The Pellucid Perspective - February 2020 - 6

THE SPORT
OF GOLF

USGA Distance Insight Report
By Stuart Lindsay

USGA Distance Insight Report
"Everybody's restless and they've got no place to go
Someone's always trying to tell them
Something they already know
So their anger and resentment flow"
Mohammed's Radio, Warren Zevon, 1976

6 The Pellucid Perspective

represent evidence that rule bifurcation has already been part of
golf 's historical competitive landscape.
In the end, the Distance Report simply makes a case that
"distance" is a problem. I could impeach their numbers - the
maintenance values of 37 obviously "high end" courses are hardly representative. The "average driving distances" table for amateurs is based on USGA Handicap participants who represent
fewer than 15% of golfers in the US and are most likely to be
avid, Private Club Members playing more than 20 rounds per
year (the US median is 8 per year).
Further, the issue of "penal, pristine and premium" was detailed by Jim Koppenhaver in 2008. A Pellucid/Edgehill State
of the Industry presentation over a decade ago illustrated that
over 70% of the 3,500 courses built after 1990 had Slope Ratings over 130, while fewer than 30% of the courses built prior
to 1990 were that difficult (the ultimate disappearance of Slope
Ratings is a subject for a different day). And the above findings
were based on the total
of more than 12,000 18
hole+ courses in the US;
not the 4,400 cited in the
Distance Report.
"In an exclusive interview with Golf Digest on Monday, USGA
CEO Mike Davis and
current USGA president
Mark Newell said the
game had reached what
amounts to a tipping
point with regard to distance. Davis cited how
"almost all golf courses"
have been affected by
distance over the past
100 years." Golf Digest.
com, 02/04/2020
This is one of the first
generalities that jumps
out. Are we talking
about the comparatively
few golf courses to either do, or hope to host
ART BY DUDA VASILII / SHUTTERSTOCK

M

any of you know I love history and I've spent all my
working life perversely enjoying the beauty of numbers.
So you will understand that I was in 7th Heaven with
the release of the USGA's Distance Insight Report last week.
Maybe even better was I got to read the full 102 page compilation while watching my second favorite tournament, the Pebble
Beach Pro-AM; where many of the issues relating to the difference between the game the pros play and the one we amateurs
attempt to play are on full and often humorous display.
Before I had time to read the whole report; I must confess
that I had already seen some of the initial pundit reactions at
Golfweek.com, Golf.com and other newsletter feeds I get every day. They made a big deal out of ever-quotable and sometimes USGA critic, Phil Mickelson's comments about improved
golfer fitness; but the reality of the week was his respect for the
US Open qualifying process and that he would refuse a special
exemption if offered. And then, of course, his demonstration
of short game wizardry
on Saturday served to
remind us mere mortals
of how good these guys
really are.
Those who read the
USGA report will find a
dizzying array of historical data on course length,
ball evolution, club design, course maintenance
costs and even some
comments from a Darwin (critic Bernard), although scientist Charles
might have been more
appropriate. It also presents a "unified front" for
the USGA and R&A
- important to note because they left out some
details such as the 7 year
gap related to steel shaft
acceptance and a longer
gap regarding ball size
that one could argue

February 2020
http://www.Golfweek.com http://www.Golf.com
The Pellucid Perspective - February 2020

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