Dawson To Distance: We've Got You Surrounded! But We've Still Got To Lengthen Open Rota Courses Anyway!

You can't make this stuff up. The R&A's Peter Dawson in his pre-Open Championship media day remarks:

As usual, at this gathering we get an update on what's happening in driving distance on Tour.  You'll see from this graph that since 2002, 2003, driving distance on both the European and the U.S. and the Japanese Tours has continued to plateau.  There have been no significant increases at all in driving distance since that time, and even if you look at the very longest hitters, the driving distance achieved by them is paralleling this plateau, although at a higher level, so driving distance is not increasing, and we take that very much into account in course setup and course alterations.

This data is based on a huge number of data points, and we're very happy that it helps the accurate picture.  There have been more rules on equipment in golf set in the last ten years than in the whole history of the game.  We do think we've got the issue surrounded, but of course players will continue to get bigger and stronger and no doubt be even better coached than they are now, so we will continue to monitor closely what's happening on driving distance.

He then goes on to detail the new tees at 2011 venue Royal St. George's to address increase in distance that he just said isn't happening. But mercifully, there was some hole widening in spots.

There were three questions, including one about lengthening the already neverending 15th because, why else, there was a natural spot for a tee!

As far as lengthening the 15th is concerned, there was a corner of the golf course there that was a natural spot for a new tee, and it's just to do with the keeping up, if you like, with the distance these guys are hitting it today. 

Hey, hit the link, he said it. I just copy and paste. But clearly at this point his brain went, but you just said we've got the distance surrounded!

Sandwich, as we've seen, distances haven't increased since the Open was last year [SP here?], but equally they had increased up to that point, and they've now been adjusted.  The overall increase in the golf course is only 1½ per cent.  Instead of hitting the ball 100 yards, you've now got to hit it 101 yards, one foot, six inches, so it's hardly hugely significant, but it is concentrated on four of the holes.

Now let's review.

Above, he says they've got distance surrounded and that since 2003, when coincidentally, Royal St. George's last hosted the Open, distance has plateaued. But he's adding four tees for the "distance these guys are hitting it today."

Amazing!