Professional golfers are hitting it too far, or some think so.
T. K. Kennedy
Just this week the R&A and the USGA announced that they are proposing to change the golf ball so professional golfers do not hit the ball too far. This change is due to the likes of Bryson Dechambeau, Rory McIlroy, and Min Woo Lee. Just last week, at The Players Championship, Min Woo Lee, the 24-year-old Australian golfer, moved the ball upwards of 188 mph off the tee. The tour average is 297.2 yards, on the PGA tour 103 players sit above that line of average driving distance off the tee. This is going to change. The R&A and the USGA announced plans to limit driving distance if the ball is struck at over 127 mph club head speed and should only travel 317 yards off the tee. This would reduce maximum distance on tour by up to fifteen yards.
One of the biggest hitters in world golf has declared plans to modify balls to reduce how far professional players can hit them as “the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do.”
In a joint announcement on Wednesday, the USGA and The R&A proposed a new local rule that would require tournament organisers to only allow balls that meet strict new testing requirements to “address the impacts of hitting distances in golf.”
The rule, which could come into effect in 2026 and is designed more to protect courses that are being made too easy by big-hitting pros, could mean dozens of balls that are currently used could become illegal.
Bryson was the first person to really start “bulking” to gain distance ahead of the rest of the field. I believe that these proposed changes to the golf ball are bad for the game. I believe currently; golf is entertainment and that we should get more people hitting the ball further. I also believe that yes, they should keep making courses longer but also narrower. Recently courses have started taking out trees between each year which promotes hitting it further. This is one of the reasons why the R&A and USGA made this proposed decision. Bryson also said that “It’s not about rolling golf balls back; it’s about making golf courses more difficult.”
I totally agree with this, since that with the increase of golfers in the past 2 years that the golf community should be becoming wider rather than narrower and make golf inclusive for all including the long hitters. I think that golf courses should not conform to the bigger hitters and taking trees out and making it “easier.” I think they should leave trees and make it harder and make the golfers choose whether to take the tiger line or layup. I think that if a player wants to choose to “bulk” let them do it and see if it pays. For example, Bryson at the 2020 US open, playing one of the hardest courses in the US and still hitting it further because of choice.
Conclusively, this proposed change from the R&A and the USGA is atrocious to the game of golf since the sport is trying to become more inclusive and let all types of people into the sport. I think that golf courses should not conform to the longer hitters and make it as hard as possible for all the players.