Rory and Keopka .

[BubbaP]

To the OPs point though, I played a little bit of golf with persimmon drivers before the tech changes, and it may be wishful memories but I don't recall the pro big hitters of the day being so far ahead of regular ams as they are now.
Maybe the combination of balls, club tech, pro training, launch mons, etc.

 

[jim8flog]

To the OPs point though, I played a little bit of golf with persimmon drivers before the tech changes, and it may be wishful memories but I don't recall the pro big hitters of the day being so far ahead of regular ams as they are now.
Maybe the combination of balls, club tech, pro training, launch mons, etc.

You just have to watch some of the films from Shells wonderful world of golf to realise that even with persimmon drivers and wound balata balls the pros back then used to drive around 300 yards in America with warmer conditions. Even in Scotland Nicklaus is famed for driving the 18th at St. Andrews.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Sadly and these distances are what make some courses obsolete these days. I admire the way the moderns player work hard on technique and in the gym but I can see why the likes of Player and Nicklaus bang on about distance reduced balls for the professionals

 

[garyinderry]

There was a quote from dustin johnson saying he didnt hit anything longer than a 7iron into any par 4 last year apart from one hole where he hit 4 iron.

That is a completely differnt game to the one we play. No wonder they shoot the scores they do.

The games gone mad.

 

[user2010]

Rory and who?

 

[robinthehood]

To the OPs point though, I played a little bit of golf with persimmon drivers before the tech changes, and it may be wishful memories but I don't recall the pro big hitters of the day being so far ahead of regular ams as they are now.
Maybe the combination of balls, club tech, pro training, launch mons, etc.

While the averages were lower back in the good old days , there were still guys who could bomb it 300ish

 

[User20204]

It's not a surprise the biggest hitters are the most successful ones is it. The modern game is based on length anyone who cares to argue or deny otherwise just keep hitting these woods for your second shot while the rest fire in wedges.

 

[clubchamp98]

There was a quote from dustin johnson saying he didnt hit anything longer than a 7iron into any par 4 last year apart from one hole where he hit 4 iron.

That is a completely differnt game to the one we play. No wonder they shoot the scores they do.

The games gone mad.

Yes this was really my main point .
Courses these days are getting longer and longer but this punishes the average hitting pros not the long ones.
If you make it tougher around the greens it dosnt really bother them as they are only hitting shortish irons in .
So that punishes the shorter ones again who are hitting longer clubs into tough greens.
The answer imo is to narrow fairways past 275yds to make longer guys think about it more.
But is that fair to take a natural advantage away from somebody.
Drive it miles and wedge in to a 475yd hole is getting boring to watch.

 

[Deleted member 1147]

Yes this was really my main point .
Courses these days are getting longer and longer but this punishes the average hitting pros not the long ones.
If you make it tougher around the greens it dosnt really bother them as they are only hitting shortish irons in .
So that punishes the shorter ones again who are hitting longer clubs into tough greens.
The answer imo is to narrow fairways past 275yds to make longer guys think about it more.
But is that fair to take a natural advantage away from somebody.
Drive it miles and wedge in to a 475yd hole is getting boring to watch.

It was nice to see at the Tour CHampionships that if someone hit it into the rough they were struggling to move the ball effectively, sometimes just chopping it up the fairway.
Rory drove the ball well & won, and Chez Reavie, who's a shorter hitter, did well because he kept it on the short stuff.
Koepka, Thomas, Shuffly etc did ok but struggled as they missed too many fairways and couldn't control the ball as well.

 

[clubchamp98]

It was nice to see at the Tour CHampionships that if someone hit it into the rough they were struggling to move the ball effectively, sometimes just chopping it up the fairway.
Rory drove the ball well & won, and Chez Reavie, who's a shorter hitter, did well because he kept it on the short stuff.
Koepka, Thomas, Shuffly etc did ok but struggled as they missed too many fairways and couldn't control the ball as well.

This.
I do remember a shorter course earlier in the year that was playing like this and gave the average guys a chance.
It put a premium on shotmaking and accuracy ,that is what golf is about not just bombing it miles.

 

[Roops]

Totally agree, I have found myself watching less and less of the PGA tour this year, due to the same old format week in week out. Apart from courses Like Harbour Town, it's pretty much the same fare. The European Tour really have a much more interesting product, but unfortunately can't attract the "names", I am guessing due to their commitments, locations and the prize fund on offer. Great shame as the European courses all tend to be so much more engaging. This week they are playing at Crans-Sur-Sierre, how nice is that.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Totally agree, I have found myself watching less and less of the PGA tour this year, due to the same old format week in week out. Apart from courses Like Harbour Town, it's pretty much the same fare. The European Tour really have a much more interesting product, but unfortunately can't attract the "names", I am guessing due to their commitments, locations and the prize fund on offer. Great shame as the European courses all tend to be so much more engaging. This week they are playing at Crans-Sur-Sierre, how nice is that.

Whilst I wholeheartedly agree with your sentiments regarding the one-dimensional nature of so many tournaments I think it is disingenuous to suggest that the European Tour is really any different.

Crans-sur-sierre is very much an exception to the rule as the ET also now seems to cater for the "bomb and gouge" merchants.

 

[Oddsocks]

I think you will find that Tour players irons generally have weaker lofts than those played by club golfers.

We had a young kid at our club, 16yr old playing off +1. Unlike most pro’s he had no power trigger in his swing, practice swing tempo and hit the ball miles.

Was all rhythm and getting bits moving in the right order. He was coached by the same guy as Ross Fisher so it can definitely be learnt. The scary thing he couldn’t have been more than 10st. When he gets his man muscles the distance will be ridiculous!

He’s now at a uni in the USA.

 

[larmen]

As mentioned above, would you run a parkrun in 23 minutes and then say you’d take 10 minutes off that if you had Mo Farahs shoes?

Maybe not the shoes, but his asthma inhaler?