PGA Tour Driving Distance Watch, Week 17

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pgatour.jpgThe PGA Tour Driving Distance average rose to 288.0 yards, up from 287.7 after Houston.  Now, I didn't watch much of the New Orleans event (though I have it Tivo'd in case I want to peel off the layers masking English Turn's architectural genius), but considering the course was wet, that's an impressive distance jump.

There were 11 350-or-longer drives, with the season total now at 862. A nd Carlos Franco demonstrated the benefits of diet and exercise with 402-yarder on the 7th hole during Saturday's 3rd round.  That brings the season total to 17 drives of 400-yards or longer, 2 shy of 2005's total of 19.

It was in the April 29, 2005 issue that Golf World's E. Michael Johnson embarked on a Colbertian rant about what else, the ranting of "distance killjoys." One year ago the PGA Tour driving distance was 280 yards, down 7 yards from the previous year's total. It was reported here that perhaps this drop was caused by the record rainfall that followed the Tour in early '05, but Johnson instead chose the moment to demonstrate truthiness at its finest (yes, pre-Colbert). Courtesy of Titleist.com (the article isn't available on GolfDigest.com):

The problem, however, is that this emerging conventional wisdom is rarely challenged.  Too infrequently does anyone provide the research to either support or refute these statements.

When it comes to the length the golf ball is traveling, there is no shortage of talking points for distance killjoys ranting about how the high-tech ball is ruining the game at the elite level.

Distance is out of control.  Scores are too low.  Courses are obsolete.  The game has become one of driver-wedge.

Sound familiar?

So let's try.

Is distance out of control?  Only if a seven-yard drop in driving distance since last year counts.  Scores too low?  Last year's scoring average was a whopping .02 lower than that of 1994. 

Maybe there will be a story this week looking at the 8-yard increase in driving distance compared to this time last year?

Settling For Third?

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After hearing professional billboard driver NASCAR's Dale Earnheart Jr. tell Sportscenter that he was "focued on tops 3s and top 5s," Rex Hoggard wonders if the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup will reward mediocrity:

Not sure if PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem watches SportsCenter; he feels more like a CNBC "Squawk on the Street" kind of guy, but if so "Little E's" comment must have reverberated from the walls of the commish's Ponte Vedra Beach abode like a phone call from Greg Norman.

The Tour has made no secret of the fact it modeled its FedEx Cup competition for 2007 after NASCAR's "Chase for the Cup" series. Nothing wrong with that. Imitation is the best form of flattery and all that.

The Tour wanted its season to build to a crescendo, and they concluded the best way to get there was a year-long points race that ends with a four-event Championship Series. Other than the unavoidable, "sixth-," "seventh-," "eighth-" and "ninth-" majors debate that this will obviously spark, the FedEx Cup holds some promise. Promise that the final month of the season will be more than a collection of silly season wannabes and big-player cash grabs.

But Earnhardt's comment about top 3s and the such raises a particularly concerning flag. For No. 8, top 3s and top 5s are worth all-important points that assure him a ticket into NASCAR's lucrative season-ending races. Last season, you see, Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon – another member of NASCAR's ruling class – didn't qualify for that circuit's big finish.
You be the judge. Check out the FedEx Cup standings compiled by reader MacDuff, with this points system.

 

Huggan On Governing Body Setup Ploys

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John Huggan returns from Open Championship media day and his Geoff Ogilvy chat thinking about the course setup "shenanigans" employed by the R&A and USGA in hopes of masking their regulatory complacency:
All of said shenanigans have had two results: winning scores have remained within what the officials would describe as a respectable range, and at times the players, the courses and the game have been made to look stupid, thereby severely compromising the integrity of the competition.
And...
It is heartbreaking, year after year, to watch the greatest of games being diminished by a failure on the part of the sport's administrators to cap distance. And it will be the same again at Hoylake come July. Given the narrowness of the fairways already and three more months of grass-growing weather, look for a lot of tedious hacking out and not enough opportunity for the better players to separate themselves from the rest by dint of their superior ability to create shots from off the fairway.

For "tricking up", read "dumbing down".

The Donald In Scotland, Vol. 2

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ntrump29.jpgThe Donald visited Scotland and as always, the trip produced some fine stories.

