Neutering the Boomstick: What Data Really Says About Golf’s Distance Issue
- Updated: April 5, 2020
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Recently, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal & Ancient Golf Glub (R&A) conducted a study on the increasing distances players are hitting the ball over the past 100 years.
While there are multiple explanations for why players are hitting it farther, the one issue the governing bodies seemed to focus on is equipment.
Possible solutions to the distance issue include bifurcating the golf rule book between amateur players and the professionals. Amateur players would be free to use whatever equipment they are comfortable with, while the pros would have to meet stricter equipment regulations.
Tour players including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have been broadly supportive of such a measure.
Driving Distance
Driving distance has been increasing steadily for all players on the PGA Tour in the range of the data.
It is not just the big hitters on the tour driving the average higher. The bottom 30 players on the tour in driving distance have seen a steady rise parallel to the overall Tour’s increase in distance.
Driving Accuracy
Not only are the players on the Tour hitting the ball further, but they are more accurate as well. In recent years, PGA Tour players have become significantly more accurate on long drives over 300 yards.
Tour professionals are routinely hitting 300+ drives off the tee and they are consistently laying them down the center of the fairway.
In conclusion…
Players on the tour keep hitting the ball further and further, but the real estate is not available to lengthen courses. At some point, there will have to be an adjustment to the rules to keep the game challenging for the professionals.
The USGA and R&A desire to keep the game fun and accessible for amateurs, which will very likely lead to two different rule sets, a pro game, and an amateur game.
This article was written by Patrick Topping, founder and owner of DepthandTaxes.com, where they tell stories by transforming data into usable information through the power of visualization.
Patrick holds an MBA and an MS in Business Analytics with a Big Data Specialization from the University of Colorado-Denver.
For more information, visit his website here or shoot him an email: patrick@depthandtaxes.com.
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