What's The Risk?

During Friday's TNT Open Championship telecast, Peter Dawson sat down with Paul Azinger and Ernie Johnson to tell us what an irresponsible man Gary Player was for not outting someone during his Wednesday press conference. (I'll post the exact remarks when TNT hopefully sends them out.)  Peter Alliss chimed in later with the same remark, that Player should have named names.

Dawson had to scold Player for making such a surprise statement and he made sure to let us know that he believes golf is clean. Oh but, by the way, the R&A is initiating a drug testing policy at the same time!

Now, if Player is so off base and out of line and golf is so clean, why would the R&A be establishing a policy?

More perplexing was Azinger, who suggested that a drug testing policy and program was a "risk."

Other than the cost, policy issues and annoyance factor, what is the risk?

That up and coming players might be discouraged from popping an Effexor or injecting themselves with something that won't help their long term health?

What's the risk of drug testing in golf?
 

Update on 2007-07-21 01:39 by Geoff

Here are the exact remarks from the nice folks at TNT:

Peter Dawson, Chief Executive of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, joined Ernie Johnson and Paul Azinger in the booth

Dawson on the 2007 Open Championship : “(The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews) could not be more pleased. This is an exciting Open Championship played on the toughest golf course that we have.”

Dawson on the criticism following the 1999 Open Championship : “To be honest, I think anytime you have a championship when the player reaction to a golf course is so negative, you have to be stung by it. What we’ve learned from that is just how important player reaction is.”

Dawson on the fine line of altering a course due to players’ complaints : “It’s a delicate line. The one issue we can never control in the United Kingdom is the weather pattern. We don’t interfere with the golf course as much as what is the norm in the United States. We let nature take its course.”

Dawson on Gary Player’s assertion that some PGA Tour players are taking performance enhancing drugs : “It came as something of a surprise. Just how Gary (Player) has this particular piece of information that nobody else seems to have is bit of a mystery to me. It goes down as another one of the smallest of unsubstantiated rumors about performance enhancing substances in golf.”

Azinger on Player’s claim : “I was blindsided by this as well. I’ve been on the tour 26 years and I haven’t heard anything at all. I don’t know anyone that is (using performance enhancers). Gary may have put his foot in his mouth a little bit. The players are angered by it and they want to hear some names (of users) if he wants to (make the assertion).”

Azinger on drug testing PGA Tour players : “It’s easy to have a knee-jerk reaction to this (claim) and want to test the players. It may be the right thing to do at this point. It’s also a risky thing to do, I don’t know if the sport needs it.”

Dawson on drug testing PGA Tour players : “It’s certainly a complex and costly exercise to introduce a fully-fledges anti-doping policy across the whole world of golf. I think today, golf may have to recognize in these modern times that we have to not just say we’re a clean sport but demonstrate it as well.”

Azinger on performance enhancing drugs versus advances of golf technology : “(Technology) has done a pretty nice job so far. The metal-wood has been the greatest advancement in the sport since I’ve been on the tour (26 years). More so than even the golf ball. If steroids help you make a four-footer, which I don’t think they can do, then I don’t think we have too big of a problem.”

Martin Kippax Tabbed To Headline Amateur Comedy Hour At Carnoustie's Craw's Nest Pub

These R&A buffoons are trying to outdo their USGA counterparts, and I must say, doing a fine, fine job!

Oh, and I'm not talking about Graham Brown's outrageous comments, but instead the opening to Wednesday's R&A press conference from Martin "Let's play those holes over again" Kippax.

Very tasteful choice here in light of his inability to secure a hole location and considering Mr. Brown's behavior the night before:

MARTIN KIPPAX: Hello, ladies and gentlemen. A little bit of humor perhaps to start with. One of our members, Rhodri Price, as you many of you know, on his way home from the course last night at 10:00 decided it would be a good idea to get a pizza, so he got his pizza and he went home to his hotel room, switched on his favorite television program, sat down, had himself apparently a present of some bubble bath.

