Restricted ball

[tgtt]

Jack should just enjoy his retirement more. He had his day in the spotlight. The only people hitting the ball too far are the world class pro's. Jack has some serious tunnel vision going on. He needs to think about the millions of everyday players, not just the pro's.

Jack is trying to gain support for a 12 hole round with 8 inch cups. I think he is looking at every aspect of the game. Whether you agree with him or not is moot. He is a man with some influence in the game and should be applauded for having ideas instead of just letting someone else worry about it.

 

[blugold]

Jack is trying to gain support for a 12 hole round with 8 inch cups. I think he is looking at every aspect of the game. Whether you agree with him or not is moot. He is a man with some influence in the game and should be applauded for having ideas instead of just letting someone else worry about it.

I will applaud his intentions. I will applaud his ideas.

 

[kozmo]

It wouldn't bother me... I'm not a long hitter, so I would probably just more up a set of tees if I was loosing alot of distance from the ball.

 

[HoselRocket104]

I have two thoughts on this issue. First, the last three "home" courses have already added between 300 to 600 yards in length over the last couple of years. So if they change the ball, i should have to play a longer course with a shorter ball? I'm not familiar with course set ups back in Jack's day. How long was a typical course he played?

Second, if the PGA tour is that concerned, make the pros us the shorter balls. Baseball has different equipment rules for Pro vs. amatuer.

 

[HoselRocket104]

Jack is trying to gain support for a 12 hole round with 8 inch cups. I think he is looking at every aspect of the game. Whether you agree with him or not is moot. He is a man with some influence in the game and should be applauded for having ideas instead of just letting someone else worry about it.

Are you serious? Why? How does that improve anything?

 

[tgtt]

Are you serious? Why? How does that improve anything?

Well, I thought it was pretty obvious but...

It addresses two of the biggest issues the game faces: 1) duration, 2) difficulty. While many wont like the idea it could, potentially, get new people to the game.

 

[tequila4kapp]

Yet another example of how golf desperately needs to join the 21st century and adopt bifurcated rules. This is an issue for pro and perhaps competitive (college, e.g.,) golfers. It is a non issue for the remaining 99.99% of us.

 

[HoselRocket104]

Well, I thought it was pretty obvious but...

It addresses two of the biggest issues the game faces: 1) duration, 2) difficulty. While many wont like the idea it could, potentially, get new people to the game.

I don't like it. I don't like it. Why not change baseball so that everyone gets to bat every inning. Pitchers have to throw slow and tell you what's coming. Getting on base is the fun part right? They should lower the rim for short fat guys in basketball because dunking is fun. Do you understand where i'm going? Golf is already fun. Making it easy doesn't make it better. To me, golf seems to already be growing. Who says everyone has to enjoy golf?

 

[fireitup]

I haven't seen Jack speak to this recently, however a few years back I saw an interview where Jack was talking about this. His idea then, I don't know if it what he is talking about now was two fold. First, with the distances the Pros are hitting it today it makes it near impossible to design a course that can hold a championship at the Pro level and also have amateur players enjoy it.

Second he wanted to be able to play his wife in a match from the same tees. This idea is what caught my attention at the time. I was playing in a league that also had women players. On some holes it wasn't really a fair match. The tee box for the men would have a 200 yard carry over water, whereas the women's tee was on the other side. No hazard at all. He wanted to develop a ball that would be the equalizer in the match. Everyone play the same tees, the better players play a ball that will not fly as far. I think that is an interesting idea.

 

[Speedliner]

Was this on Feherty? I saw an excerpt, but not the entire discussion. He wasnt talking about a mod just to change the way pro play. He was reasoning that this change would do several things, only one was to bring tournaments to more courses. He argued that smaller courses cost less to maintain, can be kept in better condition. These two points would make golf "better" and less expensive. I thought he also pointed out that "un-juiced" balls won't go as far off target when mis-hit, which would mean less trouble, fewer lost balls, and faster play times. I can't recall if that was his comment or a commentators interpretation.

It was all about lowering costs, improving play, improving course conditions and accessibility by making courses cheaper to build and restoring courses out of favor because they're short.

 

[Trout Bum]

I would do it in a tourney, I think playing by the rules as much as possible is important to the game, but in a casual round I'd need a distance ball just to keep up with a lot of people here, I'm a short hitter and need the help.


I think it's time for some ball experiments

 

[bigtazz53]

Interesting thoughts, I guess like most, the rule would only effect the pro level.

And I'm for anything that speeds up play and makes the game more enjoyable.

 

[DawgDaddy]

Man I am 65 years old, I am always the shortest in any group I play in. No way would I voluntarily play a ball that is shorter.

 

[adwillingham]

Man I am 65 years old, I am always the shortest in any group I play in. No way would I voluntarily play a ball that is shorter.

Substitute my 35 for your 65 and the rest of the answer is the same.

 

[Miller Time]

I wouldn't want to use them, but I'm not a long hitter by any stretch. This should be a Tour issue.

Exactly, should be a tour issue. I feel the same way about the long putters. If you want to legislate it, leave it to the pros. Amateurs need all the help we can get.

 

[the boss]

I have voted no, I like my balls just the way they are!

