New Rules for Professionals?

[Backsticks]

Has there ever been a more tortured effort to find a solution that is not the perfect solution that is already blindingly obvious in the faces of the administrators and easily implemented ?
Just drop ball distance by 15% !!!
All is right in the golfing universe again. No bifurcation. Courses play as designed and in proportion, are a more rounded test of the elite. Classic heritage courses are not humbled and made obsolete. Course are cheaper to run, need less space, and do less harm to the environment. Everyone. EVERYONE is a winner. Just get it done USGA/R&A !

 

[phillarrow]

Has there ever been a more tortured effort to find a solution that is not the perfect solution that is already blindingly obvious in the faces of the administrators and easily implemented ?
Just drop ball distance by 15% !!!
All is right in the golfing universe again. No bifurcation. Courses play as designed and in proportion, are a more rounded test of the elite. Classic heritage courses are not humbled and made obsolete. Course are cheaper to run, need less space, and do less harm to the environment. Everyone. EVERYONE is a winner. Just get it done USGA/R&A !

How would we know it's 15% for everyone... would we all have to be fitted to find a ball that's 15% less than the current balls? ???

 

[Crow]

I don't think longer rough or tighter fairways will stop the bombers.

Someone will be able to play the 72 holes without getting into too much trouble and hence they will have a huge advantage over those who choose to play short.

This will force the rest into bombing it as otherwise they'll be at a serious disadvantage.
Yes, it might be carnage for most but there will be enough (only needs half a dozen or so) who stay out of the crap even when bombing it and one of those will win.

 

[SocketRocket]

What's the problem that changing the Tours equipment is the solution?

So what if elete golfers can hit the ball further than the average tour golfer. In any sport the elite perform better than the average amateure. It good to see how well an expert can perform in a sport.

 

[Foxholer]

What's the problem that changing the Tours equipment is the solution?

So what if elete golfers can hit the ball further than the average tour golfer. In any sport the elite perform better than the average amateure. It good to see how well an expert can perform in a sport.

In (almost?) every other sport, both the rules and the 'field' are the same for players at the Elite level as they are for those at Entry. Golf appears to be, once again, getting to the stage where some sort of bifurcation will be needed to prevent traditional courses being made unusable as a test for the highest level players.

 

[tobybarker]

Just change the ball?

Feathers?

 

[wjemather]

What's the problem that changing the Tours equipment is the solution?

So what if elete golfers can hit the ball further than the average tour golfer. In any sport the elite perform better than the average amateure. It good to see how well an expert can perform in a sport.

But we are rarely seeing how well the experts can perform because most of the challenge designed into courses isn't in play for them. For example, seeing them smash it clean over doglegs, such as the 13th at Augusta, is fun once in a while, but when everyone starts doing it, as they already do at many courses, tournament golf is reduced to a power and scrambling/putting contest. Shorter hitters like Ian Poulter and Kevin Kisner do still compete occasionally, but it is becoming less and less frequent because the bombers simply don't have to be very accurate from the tee whereas they do.

There have been concerns about pros overpowering courses since at least the 1950s and the solution has almost always been to make courses longer rather than address the equipment - at some point you have to recognise that approach is not sustainable.

 

[bobmac]

In the world of the javelin, the top throwers were starting to threaten the runners at the other end of the stadium. As they couldn't make the stadiums (stadia for Foxy) bigger, they reduced the distance the javelin could fly.
So, rather than making golf courses bigger, reduce the distance the ball can fly.