As Bryson and others continue to hit it further and further, defending champion of the ZOZO Championship had some thoughts. Here is Tiger Woods on the distance debate.
“Distance has always been an advantage. Now that we have the tools, that being the launch monitor, the fitting of the golf clubs, the adjustability. I think all that plays into the fact that you’re able to maximize the capabilities of a driver. There’s no reason why you can’t pick up more yardage and guys have done that”, Woods said.
Always one of the longest on tour, and during his dominance, courses were looking at ways to “Tiger Proof”.
“It’s about what do we do going forward and how soon can they do it? You’re not going to stop the guys who are there right now. Guys are figuring out how to carry the ball 320-plus yards, and it’s not just a few of them.”
The general conversation being had is about rolling back some form of equipment either universally to all or specific to the tour professionals…Meaning Bifurcation of the rule book.
“I just don’t see how they can roll everything back. I would like to be able to see that, as far as our game, but then we go back down the road of what do you bifurcate, at what level?”
Tiger is correct at the general idea of rolling back a form of equipment is easier in theory than execution. For all of the talk about Bryson DeChambeau fantastic win at the 2020 US Open, it isn’t that far off from what Rory McIlroy did nearly 10 years ago at the 2011 US Open in his victory. Both were 7th in driving distance and both were 26th in driving accuracy. The yards went up a little bit, but there was virtually no outrage at that time.
Do you agree with Tiger Woods? What do you think the next step should be and will be?
We’re seeing players being able to hit these bombs with a real degree of accuracy that I’ve not really seen in the past. The problem with changing the equipment is that it doesn’t eliminate the problem. The players able to drive longer will still have an advantage over others. The only difference really is instead of "drive and pitch" maybe it becomes "driver and 8 iron".
Expanding the length of the courses is also impractical, so I really don’t know. Maybe the safest thing is to consider adding hazards near that extreme landing distance to force players back some? Or impractical and extreme, perhaps play only links courses where the wind plays havoc on the drives
I think Tiger’s comments have made the most sense of anyone talking about the subject lately. Bifurcation sounds great in theory, but is a slippery slope IMO. I need to go look, but Bryson is not blowing away the field in driving. He is just being more up front about it.
This is my whole thing with the distance thing. Is Bryson hitting it farther than ever? Sure! Will it give him top 10’s in almost every “small” tournament he plays in? Probably, if he putts well.
However, Rory has been doing this same thing in majors on a slightly smaller scale for the last decade. Bryson impact is marginally different than what Rory is doing. No one is wanting golf to be a long drive competition, but let’s see how this plays out before making and drastic bifurcation decisions. If Bryson wins the next 5 majors by landslide, and the driving distance changes the whole course then we can have that talk, but just how Rory has shown. When the driver gets in the wrong spot, or the putting isn’t as hot as it was all of a sudden you find yourself in a multi year major drought.
That is the funniest part of this argument. It’s not as if Bryson all of the same got longer and everybody can’t compete. Jack was longer. Tiger was longer. Rory was longer. Cam Champ and Tony Finau are longer. But Bryson being "different" and all of the sudden we have to change everything.
Not sure I understand that logic, but based on the previous moves by the USGA, not much surprises me anymore.
could be an angle for the PGL. Come play for us where we pay a monster guaranteed amount and won’t screw with your equipment.
Then why weren’t there discussions on it when Tiger was putting up those win percentages? Where was all the pearl-clutching then? Oh sure, they talked about "Tiger proofing" courses, but I don’t recall their being all this talk about changing the rules or rolling back the equipment. And Tiger in his prime was far more dominant than any current golfer, for a lot longer.
I think we’re making too big of a deal of Bryson Dechambeau. He’s a really good player who was going to win a major and he did. Now people are talking like he is going to win every major from here on out. I for one highly doubt it as his short game and approach game are very average most weeks. I have watched him hit so many drives inside 100 on Par 4’s this year and struggle to get the ball in the hole that I know he isn’t going to dominate. He will win his fair share (couple tourneys a year and maybe 3 or 4 total majors) but there is no reason to Bryson proof anything.
As for bifurcation if that’s what people want, then make the max driver head size 360cc at the pro level. Voila, problem solved as now center face contact is a premium and Bryson becomes John Daly.
i think the obvious answer is how good tiger was for the game monetarily. whereas the powers that be may not see bryson as having that same kind of impact on viewership and revenue (not saying whether that’s right or wrong).
maybe this is unfair, but i also wonder whether race would play a roll. this is not a game that has a rich history of inclusivity. if a person of color comes along in tiger woods who beats all the white guys by 100 shots a week, it’s not a good look to scramble to change the rules to stop that from happening.
and lastly, during the tiger proofing there was more land available and less of a focus on conservation. so courses were fine to knock down trees, move more dirt, and disrupt more habitats to make the course longer and less gettable.
I think you hit the nail squarely on the head with those points, especially the first two. There’s no reason for Bryson to be the poster child for this "problem", when there are plenty of others hitting it just as far as he is, if not farther. Maybe if Cam Champ or Tony Finau suddenly catches fire and takes the lead, it’ll suddenly disappear.
I’ll take that action.
More or less?
He was going to do that before the distance gain. More.
If nothing changes I believe his current arc has him achieving number one in the world
Best v best he is still not as good as DJ, JT, Rory, or Jon Rahm IMO. I just think he’s hot right now. He is going to tinker himself into a dry spell sooner or later. Everyone that tinkers as much as he does ends up going hot and cold. This was a shot tracker 3 weeks ago when he played that I shared with my buddies on a text. This is what I see all the time when watching him on PGA Tour Live.
