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The PGA and the Royal and Ancient have been concerned about how far today's pros are driving the golf ball. The solution seems simple to me and doesn't involve having to interfere with golf club or golf ball manufacturer's activities. If the PGA wants to rein in the pros, simply draw a chalk line across the fairway at whatever distance the PGA wants the pros to play their second shot from. Any ball beyond that line incurs a one stroke penalty and they have to drop behind the line and play away. For instance; on a 396 yard par 4, if the PGA wants the pros to hit their second shot from no closer than say; 175 yards, draw a line across the fairway at 175 yards. The pros can get as close as they dare with their drives. Go too far and you incur a penalty. On par 5's the tour can draw the line at, say 250 yards. This system would almost immediately get rid of the concern that the pros hit the ball so far that courses become obsolete. The PGA could take the US Open back to Merion. How much fun would that be to see the PGA go back to iconic courses that have been essentially made obsolete for tour pros. What do you all think?
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| # 1 4/12/2020 9:31:09 AM |
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US Open was just at Merion in 2013. The winning score was 1 under par. Looks like the course held its own at under 7000 yards. Grow the rough shrink the fairways. There ARE ways to keep the game in check.
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| # 2 4/14/2020 12:14:31 PM |
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Mongo; if the PGA simply made the fairways narrow and the rough brutal, all tournaments would look and feel the same. By restricting how far the pros can hit their drive, they can force them to play the course the way the designers intended. And, the added benefit is that the PGA and the R&A would not have to worry at all about what the manufacturers are doing with the clubs. We amateurs could continue to use whatever driver we want (since we aren't pushing the boundaries of distance) and there would not have to be any consideration of a bifurcation of the rules regarding equipment.
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| # 3 4/14/2020 3:17:50 PM |
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Mongo; if the PGA simply made the fairways narrow and the rough brutal, all tournaments would look and feel the same. By restricting how far the pros can hit their drive, they can force them to play the course the way the designers intended. And, the added benefit is that the PGA and the R&A would not have to worry at all about what the manufacturers are doing with the clubs. We amateurs could continue to use whatever driver we want (since we aren't pushing the boundaries of distance) and there would not have to be any consideration of a bifurcation of the rules regarding equipment. Just a fun note here. Isn't creating a rule specifically for pro events kind of having separate rules?
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