He decided to have a bath. So there he is, he ran his bath, put the bubble bath in, went next door, 15 minutes later, watched the television program, came in and then decided it was time for the bath. Went into the bathroom, no water in the bath. He had forgotten to put the plug in. So, R&A couldn't run a bath (laughter).

Hardy har, har...banging fist on table here!

On a serious note, look how badly Peter Dawson bungled this question and how Kippax of all people had to mop up for him:

Q. What kind of message do you think it sends out, the image of the game, the image of The R&A, that he's going to continue to serve?

PETER DAWSON: If I can answer that, my understanding is that this was a private dinner held by the Association of Golf Writers. Any image that's sent out to the game is a matter for the people in this room.

MARTIN KIPPAX: I hope that what we're doing is we're saying that The R&A would not want to be associated with anything which is in the slightest bit racist or anything of that nature. And I hope that that's accepted by this room. I mean, that's the way it is. We've had it out with Graeme and that's the way we see it.

PETER DAWSON: Thank you very much indeed, ladies and gentlemen.

"He is certainly not a racist, as an individual,"

Steve Elling reports that the R&A's Graham Brown was determined to put a stop to the Euro's-winless-in-majors stories and the various Paul Lawrie-Jean Van De Velde recaps by telling several off-color jokes at a writer's banquet!

Our governing bodies are in such fine shape! 

Proving that the elitist golf establishment in America hardly owns a monopoly on bad taste, pious attitudes and overtly racist behavior, a member of the storied Royal & Ancient Golf Club on Tuesday night told a series of off-color jokes at a journalists' banquet in Carnoustie that left those in attendance shaking their heads in disgust.

Graham Brown, a member of the R&A rules of golf committee, was invited to speak at the annual banquet of the Association of Golf Writers, an organization with 70 years of history. Those who attended said Brown started his remarks with a well-received impression of Spanish golf legend Seve Ballesteros, then reeled off a series of mostly failed jokes that included derogatory characterizations of Southern blacks and Asians.

One punchline about Asian golfers included the pejorative term "nip," which caused a large groan from the audience, attendees reported.

But thankfully, the R&A's crack spin control team chimed in to...make matters worse.

Adding fuel to the fire, after learning of the remarks the following day, the R&A declined to demand Brown’s resignation. As for its considerable constituency, the R&A is golf’s governing body everywhere outside North America, including Asia. The organization annually stages the British Open, which begins Thursday at Carnoustie Golf Links.
 
“The situation is, we’ve got two things here,” said Martin Kippax, chairman of the R&A’s championship committee, when asked why Brown had not been forced out. “Graeme Brown is a good golfer and he’s a very knowledgeable individual with regards to the rules of golf. And he’s a very useful member of our rules committee.
 
“What happened last night is something that is quite independent.”

Would that be Martin "Let's play those holes over again" Kippax chiming in? Yes he's a good golfer and knows the rules, so he can do as he pleases!  Ahh...somewhere Walter Driver is trying to smile, even though he's physically incapable.

Well, except that he's a member of the R&A brass, a group that apparently make the folks at historically exclusionary American clubs look like social progressives. Speaking of which, one of Brown's jokes included a mocking imitation of a black caddie at Augusta National, guests said.

The R&A has approximately 1,800 members around the world, but no women. Though the journalists' group was in no way responsible for Brown's incendiary remarks, the U.K.-based writers' association on Wednesday issued a written statement in which its members apologized "unreservedly" for the content of the commentary.

Peter Dawson, the executive director of the R&A, did little to improve the situation Thursday when he failed spectacularly to distance the organization from the remarks. Dawson said that because Brown was a guest invited "in a private capacity" by the writers, he was not representing the R&A, per se.

"We all know Graham Brown very well and I can say absolutely that he is certainly not a racist, as an individual," Dawson said.

Now, as for his other personalities, that's another story.

No, he just comes across as a member of a xenophobic fraternity -– as a group. His address also included sexually related comments that many judged to be inappropriate. One attendee said that Brown offended everybody but homosexuals, who somehow escaped his attention.

