"If we play with a golf ball that is 10 percent rolled back and we used to hit it 300 yards, now we're hitting it 270 yards. Well, fans that come to a tour event are not going to be impressed by that."

Phil Mickelson's comments to E. Michael Johnson about equipment in the new Golf World prove short-sighted and frankly, disappointing.

What do you think of two sets of rules on equipment?

I believe it is our job to entertain, and it is difficult to do things others can't when we roll back equipment rules. If we play with a golf ball that is 10 percent rolled back and we used to hit it 300 yards, now we're hitting it 270 yards. Well, fans that come to a tour event are not going to be impressed by that.

Fans are not impressed by a lot of things, like slow play, players who spit and the general drone-like personality of too many players. But feeling cheated because of the distance a ball doesn't fly? Hard to see that one when driving distance measurements aren't immediately available to a fan. A long drive is a long drive. It's all relative Phil.

It is detrimental to the PGA Tour that we will no longer be able to hit those shots around the green that we were able to in the past -- the shots people pay to see.

Yes, people do love a shot that spins and a miraculous recovery, but there is also the possibility that golf fans are savvy enough to have an even greater appreciation for recovery shots in the future knowing players are using equipment around the greens more consistent with what past generations used.

How much more can tour players gain through equipment?

You can gain with club fitting and optimization of set makeup, but the USGA over the last five or six years has capped much of the improvement. Basically the attitude of [USGA senior technical director] Dick Rugge, who is the omnipotent one in the game of golf, is that if something comes out that is beneficial to tour pros, then he's just going to change the rule [Ed. note: the USGA, citing that the configuration did not adhere to the intent of the rule, disallowed a groove design Callaway submitted although it met the technical parameters]. So there's no opportunity for real advancement when we have that type of governing body.

Callaway and Phil need to lay out how technical advances grow the game. Unfortunately, the only folks who benefit from constant product obsolescence are manufacturers and their shareholders.

What would you do if you were in charge of equipment regulation?

I would definitely rescind the right for one man to approve or disapprove a club regardless of whether it conforms to the rules that were set forth. Dick Rugge has that power. I think it is wrong to have that much power in one person's hands.

Anything else?

As far as other areas, I won't go into specifics, but technological improvements are not as evil or bad as the USGA is making them out to be. Historically, they have been beneficial for golf.

Yes, tell that to all of the people with 7,300 yard courses they can't afford to keep open for business.