitters. Here's an answer: why doesn't Fitzpatrick just get extra shots on the longest holes to level things up a bit.

 

[clubchamp98]

Changing the ball by restricting distance would make no difference at all. Taking, for example, 10% off the distance would still mean big hitters like Bryson would still be 40-50 yards past Fitzpatrick and hitting an ‘easier’ club into the greens. I think loft and shaft restrictions would mean a more level playing field.

That’s true yes he will be past most players.
The difference is imo he won’t just be hitting wedge into long holes.
He will be hitting 6/7 iron and that’s a different scenario altogether.

 

[Neilds]

That’s true yes he will be past most players.
The difference is imo he won’t just be hitting wedge into long holes.
He will be hitting 6/7 iron and that’s a different scenario altogether.

But other golfers would be hitting 3/4 irons in so would still be disadvantaged.

 

[Neilds]

This post is just crazy. Sounds like you're in favour of handicapping long hitters. Here's an answer: why doesn't Fitzpatrick just get extra shots on the longest holes to level things up a bit.

I am not in favour of handicapping long hitters, I am just saying that if regulation is bought in then the ball is not the place to look, imo

 

[clubchamp98]

But other golfers would be hitting 3/4 irons in so would still be disadvantaged.

That’s why it would need to be on the fairway!
Bryson atm just hits it as far as he can.
As long as it’s within 150yds it’s only a wedge.
They are not disadvantaged they will always be shorter than him.
Bryson has worked out a method fair play to him.
Others complaining is just sour grapes imo.
But the length has to be stopped somewhere, not just him
Never thought I would hear pros complaining “ I can only hit it 300yds it’s not fair”

 

[Deleted member 1147]

But other golfers would be hitting 3/4 irons in so would still be disadvantaged.

Long hitters have always had that advantage. But at least the courses can all be used without ruining them.

 

[sunshine]

I am not in favour of handicapping long hitters, I am just saying that if regulation is bought in then the ball is not the place to look, imo

But other golfers would be hitting 3/4 irons in so would still be disadvantaged.

Looks like you are in favour of handicapping long hitters. You want to remove their advantage.

 

[BridgfordBlue]

Personally I don’t want them to restrict distance to create a more level playing field at the pro level, I want them to restrict distance so that they don’t have to keep lengthening courses.

A player like Bryson that is not just hitting it long but hitting it straight deserves to be rewarded for doing it. There’s pros and cons to every approach, he’s not going to dominate from doing it his way nor do I think he can keep doing it for a particularly long period of time - at least not to the same level he’s currently doing it.

 

[Neilds]

Looks like you are in favour of handicapping long hitters. You want to remove their advantage.

Not sure where I have said, or even hinted that. All I said was that changing the ball is not the way to go if they change anything. If the rule makers change anything they should , imo, look at loft and shaft lengths. This will mean long hitters will still be long hitters but not 60-70 yards longer. If BDC had to use a standard length shaft and a minimum of 9*loft he would lose yards but still be ahead of the pack. This would also ‘protect’ courses and not make them obsolete

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Most pros use shorter than standard driver shafts. As such, only DeChambeau would be affected by having to use regular length. Rory, DJ etc would still demolish short/old courses.

 

[evemccc]

Personally I don’t want them to restrict distance to create a more level playing field at the pro level, I want them to restrict distance so that they don’t have to keep lengthening courses.

A player like Bryson that is not just hitting it long but hitting it straight deserves to be rewarded for doing it. There’s pros and cons to every approach, he’s not going to dominate from doing it his way nor do I think he can keep doing it for a particularly long period of time - at least not to the same level he’s currently doing it.

Pretty much nails it I think

 

[Slab]

Yeah just protect the courses… but then there's hardly any obsolete courses because hardly any courses get played by these players. Why spend the dosh to protect a course for a week every few years

As a TV viewer, I don’t see any difference on screen from a player hitting a tee-shot 250 or 350 its just a ball against some sky & unless you watch the endless hours live then you rarely see 2nd shots on highlights anyway, it’s all chips, putts & par 3’s
What do I care if one player takes wedge while another needs 6I (welcome to my golfing world) Players should focus on what they’re good at

Look at McIlroy, there’s a player that should play to his strength and be taking wedge off the tee because he’ll have the space left & right and then going into the green with his 3wood!