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He better work on his wedge game then. It’s not as good as it should be for a guy who has a lot of them into greens. 119th in SG approach to green, 111th SG around the greens.. that’s not so bueno.
I personally dont have a problem with the distance and its pretty damn fun to watch honestly. However if they decided to reduce the COR in woods then id be fine with it too (its not what I want but id be fine with it).
I say this as a former baseball player thats lived through equipment modifications. I’m only 31 and played baseball in college and past college. 3 times already in 15 years
the metal bats have been reduced in how hot the ball can come off the bat. When I played in high school those bats made it feel like you were hitting one of the super bouncy balls!! With the new bats its a notably more dead sound and feeling. also the overall sweet spot is reduced
sticking with baseball, the pros also must use different bats and balls than everyone else. so if golf went that route id understand also
so overall I do thoroughly enjoy where the game is at and its very entertaining watching Bryson hit it 350+. I personally would not change anything….but if there were minor equipment modifications I would understand and accept it
I agree with Tiger’s comments, and as all of you know, I’m strongly in the camp that something has to happen at the pro level to "keep the ball in the ballpark." Tiger’s right: guys aren’t going to stop getting stronger. It’s up to course architects and tournament officials to set up pro tournaments in a way that challenges all players equally.
i can see winning a few tournaments maybe 2 a year but you think hes going to win more than 3-4 majors?
bifurcation seems terrible to me. So does a universal roll back. I have no idea what the answer is.. maybe that’s because we are asking the wrong question..
Is kind of shocking that he’s 63rd in GIR’s and 151st in proximity to the hole. If he gets that figured out then they are going to be in trouble.
Yes. His stats this year say he will be a force on tour unless something changes.
9 top 10s in a shortened year (more than everybody not named JT, who bested him by 1) and it would have most likely been more if we didnt have a shut down and restart.
And he did that with below average approach. If that goes up even a tiny bit, he should win way more than people think and will without a shadow of a doubt be number one in the world.
He’s only 27 years old.
I am stumped that people think he will only win 2-3 more majors in 15+ years on tour.
Maybe, maybe not. Only so many hours in a day, focus on one, lose skill in the other.
"I just don’t see how they can roll everything back. I would like to be able to see that, as far as our game, but then we go back down the road of what do you bifurcate, at what level?”
In practice, it’s tough to change the rules and equipment for the top 200 golfers in the world when the long hitters would still have a distance advantage. Longer, wetter fairways that are mowed from the green to the tee would take care of shortening all the golfers but the distance advantage still remains for the bombers.
Distance is always an advantage but golf and going low is much more complicated than just being the longest off the tee. Of the top 20 in driving distance on the PGA Tour last year only Bryson, Rory, Dustin, Finau, and Scottie Scheffler finished in the top 20 in scoring average.
Emphasis mine.
Why is an equal challenge for all players a part of the game, especially the pro game?
Well, I guess as long as he maintains his 1st in tee to green then not much really does need to change.
Bryson? Hot now, Wedges? Putting is up ‘n down like most. Temperament is questionable, Major wins in a usual year would mean a letdown due to private exhibitions – but it’s Covid, so I wonder about the extent of those private money offers this year.
I think the heard at the top is so numerous in talent that if Bryson has a hot year, someone will soon dethrone him and put his ego back where it belongs. But he is a hard worker – Tiger-like in that regard so who knows other than he is and will remain a major player. When you’re hitting LW into Par 4s, that’s an advantage. lol. But the field usually catches up these days due to the number of great athletes.
Distance? Keep the clubs as is and maybe have a tour ball so the Tour doesn’t have to buy more land to extend hole yardage on courses. Or make more courses like Colonial but tougher.
Im trying to figure that out too? Why is distance not an advantage?
Next the NBA will raise hoops for taller guys and if a home run hitter comes to bat, we move the fences back?
Inequality in playing conditions from one golfer to the next, especially during morning waves and afternoon waves, is a part of the game. No concerns there.
Where things get tricky is when the equipment differs so widely from one player to the next.
I think if the powers that be actually paid attention, they’d notice that you can’t build a course that’s too long for these guys. You build it longer, they just swing harder. You firm up the greens and make them like lightning, they just aim front edge and deal with the bounces, which they’re pretty good at figuring out.
Take some chase out of the fairways, they won’t hit it as far. Change where you put the pins, scores won’t be as low. Muirfield was the perfect example. Exact same course, two way different scores. Funny how course setup can dictate how low these guys can go..
What I find most concerning, is what has already been clearly stated; Golf has shown individuals introducing significant distance numbers for years, yet hasn’t lost their mind over it until one player managed to do it in a way that does not conform to normal conditions.
I think the answer is to get creative with course setup and design.
This comment has my head spinning on what is ‘possible’ from a tour perspective.
Should they force all players to use blades that have same specs and weight?
Should different wedge grinds become illegal?
Only one flex or limit the stiffness of shaft flex?
One grip size?
8802 putter shapes only?
Sir Nick can fix any issues with his wedges.
I dont think this is where you are going, but is the suggestion that everyone play the same equipment where this argument leads?
It was really tough…
Can you explain that? Every club has to be conforming to the USGA specs.
i dont like him thats why, unless hes in joggers, hoodie and a trucker hat!
Have to love the non-answer answer.
I guess that part confuses me. Doesn’t every player have access to the exact same equipment if they choose?
I’m with you here. There was some rumblings about distance being an issue prior to Bryson getting all beefcaked out, but the escalation of concern has definitely amplified over the last couple months. In every other sport, players are celebrated for putting that kind of insane effort into their craft.
In Golf? It seems to be problematic.