 

[Gianna1025]

I'm not a fan of this. Like others have said I'm not a long hitter, nor am I playing guys for money who are. This is another tour issue like the belly putter! I say have a set of rules for tournament play and a set for the weekend guys. Sure seems like the powers that be are trying to deter new players instead of growing the game! Didn't Jack say something like there should only be 12 holes too?

 

[Golf 'N Gator]

Man I am 65 years old, I am always the shortest in any group I play in. No way would I voluntarily play a ball that is shorter.

Millions of people don't hit the ball far enough to justify Jack's way of thinking. I like Jack but he is full of .

Yet another example of how golf desperately needs to join the 21st century and adopt bifurcated rules. This is an issue for pro and perhaps competitive (college, e.g.,) golfers. It is a non issue for the remaining 99.99% of us.

Correct! The time has long passed for a tour(s) only ball.

 

[threshold350]

Let me some context to what Jack said on Feherty on why he thinks their needs to be restricted distance balls for the pros.

1) He said he experienced it first hand when ball manufacturers switched from balata to urethane. He immediately saw the 10-15 yard difference and realized how switching materials was going to change the game.
2) As someone said before, he was concerned for the courses being a course designer himself. He feels that a lot of courses have gone obsolete because they cannot extend due to limited real estate.
3) As said before also, it will cost less to maintain these long courses because there will be less build a new course and less land to maintain from a day to day basis.

Those were the points I got watching that interview. I think he even said the ball change should be only for the pros.

TBH, using a balata back in the day and using a new ball, I don't think I've gained that much distance. I avg 250-270 in high school. I'm still hitting the same. Or that could be from the fact my swing hasn't improved :act-up: One big difference I do notice between today's and ball from the 80-90's is that I have gained a tighter dispersion and consistency. Granted I never hit a 300yd drive in high school and can occasional hit one in a blue moon. IMO, all this is more than the ball and more of a combination of the evolution in the ball and equipment.

Do I think the pros should use a standard ball? Yes.
Do I think the everyday amateur should use a standard ball? No.

In the end we know why this will never happen, $$$$$

 

[fupresti]

Look how well the Car of the Future did for Nascar. No one wants to address the fact that todays golfers are much superior athletically than golfers in Jack's day. Watching golfers struggle during the majors is fun, watching them try to break even at the Valero Texas Open would make me change the channel.

 

[Mulligan9111]

I'm a little confused by the question for the poll. Are you saying that if the USGA came out with a rule regarding a ball with restricted flight would I play it? Or are you saying just in general would I play a restricted ball just for the heck of it?

If it was deemed illegal (against the rules) to use anything other than the restricted balls, I would use the restricted balls. If it's just for the heck of it, then no I would not. The game is hard enough the way it is, why make it harder just for the heck of it?

 

[Jeanthemachine]

I am having a little problem with the question. Am I volunteering to play a restricted ball or am I being asked if I would quit the game if restricted balls were the only ones available?

I do think that the pros have rendered too many courses obsolete and there are barely any three shot holes for them any more. So in that light I support a shorter ball.

I expect that there are engineers/chemists who could build a ball that produces only minimal added yards for added swing speed so the guy with a 90 mph swing would hit the ball 95% of the distance of a 100 mph swing. I do not know the relationship between swing speed and ball speed or spin and carry but I believe that it is possible to benefit the lower swing speed with a higher percentage payoff when compared to the faster swing.

If anyone has tried to hit a tennis ball with a golf club I think you will find that the slower swing sends the ball farther because the fast swing overcompresses the ball.

 

[bigtazz53]

Simply wondering if people would switch to a shorter more controllable ball if it came out.
As far as a rule change, I agree, it is time for pros and amateurs to have more defined rules.
One for us and one for them. True most rules would still be the same, but amend some that don't fit the avg Joe.
Whats more important, sticking to an out of date rule or growing the game with involvement and enjoyment?

 

[Speedliner]

I don't think there would be a restricted ball, nor would I want one. I like that amateurs and pros play the same game and don't want different rules. That's one of the things I like about golf.

I think the change would come by setting some limitations on ball design. I expect it is possible to design a ball that would help amateurs while limiting the extremes for pros. Wouldn't a soft core limit compression so there would be diminishing returns as swing speed increases? I don't know, but that I would be okay with me. Same rules, same ball it just doesn't go as far for a pro as current balls do, while having little to no impact on us hacks.

 

[hcopenhagenh]

I would have no issue playing a new ball. Personally limiting the ball would be the easiest and fastest solution to bringing the golf courses back into reasonable distances, reducing costs to maintain courses and green fees.

IMO they should be using 1 ball also for everyone on tour, or 2, one that spins and one that is more distance, like the ProV1 and ProV1x. Its the only sport that I know of that uses a ball that doesn't use one standard ball for everyone.

I agree. Scaling the ball back is good for amateur and pro golfers. The longer the ball the more land needed to make the course longer. We may never use the tips of a course, but I guarantee we are paying for them to be there. The more land the more maintenance on the course.

As Tom Kite said on Fairways of Life (paraphrasing) "Less people are playing golf. It isn't because the game has gotten harder because the game is easier than it ever has been. The two issues people have are the costs and the time it takes to play." Guess what, restrict the ball flight and it helps take care of this. Less maintenance on a shorter course means the price goes down. A shorter course means it takes less time to play.