Lost in the understandable focus that fell upon Augusta National’s decision to host a women’s amateur event, as revealed this week, was an early broadside from Fred Ridley, the club’s new chairman.
Matters of distance have become a hot topic in golf, to the point where leading lights in the sport – the R&A, USGA, PGA of America, European and PGA Tours – held talks at the home of the Masters. Ridley made it perfectly clear his club is uncomfortable with continual modifications as necessary to prevent the modern professional from overpowering historically great courses.
Augusta National’s aspiration is commonly misunderstood. In reality, those presiding over the Masters want players to use the same club on the same hole as was the case decades ago. Basic mathematics illustrate professionals of this era will overshoot the 18th hole at Augusta with a perfect drive and five-iron; unless continual lengthening takes place. While possible here due to finance and availability of land, elsewhere such a scenario is not feasible.
“We do have an open dialogue,” Ridley said. “Our focus initially is on our golf course. We are intent on making sure that we maintain the design philosophy that Mr Jones and Alister MacKenzie devised. And with the shot values that they thought were important, we have done what we felt was appropriate through the years to maintain that philosophy and that design.
“There’s a great quote from Bobby Jones dealing specifically with the 13th hole, which has been lengthened over time. He said that the decision to go for the green in two should be a momentous one. I would have to say that our observations of these great players hitting middle and even short irons into that hole is not a momentous decision. And so we think there is an issue, not only there, but in the game generally, that needs to be addressed. The ultimate decision is going to be, I’m confident, a collective one. It’s going to be one where all of the stakeholders sit down and come to some agreement.”
Ridley may be overly optimistic. The PGA and European Tours are known to be against a situation where their members are constrained in respect of how far they can hit the ball. They regard the blasting of 350-yard drives as excellent entertainment.
Jay Monahan, the head of the PGA Tour, quickly downplayed a report from the R&A and USGA earlier this year that cited distance concerns. Monahan pointed to fitness and the physical build of golfers as pertinent. He added: “It is interesting to note that since 2003, the average age of a Tour member has gone down, and the average height has gone up.
“Having carefully reviewed the data, we do not believe the trends indicate a significant or abnormal increase in distance since 2003 or from 2016 to 2017.”
This leaves the R&A and USGA, the rule makers, in an invidious position. They have to be seen to preserve the sustainability of the game while not antagonising the tours that now represent multimillion‑pound enterprises. Those involved in this big business, where the best players have never had it so good financially, are entitled to ask why on earth golf would want to make seismic equipment alterations.
Martin Slumbers, the R&A chief executive, has entered territory his predecessor, Peter Dawson, would not by highlighting driving distances as problematic. Slumbers said recently: “I think hitting distance is very important to focus in on; that it’s not just about the ball, it’s about the hitting distance, and this balance between how much skill and how much technology is available. There’s no doubt in my mind that the technology has made this quite a difficult game and just a little bit easier, and at a time when we want more people to play the game, I think that’s a good thing. But we do also think that golf is a game of skill and should be reflective of skill.
“Our 2002 joint statement of principles [with the USGA] put a line in the sand, or purported to put a line in the sand. I think our view is when you start to look at the data now that we have probably crossed that line in the sand and that a serious discussion is needed on where we go. And it is a multifaceted matter. It’s extremely complex.”
It is. With so many groups in apparently different but polarised positions, the matter of bifurcation rises in prominence. Via that, professionals could operate with completely different equipment standards to amateurs. Not only would that be horrendously complicated, it would take away one of golf’s great selling points against other sports whereby mid-handicap players can operate under the same parameters as the world No 1.
No definitive agreement was forthcoming at the Augusta meeting. It may be a considerable time before consensus is even close.
