Bifurcation: The B Word Just Won't Go Away

Jaime Diaz takes the pulse of folks at recent industry shows and the bifurcation word just keeps coming up for golf, no matter the context whether it be rangefinders, equipment or putters.

Diaz makes the case for rules tweaks that impact the professional.

The professional tours, and especially major championship golf, would be better with a golf ball that underwent a distance rollback of 10 percent. Don't worry, a Dustin Johnson drive will still look awesome flying 290 yards instead of 325. But more importantly, a rolled-back ball would increase the premium on player skill, bring the driver out of the bag much more often, create more variety in the shape of approach shots, allow the best players to separate from the pack more easily, lead to more classic venues, stop the proliferation of extreme course setups that feature heavy rough and ultra-firm greens, and speed up play. This more interesting version of golf on the biggest stages would make the recreational game more popular and alluring.