Phil Mickelson was critical of proposed changes to the driver that the USGA is discussing making.
The man who gave birth to the phrase “grip it and rip it” agrees — then zeroed in on the piece of equipment the club hits.
“I totally agree with you brother but why don’t they just change the cheapest thing made in golf……the #golfball #bringthegolfballback NO common sense!” John Daly tweeted on Saturday.
I totally agree with you brother but why don’t they just change the cheapest thing made in golf……the #golfball #bringthegolfballback NO common sense! https://t.co/3K9pAR0Qv9
— John Daly (@PGA_JohnDaly) August 29, 2021
Daly’s comment comes in response to a Mickelson tweet on Friday, in which he wrote: “Word is USGA is soon rolling back driver length to 46inches.This is PATHETIC.1st it promotes a shorter more violent swing (injury prone,) doesn’t allow for length of arc to create speed, and during our 1st golf boom in 40 years, our amateur gov body keeps trying to make it less fun.” Mickelson would continue his criticism in the comments below the tweet.
The frustration appears to be directed toward a potential 46-inch limit on driver shafts, one of the proposed equipment rules the USGA and the R&A discussed in February as part of an update to its Distance Insights Report. The cap on driver shafts is currently 48 inches, and Mickelson’s comments suggest a decision has been made. (GOLF.com reached out to The USGA on the topic but they declined the request for comment.)
Daly’s tweet calling for a rollback of any kind, even a ball, could be considered surprising, considering he led the PGA Tour in driving distance 11 times, though his length was also generated in other ways, namely a lengthy backswing. He’s also been critical of the USGA in the past, including saying in 2018 that he would never play in an event run by the governing body after he was denied the use of a cart at the U.S. Senior Open.
The Distance Insights Report update did address potential ball changes as part of its “research topics/areas of interest” — specifically, “the potential use of a Local Rule that would specify the use of clubs and/or balls intended to result in shorter hitting distances,” and “a review of the overall conformance specifications for both clubs and balls.”
Article originally appeared on: Golf.com
I find it ironic that Phil is so upset about the alleged change in the length of the drivers shaft.Teaching pros have been telling amateur golfers for years to use a shorter driver to more consistently hit it on the sweet spot
Perhaps Phil should take that advice and he may hit more fairways
A lot of pros are against any form of roll back but offer no solution to the ever increasing distance gains.We simply can’t keep making courses longer.
Toughen up the courses in the longer landing areas put a premium on accuracy and not on how hard you can swing out of your shoes to hit the ball. 15 to 27 strokes under par is ridiculous in some of these tournaments.
Rolling back the ball lacks common sense because it will impact recreational golfers in a bad way. Limiting the length of the shaft and instituting a mandatory minimum on driver loft will not affect average golfers. And rather than lengthening courses for the occasional professional competition, why not just grow the fairways to four inches or so at the 300 yard mark a few weeks before the big event? These strike me as actual common sense solutions that won’t involve any sort of dreaded bifurcation!
we all know that the pro golfers are the most pampered athletes on the planet, and one of their prized benefits is playing any course in its ultimate great shape. I agree with John Caviston, who advocates growing grass higher. Why not make the rough tougher, as it is in Europe.
Note: is it a surprise that the US gets its ass kicked in Ryder Cup matches in Europe, where their players are used to longer rough?
Ed Gee is on point; some of these sub-par scores are ridiculous. I am not sure if John Huston(sp?) score still stands from the Hawaiian Open maybe 25 years ago: I think it was 27 under. John Huston? Exactly, who? Some courses are way too easy for these guys. Hey, maybe Daly is right; let’s get back to regulating the ball.
As noted earlier regulating the ball would either be detrimental to average golfers -for whom the game is more than hard enough – or involve separate
balls for elite professional competitions – Jack Nicklaus’s suggestion – would not be good for the golf industry as a whole. In other words, bifurcation of the rules regarding equipment really is not a good idea.
Standard Equipment
narrow the fairways starting from 280 yards then keep narrowing them every five yards to make it more difficult as you try to hit further.