Proponents of the golf ball rollback argue that skilled golfers hit the ball too far, inflicting the sport to put an excessive amount of emphasis on distance and rendering traditional designs defenseless. Those that oppose a common rollback — which can take impact for professionals in 2028 and for everyone else in 2030 — consider that the transfer will rob common golfers of a lot wanted distance, as most programs are already too lengthy for them.
Might either side be proper? We crunched some numbers to contextualize simply how quick programs play for professionals and the way lengthy they play for the remainder of us. The outcomes are astounding and may be taken two methods: Both tour professionals have to play for much longer programs or we have to transfer up a set of tees…or three.
Final yr on the PGA Tour, the common course was a shade below 7,300 yards and the common driving distance was about 300 yards. Rory McIlroy led the tour in driving distance, averaging 326 yards per drive. Most of us won’t ever be capable of hit it 330 yards, however we are able to play an applicable tee field that will make a course really feel because it does for Rory.
Time for a bit of math. McIlroy’s 326-yard common is 4.473 % of the size of a mean tour course. So, for us to play a course that appears like a traditional tour course does for Rory, our common driving distance must be 4.473 % of the full yardage.
Earlier than we crunch the numbers, it is advisable decide your common driving distance. Be trustworthy with your self. This isn’t a measure of how far your finest drives go, however the good and the dangerous collectively. Bear in mind these statistics, taken from our How You Examine interactive, the place you’ll see the common driving distance for every handicap.
OK, let’s begin with the bombers amongst us — those that common 270 yards, or practically 10 yards greater than the common scratch golfer. For these gamers to make a course really feel prefer it does for Rory, they would want to play from … 6,036 yards.
If that sounds extremely quick, it’s. These longest gamers are probably used to enjoying the guidelines, wherever from 6,500-7,000 yards. For individuals who common 250 yards off the tee, you’d have to play from 5,589 yards for a course to really feel prefer it does for Rory. Try the entire breakdown under.
Both our second photographs are too lengthy…
Understand that the common driving distance for a 15 handicap is slightly below 220 yards. That’s roughly the common for all male golfers. For these gamers to play a course the best way Rory does, they would want to play from round 5,000 yards.
That’s extraordinary, contemplating information from the USGA finds that the male golfers, on common, play from 6,089 yards. To play golf like a tour bomber, you don’t want to maneuver one tee field up, it is advisable transfer three. The shortest tee field at most programs is slightly below 5,000 yards, so should you actually wish to see how Rory performs, you need to be enjoying from the forward-most markers.
To be honest, because the longest participant on tour, Rory is a little bit of an anomaly, so we additionally ran the numbers for the way far you’d have to play from to really feel like a mean tour participant. Contemplating the common driving distance on tour is about 300 yards, that’s 4.111 % of the common tour course yardage. So to really feel like a typical tour participant, your driving distance must be 4.111 % of the course yardage. Right here’s how that shakes out for numerous driving distances.
Or tour gamers’ second photographs are too quick
Let’s flip this situation round. Perhaps it’s not that we’re enjoying programs which are too lengthy, however tour gamers are enjoying programs which are far too quick. Keep in mind we mentioned the common male golfer performs from about 6,100 yards. When a golfer who averages 230 off the tee performs a course that’s 6,100 yards lengthy, that’s the equal of Rory enjoying a course that’s … 8,654 yards. Transfer on again, Rory, and see what we’re coping with. Right here’s how the remainder of these numbers play out.
If you happen to’re coming into greens with lengthy irons and hybrids all day and questioning how tour professionals go driver-wedge on many holes, it’s not solely as a result of they’re hitting it far; they’re enjoying from drastically shorter tee bins than you in all probability are, in comparison with their driving distance. How usually does the weekend participant who hits it 230 play from 5,600 yards?
What all of those numbers inform us is that there’s a large disconnect between the skilled recreation and the golf that we’re enjoying. To convey these two nearer collectively, the selection is both to make programs for much longer for professionals or a lot shorter for the common participant. The latter is simple — we simply transfer up just a few tee bins. However stretching a tour course out to eight,654 yards is clearly not sensible.
Therefore, the ball rollback, which seeks to reign within the distance that the longest gamers hit it, whereas having little impact on the common participant. We are going to see the way it performs out, however within the meantime the numbers are clear: Transfer up a tee field! –Golf Digest