Golf technology has scary impact, and that's no myth
Web posted
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Everybody wants a quick fix to golf's technology quandary.
Standardize the ball, Jack Nicklaus demands.
Smear kryptonite on the club face, traditionalists holler.
Move tee boxes and plant new trees, as Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Hootie Johnson has done.
The experts at the United States Golf Association have one resounding response: It's not that easy.
The USGA recently released a list of eight myths about golf equipment and performance. The scientific findings, at the least, cast doubt on whether something significant should be done to rein in the equipment advances many say are changing the way the game is played.
"We thought that people who are avid golfers would be interested in actual facts and measurements with respect to the performance of golfers in today's world with new technology," said Walter Driver, USGA's president and an Augusta National member. "We want to give people access to some of the facts and dispel some of the myths that develop around every golf era, and new golf technology in particular."
The myths and the USGA's findings include:
MYTH 1: Golfers with faster swing speeds hit today's advanced golf balls farther than they did balls introduced before 2000.
Findings: Physics, scientific tests and actual results on the PGA Tour all confirm that faster-swinging players have not gained a disproportionate amount of distance from modern golf balls. For example, Corey Pavin, the shortest hitter in 2000, gained about the same distance from 2000 to 2005 (7.4 yards) as the longest hitter, John Daly (8.7 yards).
MYTH 2: Golf-ball distance is not currently limited.
Findings: Golf ball distance has been regulated since 1976, and golf ball rebound characteristics have been regulated since the 1940s. In 2004, the USGA updated its testing methodology to more closely reflect the athleticism and clubs of today's tour pros. All golf balls played on tour passed the USGA's distance-limit test.
MYTH 3:Driving distance on the PGA Tour is rapidly increasing.
Findings: Though average distance has increased significantly in the past 10 years, it has leveled off since 2003. The average increase between 2003 and 2006 is about a yard per year.
MYTH 4: The long hitters on the PGA Tour finish higher on the money list.
Findings: On average, the top 10 driving-distance players have fallen on the money list in recent years. From 1980 to 1985, the top drivers' average rank was 64.2. From 2000 to 2005, their ranking dropped to 77.1.
MYTH 5:Most PGA Tour players swing at 120 mph or more.
Findings: The average swing speed on the PGA Tour is about 113 mph.
MYTH 6:The USGA ball test doesn't control ball distance well enough because pros' swings are different than the test method.
Findings: The USGA uses a 120 mph swing speed in its ball trials.
MYTH 7:The average distance for 5-irons on tour is more than 200 yards.
Findings: The PGA Tour Shotlink system, which records virtually all shots throughout the season, shows the average 5-iron shot from fairway to green is approximately 185 yards. From the tee on par 3s, the pros hit a 5-iron 197 yards on average.
MYTH 8:You get more distance by putting topspin on a drive.
Findings: All normally struck shots have backspin, which generates lift and keeps the ball in the air. Balls hit with topspin dive into the ground and go a short distance.
The USGA research is not infallible, however. Golf's evolution has been rapid. Consider these points in conjunction with the USGA's myths:
- Though the golf-ball distance is limited, the USGA's overall distance standard limit made a quantum leap from 296.8 yards to 320 yards in 2003 to account for advances in club technology. The swing speed used in the test increased from 109 mph to 120 mph to reflect these changes.
- Though driving distance has flattened out in recent years, as the USGA statistics show, it certainly grew unabated throughout the 1990s and earlier this decade. For example, 29-year-old John Daly led the PGA Tour in driving distance in 1995 with a 289-yard average. Seven years later, an older and heavier Daly led the tour at 306 yards off the tee - a whopping 17-yard increase.
- While fewer long hitters reign on the money list, most of the top players average 300 yards or better. Half of 2005's top 10 money winners, including the top 3 of Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and Phil Mickelson, crush the ball.
Top players rely more on length now than two decades ago. In 1985, none of the top 10 money leaders ranked among the top 10 in driving distance. In 1984, only three did.
The lengthening of Augusta National and other courses is an architect's way of keeping up. Augusta has added nearly 500 yards since 2002, about the same time the increase in driving distance leveled off.
"It looks like a gradual thing that keeps moving out on us," Johnson said. "The club head gets bigger, the ball goes farther, and I don't know that anyone has the answer. I hope the governing bodies are addressing it."
Critics such as Nicklaus want the USGA to set stricter limits on equipment, particularly the golf ball. Johnson would not rule out the possibility of introducing a "Masters ball."
Nicklaus invented the "Cayman Islands ball," one specifically designed for courses limited in length by land area. He said "bringing the ball back 10 percent" but still allowing manufacturers to make them with their own characteristics - hard, soft, etc. - could work.
"Let everybody play what they normally play," Nicklaus said. "If the golf ball goes shorter, you don't have to come out every year and have the same conversation about what do we do to Augusta to combat what they did to the golf ball."
Reach Adam Van Brimmer at (404) 589-8424 or adam.vanbrimmer@morris.com.