Auslan Cramb writes in the Guardian:

A four-handicap golfer, he described Sir Sean Connery as one of his best friends, Nick Faldo as a supporter, and, mindful of where he was, added: "I love your Colin Montgomerie".

Jonathan Coates reports on the bonding between Donald and another emerging architect, Peter Dawson.

Trump is aware of all this - heck, his course hasn't even been approved yet - but he insisted yesterday, just minutes after meeting R&A secretary Peter Dawson in the Old Course clubhouse, that taking the Open to Aberdeenshire was a realistic aim. "What I really hope to do is build the greatest golf course anywhere in the world," Trump said after being ferried by helicopter from Menie to St Andrews. Asked if he thought his course could host the Open Championship, Trump replied: "Yes, I would love that. We are shooting for that. And yes, I think it's realistic."

Trump's right-hand man, Ashley Cooper, elaborated: "When we go out and build big golf courses we build them with championships in mind. So we understand how the infrastructure works, we understand how the medical situation needs to be done, how hospitality has to be done, how viewing has to be done. So what we will do over the next two or three years building the links course is build it with the Open Championship in mind. But whatever happens, the public and some of our private members will have an Open Championship venue to enjoy for the next 100 years."

Having just met Dawson, whom the New Yorker described as "a fantastic guy who has done an amazing job", Trump added: "We had a great conversation and he understands the greatness of this land. He was born in Aberdeen and he understands the greatness of these dunes. I've built a lot of golf courses but there's nothing like the great dunes in Scotland. That's why we chose this site over so many others."

Meanwhile, Lorna Martin reports on criticism of the project.

Week In Review, April 23-30: No More Myths

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WeekInReview2.jpgSunday started with a  must-read John Huggan profile of Geoff Ogilvy on the state of the game, prompting this from reader Matt: Ten years ago you could attend a PGA Tour event, watch a pro hit a drive, and in all honesty say, "I can do that every once in a while." There was a sense of connection between the average golfer and the tour pros. Now, it seems as if the pros are playing on the moon. We just can't relate to the game the pros play at all. The game of golf has gone missing. Can someone safely return it?"

And NRH had this to say about the man who spells his first name so perfectly: "It is very encouraging to see a relativeley young guy 'get-it'...of course he is Australian. Heard an amazing stat a couple of weeks ago that Jonathan Byrd is the only American player under the age of 30 with more than one win on Tour."

Another week meant more classic MBAspeak from Commissioner Finchem, including his assertion that his greatest accomplishment remains wonderful communication between himself and players. That prompted Old School to write: "The Tour has communicated so well with players that Greg Norman is threatening to sue for minutes to meetings and all of the financial records. The communication between those that work for the Tour and the players can't be as huge of an accomplishment for Tim with Norman sounding off. If this is Tim's biggest feat, then he certainly hasn't done anything significant."

Later, Finchem did a Q&A with the New Orleans paper, discussing the Tour's unique ability to reach CEO's and "skew" to their unique demographic. Jonathon Cummings suggested that "Timmy should make it pay-per-view and pipe it directly into the CEO boardrooms!" Meanwhile, reader Scott S pointed out, "I've never seen skew used in a positive light... until now."

We learned new details of the R&A's initial ventures into course design, prompting head man Peter Dawson to say, "Sometimes you can't fully appreciate the impact of an alteration until it's been built and you have another look at them in reality rather than on a drawing." In the same story, Mike Aitken noted that a Turnberry bunker was filled because "the hazard couldn't be seen from the tee."

That prompted reader DK to say, "The R&A is saying this! The R&A! The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews headquartered at The Old Course is having bunkers removed because they can't be seen from the tee. I feel like barracading myself in my house and taking hostages." Amen brother.

We also learned about the real reason behind the 84 Lumber Classic's demise, where the daughter of Joe Hardy "said her company will be spending 'lots of money' to aggressively purchase smaller lumber and framing companies to eliminate competition."

The Big K replied to that: "If sponsoring a PGA Tour event does not make financial sense, why do it? Especially since the PGAT has not proven to be particularly loyal to anyone...Still, it is hard to sympathize with the comment about buying smaller companies to eliminate competition. It wasn't quoted, hopefully it is a little out of context.

