Editor's Page - Spring 2004

Golf has a problem, and it needs to be fixed now!

All of us marvel at how far todayís tour professionals hit the ball. A 165-yard shot over water is just a ìcomfortableî nine iron for many touring professionals. Two hundred and forty-yard four irons and 350-yard drives make par fives play like par fours. A 25 under par score at a regular tour stop is becoming commonplace. Why? Because all of the par five holes are reachable in two. The winner will be 16 under on the par fives and 9 under on the fours and threes. How can the average golfer relate to a player who regularly hits 575-yard par fives in two? He canít, and thatís the problem.

I remember watching Tiger Woods on television play his second US Amateur that he won against a Walker Cup player named Jerry Corville Jr. in the quarterfinals. (Jerry played golf out Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk, CT, where I was a member. Jerry could just kill the ball. I mean he could go deep.) I watched in amazement as Tiger regularly out drove Jerry by 50 yards. And that was before the Titleist ProV1 was introduced.

Now everyone on tour tees up a ProV1 or equivalent and just cranks it. Bombs away. The short hitters on tour now hit it 285-yards, which was the tour average a few years ago. Is this a good thing? Why should we watch players hit shots that we can never hit? What relevance does it have to our game? Fortunately, tour players miss enough greens to keep our interest while watching their short game skills.

I recently played a round with a gentleman who works with Arthur Hill, a well-known course designer, who is designing an 8,000-yard course in Sweden. Can even the average single-digit handicapper play that? Even the Champions Tour rarely plays a course beyond 6,500 yards.

The game of golf must stay relevant to all of us. We must be able to at least play some of the same golf holes that Ernie and Tiger play, and from nearly the same tee boxes. Our heroes and idols must stay within reach of the average player.

I vote for changing the ball for tour players. Kick it down a notch. Even Hal Sutton wants to bring shot making back into the game. I bet the golf course architects are on my side too.

Am I wrong? Let me know what you think by going on-line to www.golfoncapecod.com and answering our websiteís poll question. Or e-mail me at editor@golfoncapecod.com

See you on the links.