Well, you can't use all of your best material on lowly golf writers.

Dawson and Kippax said they had spoken with Brown on Thursday and that he was "horrified at learning the effects or the impact of some of his remarks," as Dawson put it.

Pointedly asked why he had refused to denounce or censure Brown, Dawson said evenly, "I didn't realize I was refusing to condemn it. But the R&A would not with [SP] to be associated with that kind of thing."

Other than having the offending party as an influential member. Because, after all, he's a good player and he knows the rules of golf, and that might come in handy come tournament time.

Wonder why golf's governance has a reputation for being whiter than the ball itself, and just as inflexible?

The banquet audience included dozens of golf writers from around the world, plus a smattering of broadcasters, agents and notable Ryder Cup players such as Ian Poulter, Darren Clarke, Lee Westwood, Padraig Harrington and Henrik Stenson.

R&A Rolling In Cash!

The R&A makes news with this release in several ways.

One, they are actually sending out a press release on their finances, which the USGA does not do. Second, the R&A actually made money last year, unlike the USGA! That said, the R&A doesn't do many things the USGA does, so maybe they can't start coughing up a little of their profit, you know, for the effort.

Finally, and best of all, last year's R&A press release on 2005 finances was sent out May 25, whereas this year's goes out June 11 on the eve of the U.S. Open. Did someone at the R&A want to add some fun to Wednesday's USGA press conference?

R&A REPORTS STRONG FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE AND NEW ASIA-PACIFIC FOCUS IN 2006 ANNUAL REVIEW
 
The R&A, golf’s world rules and development body and organiser of The Open Championship, reports a strong financial performance, including increased support for golf development projects, and a new focus on the Asia-Pacific region in its 2006 Annual Review published today.
 
Operating profit, for the year to 31 December 2006, stood firm at £9.1m (£9.1m) after increased grants totalling £2.9m (£2.3m) were awarded to external golf development bodies. The surplus was again taken to reserves to ensure continuity in The R&A’s global governance role at no cost to the sport.
 
Also, at the year-end, The R&A’s founding club, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, made the last in a series of asset allocations to The R&A Foundation, taking its net assets to £13.3m (£11.4m).  The Foundation made increased awards in the year totalling £1.6m (£1.4m) to golf-related educational programmes.
 
More work in the Asia-Pacific region is reported where The R&A has its first Regional Director in post and where initiatives such as an agreed programme with the China Golf Association, to train over 100 new Chinese golf referees, is underway.

Commenting on the year under review R&A Chief Executive Peter Dawson said:
 
“The Open at Hoylake was both a great Championship and a strong commercial success. We forecast £50m in golf development funding and other governance benefits for the game, by the end of the decade, when we adopted corporate ownership structures in 2004 and we will deliver on this ahead of time.”

 That's $100 million for those of you keeping track here in the land of the free.

"There are now 85 bunkers on the Ailsa and this plodder seemed to splash out of most of them."

The Scotsman's Mike Aitken hunkers down in full resort-newsletter mode and swoons breathlessly over the R&A's distance deregulation driven changes to Turnberry, artfully running through the cringe-worthy checklist of what a major championship "test" is to provide.

In terms of heightening the difficulty of the Ailsa - both Tom Watson and Nick Price won at Turnberry with 72 hole totals of 268, the lowest winning scores for an Open in Scotland - the most significant changes have taken place at the 16th, 17th and 18th holes. The 16th, once pretty but toothless, has been transformed. By moving the fairway left, the re-modelled par 4 has become a 458-yard dogleg which approaches the same green from a far trickier angle.

Key word, trickier. That usually means rigged to combat the distance jumps that we failed to understand and regulate.

This alteration enabled Martin Ebert from MacKenzie Ebert course designers, with input from the Royal and Ancient,

 His name's Peter Dawson...sorry, continue... 

to create a new back tee for the 17th which stretches a previously soft par 5 to 558 yards. Throw in a new 18th tee built to the left of the 17th fairway and it's little wonder George Brown, Turnberry's golf course manager, believes the alterations to the last three holes have added a stroke-and-a-half of difficulty to the finish.