 

[sunshine]

Look at McIlroy, there’s a player that should play to his strength and be taking wedge off the tee because he’ll have the space left & right and then going into the green with his 3wood!

Hahaha

 

[sunshine]

As a TV viewer, I don’t see any difference on screen from a player hitting a tee-shot 250 or 350 its just a ball against some sky & unless you watch the endless hours live then you rarely see 2nd shots on highlights anyway, it’s all chips, putts & par 3’s

Have to say I find highlights really boring. The US golf is the worst, just showing putting, but the Sky highlights from Wentworth were the same. What's the point in showing a player rolling in a 10 footer for eagle? I want to see the tee shot and the approach that set up the eagle attempt. I understand it's obviously far easier to film a putt.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

It would be interesting to see the effect of using smaller headed drivers (200 cc maximum) and higher spinning balls, people often talk about this but has any actual study been made measuring how a modern professional would play using this equipment?

Smaller heads mean that more care needs to be taken or the effect of not middling is amplified compared to a 460 cc head, people won't be able to swing out of their boots.
The higher spinning ball also exaggerates the mishit compared to modern low-spin balls.

This is certainly an effective way of containing all big hitters to the extent that they don't overwhelm the existing golf courses. It would also maintain the differentials, I.e. BdeC and Wolff etc would still be longer.
I still reckon that the answer lies in planting bushes, rhododendrons etc at strategic points so that going for your longest hit gives you something to think about. "If I don't find the fairway, it's likely to be a penalty drop."
At the moment, the courses are set up so that they know they will have a shot, most likely clear to the green.
BdeC recently went into a bush and took a drop. It was a small bush, and such that he still had a short iron into the green. But if that small bush had been large enough to deny that shot, the thought of probably incurring more than the penalty he did have, may have had him playing the hole more conservatively.
So, all it needs is the clubs to get the Head green keeper to order some plants?

 

[cliveb]

As far as I can see, the only reason you need to restrict length for pros is so you don't have to keep making courses longer.
But why do you even need to worry about that? If big hitters get to the point of routinely driving the green on 400 yard holes, so be it.
Does it really matter if the winning score in a tournament is level par or -30? It's just an arbitrary number.

 

[sunshine]

There's an argument that you should just build long stadium courses for the pros, then you wouldn't need to keep extending the classic courses like St Andrews, keep them for you and me. But a big part of the appeal of golf is playing the same course as the pros, whether that's watching them take on a hole you have played yourself, or visiting a course that has hosted a tournament to test yourself.

 

[BridgfordBlue]

As far as I can see, the only reason you need to restrict length for pros is so you don't have to keep making courses longer.
But why do you even need to worry about that? If big hitters get to the point of routinely driving the green on 400 yard holes, so be it.
Does it really matter if the winning score in a tournament is level par or -30? It's just an arbitrary number.

The issue to me with that is it devalues the courses and makes for very one dimensional viewing.

Agree about the par, I’m less fussed about that, more just that I’d like to see all of the course, not just the tee and the green.

 

[sunshine]

I still reckon that the answer lies in planting bushes, rhododendrons etc at strategic points so that going for your longest hit gives you something to think about. "If I don't find the fairway, it's likely to be a penalty drop."

1. Planting bushes alongside the fairway is terrible for spectators to see the action.
2. It's also not good for us normal golfers, which represents 99% of the golf played on the course. You can't plant a load of bushes to make it difficult for 1 week every 10 years (for a US Open / Open course). A claustrophobic course is not a fun course to play.
3. It's also bad for the condition of the fairways. Greenkeepers will tell you that the course needs light and air to circulate to improve growth and drainage.
4. It's terrible for pace of play. Hit in the bush and that's 3 minutes of ball searching.
5. It's poor for entertainment and playability. The opportunity to recover from a poor shot is one of the greatest features of golf. If you try to compile a list of the most famous shots in golf, most of them will be great escapes from the likes of Seve.

I can think of several well known courses which have cleared out rhododendrons for some of the reasons above.