And finally, don't miss Brad Klein's story on distance measuring devices, which includes a breakdown of which golf associations are allowing them and which aren't. And in their defense, Smolmania wrote: "There may certainly be no question that idiots will play slowly, and that using range finders will not help them. However, there may also be no question that in the vast majority of cases, a golfer who may simply point a Bushnell at a flag, or the top of a bunker, and get a yardage is capable of playing more quickly. . . a boon to all."

Approach and Putting Are By Far The Most Difficult

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From the 1879 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica entry on golf:

The approach and the putting are by far the most difficult, critical, and important parts of the game; though no one who is not fairly competent in his driving also is ever in the least likely to take rank as a first-class player.  The maximum length of a good driving stroke for a first-class player, not favoured by any exceptional circumstances, may perhaps fairly be stated as something over 180 yards, and under 200.

I've taken the liberty of preparing a 2006 edition and run it through the Ali G translator just to show how in touch I am with my demographic (I have to savor this, as I'm down to mere months left in the coveted 18-34 demo):

da drive and da puttin is by far da mostest critical part of da game; though no one who is not incompetent in is approach play is eva in da least likely to take rank as a first-class playa. da maximum lengf of a wicked drivin stroke fa a first-class playa, not favoured by any fore real circumstances, may be somethin ova 320 yards, and unda 400.  

How Quickly They Forget, Vol. 8,139

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"Shinnecock was generally regarded by all the players and everybody else as a fabulous U.S. Open - until Sunday morning," USGA president Walter Driver said during media day at Winged Foot Friday.

Driver might want to relive Saturday's infamous "rodean hole" press conference just to revise that slightly to, oh I don't know, until Friday night?

Q. Are you concerned that by the last group Maruyama and Mickelson, it really got scary? Maruyama's caddie was running to get the bag out of the way so Phil's second putt wouldn't go in the trap.

WALTER DRIVER: Yeah, obviously it was getting -- the wind was drying it out, they were putting downwind, downhill, downgrain, downworld, and it was very difficult to stop those putts. In fact, as I was standing there with the last group, I said to the person I was standing with that if Maruyama got that ball to the left of the hole, I didn't think it would stop, that he had to hit it up into the hill and hit a lag putt, and instead I think he hit a slightly aggressive putt with very unfortunate consequences.

We were trying to moderate the green and have been trying to moderate the design of the green since Tuesday, but we can't do anything about the wind and we can't do anything about the design of the hole.

Q. How did it happen that the guy rolled it this morning? How did that come about?

WALTER DRIVER: I don't know, I heard about it on the radio, because after I saw that, I called in and said I want to make sure that we did not roll that since Tuesday. I want that confirmed because I knew I would be here with you this evening. They called me back on the radio and said a member of the grounds staff had inadvertently rolled it notwithstanding the instructions not to. It will not happen tomorrow morning.

Q. If you should decide that something needs to be done, will even watering it help? Is there anything that can be done if the wind is in the same direction and you've got some concerns?

WALTER DRIVER: We'll look at it tomorrow morning. I've made arrangements to meet the staff at 8:00 o'clock on that hole.

 

And we know how productice that meeting was!

"I don't get much roll anyway"

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The Times-Picayune's Fred Robinson offered a few interesting bits related to the myth of distance in the game today, starting with this from Bubba Watson.

And when Watson, the longest driver on the PGA Tour, tees it up today in the first round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, he knows long drives on the rain-soaked English Turn golf course could lead to low scores.

"It'll help me because it's wet and you're not going to get much roll," said Watson, who is averaging 318.5 yards on drives, nearly eight yards more than J.B. Holmes, the second-longest driver on tour. "I fly the ball, and I don't get much roll anyway."
Huh, and here I thought it was all athleticism and roll.

And this....
David Toms, whose 22-under-par 266 score won at English Turn in 2001, said distance is a factor, but so is experience.

"Certainly, I'd like to have 20 more yards," Toms said. "I don't know if it would be good to have 60 or 70 more yards."

When Toms turned pro in 1989, he said he was driving the ball about 269 yards. Today, his average is up to 285.5 yards and is tied for 102nd in driving distance. Much of it, he said, is due to ball and club technology.