And now you know why they haven't turned out a decent architect since MacKenzie, and he wasn't really even Scottish. 

Where previously the aspiring champion standing on the 16th tee thought about making a couple of birdies, matching par is now no disgrace.

Well, and you know Turnberry has produced such dogs for winners. Watson, Norman, Price and that horrible duel in '77! It had to go!

According to Michael Tait, director of the R&A, the changes to the Ailsa are sure to enhance the reputation of a links which hasn't staged an Open since Nick Price clutched the Claret Jug in 1994. "It's important at any Open venue to have closing holes which will test the best players in the world and we believe the changes at 16, 17 and 18 will give Turnberry a very strong finish," said Tait. "The burn in front of the 16th green didn't really come into play for the top players before. By re-routing the hole, and changing the angle, we feel the second shot there is much more challenging.

Yawn... 

"The Ailsa has always been renowned as the most scenically beautiful links on the championship rota and we were fortunate to be able to build new tees on the seventh and the tenth holes which add to the visual appeal as well as toughening the golf course. The new tee on the seventh has been built on reclaimed land from the sea, while the new tenth tee, with a shot over a rocky promontory, is quite spectacular."

As well as adding 227 yards of length - the par-70 Ailsa measures 7,224 yards compared to 6,967 in 1994 - 21 new bunkers have also been built. Having played the course last week with Stewart Selbie, Turnberry's manager, it is clear how shrewdly these hazards have been deployed. There are now 85 bunkers on the Ailsa and this plodder seemed to splash out of most of them.

Okay everyone on three, one, two, three, "oy vey!"

"They couldn't be friggin' further apart"

Jack Nicklaus is now using friggin' while talking about equipment and the governing bodies, this time to ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski:

Nicklaus said he thinks Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has done "a great job." So I tell him he's been named Golf Czar and can change anything in the sport.

"Equipment," he said. "That would be one thing I would do. I would fix the friggin' equipment."

The problem is this: The difference between what a pro can do with the latest club technology compared to what an amateur can do with it continues to grow wider. Unless golf's two ruling bodies can figure out a way to even things up (a standardized golf ball?), the pros will continue to make courses obsolete and create a bigger disconnect with the amateur players.

"The whole idea of the R&A and the USGA is to try to play the same equipment for the average golfer and the pro, and they couldn't be friggin' further apart," Nicklaus said.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word?

Golfweek's Alistair Tait says the USGA/R&A braintrust is way too late on the grooves and distance issues, with little hope for a happy resolution.

However, it doesn't take a Ph.D. to recognize that the game has changed immeasurably, no matter what the governing bodies tell us. Yes, the objective of getting the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible hasn't changed, but the means of doing so have.

It wasn't that long ago that John Daly was the only player to hit drives over 300 yards, now every Tom, Dick or Bubba seems to be able to do that.

You can't blame the equipment manufacturers. It's not as if they went out and broke the rules. They acted within the guidelines laid down by the governing bodies. After all, it wasn't the manufacturers who changed the specifications to allow square grooves, but the governing bodies.

Moreover, golf's two ruling bodies sat blithely by as manufacturers experimented with metal woods, graphite shafts, long putters, and did absolutely nothing.

Now they are trying to turn back the clock.

It can't be done. All this talk of rolling back the ball is just that. Try doing that and watch the writs fly. And rightly so. If I was a ball manufacturer who had acted within the rules laid down by both the R&A and USGA at all times, I'd be pretty ticked off if they turned round to me and said, "Oh, by the way, we've made a small mistake and we need you to change the way you produce your product."

The words, "Get my lawyer on the phone" spring to mind.

This grooves rethink isn't the start of some technological fight back. As far as I'm concerned they are merely putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound.

We are where we are. The genie is out of the bottle and can't be put back in because there is no way the R&A and USGA can fight the manufacturers in the courts. All they can do now is try to draw a line in the sand.

