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2018 Golf Industry Predictions: Golf Unfiltered #144

JB

JB

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Will be listening to this one on the way to work tomorrow morning.
 
Will be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Cleveland and Srixon gear this upcoming year Adam.
 
i don't want to take the time to dive into it deeper, maybe someone else can, but i wonder how the distribution of driving distance rankings for tour winners over the last 5 years falls. it's like we only care about the golf ball when dj or rory or another bomber wins. but when guys like mark leishman, brian harman, kevin kisner, or rod pampling - all of whom won in 2017 - win nobody cares about the golf ball distance.

i would also like to look at the top money winners over the past 5 years and how they rank in driving distance.

i guess my point is sure, lots of guys on tour hit it far, but shorter hitters win too. and there are other ways to manage scores without limiting the ball further or making courses longer. why not try those first so we don't disrupt an entire industry?
 
ASN21 said:
Will be interesting to hear your thoughts on the Cleveland and Srixon gear this upcoming year Adam.
Click to expand...

I'm excited to partner with them. Based on my testing of their stuff throughout 2017, there isn't another brand that performs as consistently throughout the bag as Cleveland/Srixon. Drivers, irons, wedges, hybrids, putters, golf balls.
 
c.a.eleric said:
i don't want to take the time to dive into it deeper, maybe someone else can, but i wonder how the distribution of driving distance rankings for tour winners over the last 5 years falls. it's like we only care about the golf ball when dj or rory or another bomber wins. but when guys like mark leishman, brian harman, kevin kisner, or rod pampling - all of whom won in 2017 - win nobody cares about the golf ball distance.

i would also like to look at the top money winners over the past 5 years and how they rank in driving distance.

i guess my point is sure, lots of guys on tour hit it far, but shorter hitters win too. and there are other ways to manage scores without limiting the ball further or making courses longer. why not try those first so we don't disrupt an entire industry?
Click to expand...

Consider this: any metric that is currently being captured on "driving distance" does not automatically assume players are ONLY hitting driver on a large enough sample size of similar golf holes.

Everyone I've spoken to -- literally everyone -- has agreed the golf ball is flying further now than ever before. There are many different variables that have contributed to that fact.

Players aren't going to stop working out.

Golf tech isn't going to stop innovating.

Trackman isn't going away.

Real estate is running out for many course architects.

That leaves two potential changes that could reduce ball distance: course conditions and the golf ball itself.
 
golfunfiltered said:
Consider this: any metric that is currently being captured on "driving distance" does not automatically assume players are ONLY hitting driver on a large enough sample size of similar golf holes.

Everyone I've spoken to -- literally everyone -- has agreed the golf ball is flying further now than ever before. There are many different variables that have contributed to that fact.

Players aren't going to stop working out.

Golf tech isn't going to stop innovating.

Trackman isn't going away.

Real estate is running out for many course architects.

That leaves two potential changes that could reduce ball distance: course conditions and the golf ball itself.
Click to expand...

i know there is no guarantee that a guy is going to hit driver on the holes on which it's measured. but the holes are chosen based on the likelihood that most guys will, yes?

never disputed distance increases. i'm disputing whether it matters that guys are hitting it farther. the arguments seem to be around protecting the integrity of golf courses and scores to par. to me that's a different argument than just saying land is a finite commodity so we can't keep making courses longer.

my issue with focusing on dialing back the ball is that it seems like a last resort option. why not work on making layouts and conditions more difficult if it's about protecting the integrity of the game, instead of lengthening courses? that strategy would affect less than 1% of the courses that amateurs play. but if you roll back the ball, you're going to affect a significant percentage of the equipment that golfers play (don't know the percentage of "tour" balls that consumers buy).
 
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golfunfiltered said:
Consider this: any metric that is currently being captured on "driving distance" does not automatically assume players are ONLY hitting driver on a large enough sample size of similar golf holes.

Everyone I've spoken to -- literally everyone -- has agreed the golf ball is flying further now than ever before. There are many different variables that have contributed to that fact.

Players aren't going to stop working out.

Golf tech isn't going to stop innovating.

Trackman isn't going away.

Real estate is running out for many course architects.

That leaves two potential changes that could reduce ball distance: course conditions and the golf ball itself.
Click to expand...

Here is an interesting stat. The course they just played in Hawaii is one of the longer courses on tour I believe at over 7500 yards (correct me if I am wrong).
Yet plays as one of the easiest to the tour pros.

So perhaps distance is not the issue, but rather conditions. Soften or grow out hte fairways and make them less concrete. Grow out the rough. Add more strategic bunkers.
These are all things that would save a course dollars rather than losing real estate.

Tom Watson is a guy that has said for years courses are too long, they are too long, they are too long...You know what he did? Built the longest course in FL. Shut the **** up Tom, dont play the distance game if courses are too long. Instead you chased it. Same with effin Nicklaus who complains constantly and then puts out a golf ball and designs long courses.

Easy fix. Attach your name to something different.
 
Jb has a good point as does C.A. there are lots of things that can be done to toughen a golf course besides making it longer. Take the driver out of their hands on most holes. Make them play target golf, it’s less expensive and easier on the land.
 
Another great listen. Look forward to more to come in 2018.

I completely agree about Cleveland/Srixon. I went from never owning any of their clubs to 11 in the current bag. Srixon irons (thanks to THP) Cleveland wedges, and a Cleveland putter. More often than not, I'm playing a Srixon ball as well. I've been very impressed with their recent offerings.
 
Interesting predictions. Really curious to see what "big thing" will happen in social media this year. I too get sort of disappointed when the companies take shots at each other on Twitter, etc. But I guess that's the day and age in which we live.
 
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