"It's more of a power game today," Toms said Wednesday. "Most of the guys who do well on the tour are pretty powerful players. They don't have to be tops in driving distance, but I think that they have the ability to overpower golf courses."
Get this man a copy of the Distance Myths memo. Oh, we better get one to Robinson too...
In 11 of the 17 tour events this season, the winners averaged at least 290 yards off the tee. Five times the winner's average drive was more than 300 yards.

 

"My, my, go back in the kitchen"

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I just stumbled upon Steve Elling's profile of LPGA Commish and world branding authority, Carolyn Bivens. As usual, she opened her mouth, and dumb things came out!

As the tour rolls into Orlando this week for the $2.5 million Ginn Open, the self-assured 53-year-old has been chastised over her first seven months for precipitating a media boycott, running off key employees and for unabashedly showcasing her most commercially palatable players. Like some fearless freshmen, she seems all but impervious to the criticism -- heck, she's even firing back.

"Isn't that heresy?" Bivens said, laughing and dripping sarcasm. "We're trying to open endorsement opportunities to women. We're trying to raise purses. Isn't that appalling? My, my, go back in the kitchen."

Thatta way Carolyn! You visionary you.  

China Unveils Its Evidence

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That whole China invented golf story? Well the plot thickens, at least according to Reuters:

An exhibition of three replica paintings depicting nobility playing a golf-like game unveiled at Beijing's Great Hall of the People this week backs the claim that modern golf is derived from an ancient sport called Chuiwan.

The paintings are said to have been stored at Beijing's Imperial Palace Museum and date back to the Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties.

"China's ancient Chuiwan, whether in the equipment, the course and the rules -- even in the etiquette -- is very similar to modern golf," Li Yong, deputy secretary of China Golf Association (CGA), told reporters.

"Not only was it played much earlier than (Scotland's) 15th century golf, it's also earlier than other countries' similar ancient golf games. Thus, we can absolutely say that China's ancient Chuiwan is the mother of modern golf."

The replica paintings depict scenes of imperial nobility standing near small, round balls and holding sticks reminiscent of golf clubs.

The other item of evidence offered was a copy of Wan Jing -- a book published in 1282 and reading like a beginner's textbook on golf, according to experts.

Where They Stand On Distance Devices

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Brad Klein looks at differing views on distance measuring devices. More impressively, he lists where each state and regional golf association stands on their use in tournament play.

A few interesting graphs:

The Ohio Golf Association, normally a maverick (as evidenced by its recent decision to require use of a single tournament ball in its Ohio Champions Tournament), has sided with those who view distance devices as a boon to play, and is allowing them in all competitions this year. Jim Popa, executive director of the OGA, said the rangefinder decision had "nothing to do with the ball issue; it's based on personal experience by those who have used some of these in play."

Popa was quick to add that the OGA decision had "no commercial links involved and no sponsorship money" and that use of the devices is "up to individual competitors. If there's a downside, not everyone can afford it."

And...

Buford McCarty, executive director of the Alabama Golf Association and executive secretary of the Southern Golf Association, said he's "not convinced the (devices) will speed up play" and is comfortable with the decision of his two groups not to allow their use.

McCarty recently attended a college event that allowed the devices and that helped reinforce his associations' decision.
"We witnessed on more than one occasion players sighting distance and then walking off yardage from a fixed marker. On a couple of instances, after all this, we saw players then walk the distance from where their ball was to the green and back."

I've heard from some college coaches who said the devices actually made rounds slower, especially in the rain when players would fumble around with their device while trying to keep it dry and in its case!  No one ever said progress was waterproof.

Randy Reed is director of rules and competitions for the Maryland State Golf Association, secretary of the Middle Atlantic Golf Association and executive director of the Washington (D.C.) Metropolitan Golf Association – none of which are allowing rangefinders.

"In my 20 years of involvement in the golf association business," said Reed, "not one person has ever asked me: 'When are the golf associations going to legalize rangefinders?' " The pressure, he concludes, is coming from industry leaders, not golfers.

U.S. Open Exempt Field

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The current U.S. Open field with the exemption explanation below. 