Now, we all know that the R&A was utterly useless until recently, and the USGA was held back by the R&A's incompetence on equipment issues along with that messy legal situation where each of their members could be named in a manufacturer lawsuit. We also know that in testing areas, the USGA has been slow to keep up with the manufacturers (by their own admission).

So wouldn't a simple "sorry, we goofed, this has to be done for the good of the game" apology go a long way in this discussion? 

2012 Curtis Cup To Nairn

With all of the great old courses getting passed by the ball better athleticism in the men's game, women's golf keeps picking up classic venues. With the R&A announcement of the 2012 Curtis Cup site, check out the next three fun, quirky, cool courses they get to play:

2008 The Old Course, St Andrews , 30 May-1 June

2010 Essex County Club, Manchester-by-the-Sea , Massachusetts , 11-13 June

2012 The Nairn Golf Club, 8 – 10 June

No More Cell Phones At The Open

This was overdue...

NO MOBILE PHONES AT THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

Spectators who intend attending The Open Championship, to be played at Carnoustie from Sunday 15 to Sunday 22 July 2007, are being advised that they will not be permitted to have mobile phones in their possession within The Open site. 

This policy is in line with other major golf championships, including this year’s Ryder Cup at the K Club, and follows comments from players concerning the excessive numbers in evidence this year at Hoylake.

David Hill, Director of Championships for The R&A, said, “We have so far resisted the call to ban mobile phones on the grounds that it may be an inconvenience to the public. However, after receiving complaints referring to the numbers that were in use as play in The Open was proceeding, we feel there is no other reasonable option other than a complete ban.

“As at the Ryder Cup, we believe that spectators will understand that this measure is being put in place to make The Open a more enjoyable experience for all spectators and players. I would stress that we will install additional public telephones for use by members of the general public.” 

In order to implement the ‘No Mobile Phone Policy’, security checks of every spectator will be in operation at the paygates.

A Solution To The Groove Problem

After watching tee shots to Waialae's ridiculously narrow par-5 18th fairway (and not seeing too many drives finishing in it) I was thinking that maybe it was time for the club to simply abandon the 22 yards of width it already has, and just go with an all rough landing area.

After all, look at the scoring through three rounds (PGATour.com did not add the fourth for some reason):

Stroke Avg:      4.353
Hole Rank:     18th
Avg. Drive:     309.5
Longest Drive:     381 yards (Holmes)

So the 22 yards did not discourage birdies and eagles, nor did it prevent players from hitting long tee shots. And last I heard, preventing long drives and correspondoning low scores was the goal of such a narrow fairway.

But then I got to thinking about Peter Dawson's comments on grooves, rough and scoring, and by golly, I think we have a solution to all of this madness.

Dawson said, "We now see balls spinning more from 2in or 3in rough than they do when hit from the fairway. That cannot go on."

He's right, we can't allow this to keep happening.

So stop narrowing fairways if the grooves are allowing players to spin the ball more than they would from the fairway.

WIDENING fairways will solve this U-grooves from the rough problem!

A return to sane widths will set a wonderful example for the game and allow players to strategically pick the sides of fairways again. True precision via intelligent placement of shots will again be rewarded when all of those balls previous controlled from 2-3 inch rough will be coming from fairway lies!

Spin From Dawson

On the post of John Huggan's annual chat with R&A secretary Peter Dawson, reader John G posted something that I think needs further consideration since I glossed over it in the inital posting:

"We now see balls spinning more from 2in or 3in rough than they do when hit from the fairway."

I'm sorry, this quote just doesn't pass the smell test. I can't believe Huggan didn't pounce on this. Has anyone seen any research to confirm this kind of statement?

I would believe that spin rates from 2-3" rough could be similar, but not quite as good as from a normal fairway lie.

But BETTER spin rates from rough than from a nice tightly mown fairway?? C'mon. I'm not THAT gullible.

These guys are desperate to say anything to distract from the real issues.

So do you think the USGA/R&A will actually be able to prove that this has been the case (better spin rates from rough than fairway), and if so, does anyone buy it? 

Dawson Speaks

John Huggan sits down for his annual gabfest with the R&A's Peter Dawson, who makes this stunning revelation:

"We always have a wonderful championship when the players like the golf course! And that is important. The reputation of the championship is everything, and something we must never let slip. Having good championships and fast running links is what we are about really."

Breathtaking I tell you. Uh, translation: Carnoustie was a disaster and we won't let it happen again.

Huggan asked if lawsuits were on the R&A's mind when it comes to running scared from the distance issue.

"We don't know how much a threat there is. None of the manufacturers have ever actually threatened to sue us if we change the rules on distance. So if it came to a crunch, I don't know whether they would sue or not. All I can say is that we have done all we can to create a non-litigious environment. And I can also say that even the possibility that they might sue has no effect on anything the R&A or the USGA do.

"I've never been in a meeting where that has been put on the table as a serious consideration."

See, they aren't afraid of manufacturers. They're afraid of acting, period. Big difference. One assumes an understandable fear of going to court, the other assumes a general indifference to the best interests of the sport.

Huggan asked how the pro game could be made more interesting via equipment regulation and Dawson broke into the groove nonsense.

"The biggest issue in front of us at the moment is the way the ball spins when hit from the rough. We now see balls spinning more from 2in or 3in rough than they do when hit from the fairway. That cannot go on.

God no, because rough is an integral part of setting up courses to keep scores "respectable" so that we are not embarrassed. 

"We are concerned at the lack of correlation between driving accuracy and success. One of the reasons players hit the ball so hard is that they can spin their approach shots from the rough. It doesn't matter to them where the drive finishes, within reason. So we need to restore the premium on driving accuracy and the differential in spin between fairway and rough.

Hey, how about regulating driver head size if you don't like them hitting it so hard? Oh no, that would make too much sense.

"We're not talking about people struggling to get the ball out of the rough; only that they should be struggling to control it from the longer grass. And to do that we have to come up with grooves that will create just that scenario. None of which will make any difference to the average player. Only for players of a certain standard does the combination of U-grooves and the modern, thin-covered ball allow the spin we want to remove.

"So, while any new rule would primarily affect the top end of the game, we could apply it universally, and not have it make any difference to the club golfer."

Except when their current clubs are ruled non-conforming Peter.

Huggan offers this:

Well, while this grooves thing does seem a little like giving a paper hankie to a pneumonia sufferer, it's at least a start. But I bet I'll be back in St Andrews for more of the same sort of chat next year.

"The ball got away from everybody."

Yes, add Michael Bonallack to the list of rehabilitating golf executives who wish they'd done more then so we would have the game we have now. It's touching I tell you to hear this kind of remorse, documented by John Huggan in his Sunday column:

"The most fun I've ever had was being secretary of the R&A. I was there when the Open was really starting to take off, in financial terms. We were able to use that money to aid the development of the game."

However, representing the public face of golf's rules-making body outside the United States and Mexico could prove uncomfortable. During Bonallack's tenure, the battle between administrators and equipment companies was joined in earnest, and it rages on to this day.

"The biggest problem was with Ping and the grooves on their irons. That was very unpleasant. I remember sitting at dinner after watching the Walker Cup matches at Peach Tree in 1989 and being tapped on the shoulder. It was a sheriff telling me I was served.

"The writ said they were suing for $100m tripled. They have what they call punitive damages in the United States, and it wasn't only the R&A they were suing, but me personally. That got my attention!

"We had good lawyers, though. They showed that the US courts had no jurisdiction over us. We were making rules for golfers outside America.

"The wider equipment issue was a problem then, and continues to be so today, at the top level of the game anyway. There are a number of things I wish we had done, but obviously we didn't do.

"The ball got away from everybody. The scientists said the ball could go only ten more yards, but they were wrong. New materials kept on coming out, and then along came metal woods. They have taken a lot of the skill out of the game for the leading players. As have the new wedges.