Steven Ames 6
Stuart Appleby 9
Rich Beem 5
Thomas Bjorn 10
Olin Browne 9
Bart Bryant 9
Angel Cabrera 10
Mark Calcavecchia 9
Chad Campbell 9
Michael Campbell 1,8,10
K.J. Choi 8
Stewart Cink 8
Tim Clark 8,9
John Cook 8
Fred Couples 8
Ben Crane 9
Ben Curtis 4
Chris DiMarco 9
Luke Donald 9,10
Dillon Dougherty 2
Nick Dougherty 10
Allen Doyle 7
David Duval 4
Ernie Els 1,4,8
Bob Estes 8
Niclas Fasth 10
Kenneth Ferrie 10
Fred Funk 9
Jim Furyk 1,9
Sergio Garcia 8,9,10
Lucas Glover 9
Retief Goosen 1,8,9,10
Todd Hamilton 4
Padraig Harrington 9
Peter Hedblom 8
Mark Hensby 8
Tim Herron 9
Charles Howell III 9
David Howell 10
Ryuji Imada 8
Peter Jacobsen 8
Lee Janzen 1
Miguel Angel Jimenez 10
Brandt Jobe 9
Steve Jones 1
Shingo Katayama 14
Justin Leonard 9
Davis Love III 8,9
Paul McGinley 10
Billy Mayfair 9
Rocco Mediate 8
Shaun Micheel 5
Phil Mickelson 3,5,9,12
Edorado Molinari 2
Colin Montgomerie 10
Aaron Oberholser 8
Sean O’Hair 9
Nick O’Hern 15
Jose Maria Olazabal 10
Corey Pavin 8
Kenny Perry 9
Nick Price 8
Ted Purdy 9
Adam Scott 9,15
Vijay Singh 5,8,9
Henrik Stenson 10
David Toms 5,8,9
Scott Verplank 9
Mike Weir 3
Tiger Woods 1,3,4,8,9,12

Key to Player Exemptions –

1) Winners of the U.S. Open Championship for the last 10 years.

2) Winner and runner-up of the 2005 U.S. Amateur Championship.

3) Winners of the Masters Tournament the last five years.

4) Winners of the British Open Championship the last five years.

5) Winners of the PGA of America Championship the last five years.

6) Winner of the 2006 Players Championship.

7) Winner of the 2005 U.S. Senior Open Championship.

8) From the 2005 U.S. Open Championship, the 15 lowest scorers and anyone tying for 15th place.

9) From the 2005 final official PGA Tour money list, the top 30 money leaders.

10) From the 2005 final official PGA European Tour, the top 15 money leaders.

11) From the 2006 official PGA Tour money list, the top 10 money leaders through May 29.

12) Any multiple winner of PGA Tour co–sponsored events whose victories are considered official from April 23, 2005 through June 6, 2006

13) From the 2006 PGA European Tour, the top two money leaders through May 30.

14) From the 2005 final Japan Golf Tour money list, the top two leaders provided they are within the top 75 point leaders of the World Rankings at that time.

15) From the 2005 final PGA Tour of Australasia money list, the top two leaders provided they are within the top 75 point leaders of the World Rankings at that time.

16) From the World Rankings list, the top 50 point leaders as of May 30, 2006.

17) Special exemptions selected by the USGA Executive Committee International players not otherwise exempt as selected by the USGA Executive Committee.

USGA Distance Myths, Vol. 9

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Myth #8:

 8.      You get more distance when you put topspin on a drive.

False.  Every normally struck drive has backspin. Backspin generates lift and keeps the ball in the air.  You can put topspin on a ball – but only when you “top” the ball.  It will go a very short distance and dive into the ground.
Boy, glad we got that cleared up. Of all the topics in golf, I know 19th holes are just brimming with arguments over topspin!

And mercifully, the final myth, #9: 

 9.      Accuracy off the tee isn’t as important as it used to be on the PGA Tour.

That’s no myth, it’s true.  During the ‘80s driving accuracy was almost as strong a predictor of money-winning as putting.  Today it has fallen to the lowest level ever.

It would interesting to know what author Dick Rugge thinks about this final point. Does he attribute it to the players, equipment or course setup?

Either way, I'm just so glad we got these myths cleared up. You really get a feel for just how in tune the USGA is with the perceptions of golfers and fans across the globe.