"The shots only Seve used to be able to play with a 50-degree wedge are now routine for everyone who buys a 63-degree wedge. All of that crept into the game without anyone really realising the significance. I wish we could go back, but we can't."

Perhaps sensing that he has already said too much about the one subject that golf administrators tend not to enjoy discussing, Bonallack pre-empts the next question.

"There is no use asking me what I'd do if I was in charge today. When I retired I said I wasn't going to get involved in any of these controversial things. Besides, if I started announcing what I would do, people could quite rightly ask why I didn't do those things when I was in charge. Certainly, we missed some opportunities with the ball and the metal woods, but they crept up on us."

One other sadness for Bonallack is the knock-on effect modern equipment has had on course set-ups. As so many did at last year's Open, he looked on askance at the amount of rough growing on the Old Course at St Andrews.

"It does upset me to see what they have to do to golf courses nowadays. There is no doubt that the modern equipment has caused many good courses to be altered. I hate to see long grass around greens on any course. I like the ball to run off to where players can hit all kinds of recovery shots.

"It is fascinating to watch someone like Tiger working out what shot will work best after he has missed a green. Long grass eliminates all of that, and takes a lot of the skill out of the game."

Where Does The Game Go From Here?

Having had a few days to digest Walter Driver's ESPN.com remarks and to read your comments, it seems a bit of a assessment is necessary.

First, the key lines from the Statement of Principles are important to remember:

Golf balls used by the vast majority of highly skilled players today have largely reached the performance limits for initial velocity and overall distance which have been part of the Rules since 1976. The governing bodies believe that golf balls, when hit by highly skilled golfers, should not of themselves fly significantly further than they do today.

Today being May, 2002 when the PGA Tour Driving Distance average was 279.4 (the end of 2001 number)

...any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable. Whether these increases in distance emanate from advancing equipment technology, greater athleticism of players, improved player coaching, golf course conditioning or a combination of these or other factors, they will have the impact of seriously reducing the challenge of the game. The consequential lengthening or toughening of courses would be costly or impossible and would have a negative effect on increasingly important environmental and ecological issues. Pace of play would be slowed and playing costs would increase.

Should such a situation of meaningful increases in distances arise, the R&A and the USGA would feel it immediately necessary to seek ways of protecting the game.

So instead of the anticipated debate over the meaning of "significant" or "meaningful" increases, Driver's remarks make it clear that such a discussion will not take place when the USGA is unwilling to acknowledge the driving distance average around May 2002 (and remember, the PGA Tour average is the key number for them). Driver on ESPN.com:

The facts are that the tour distances are nearly flat the last 3 years. It went down somewhat a few years ago and then leveled off. So the facts show that there hasn't been much increase to show us that we need to act from when we made those statements.

He's right, the numbers are "nearly" flat the last three years, but not the last four. And we'd be giving the USGA the benefit of the doubt by using the 2002 PGA Tour Driving Distance average (279.8), when the 2001 number (279.4) would seem closer to the Statement of Principles issuing. But since the numbers are so close, either works, right? Well, not for Driver.

His statement about the number going down at any point in recent years is pure fiction and he should be embarrassed to peddle such nonsense, especially when preaching like this:

We have a great deal of facts at the USGA upon which we make our rule making. Many of the people that talk about the game are passionate about the game, but they don't have the facts that we have.

There will be no discussion about the meaning of significant from 2002 to 2006, just a shift to discussion about grooves so the USGA doesn't have to take a tough stance and can keep harvesting rough to mask the problem.

So where does the game go from here? How can the USGA be taken seriously when they post such strong statements and then turn their back on those words?

Your thoughts? 

TV Boost For Sustainable Golf?

From the R&A: 

TV BOOST FOR SUSTAINABLE GOLF 

The campaign by The R&A to promote sustainable golf courses worldwide received a major boost from the Open Championship at Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake – with television’s multi-million audiences a key factor.

For several years, the televising of major tournaments such as The Masters has led many club golfers to ask for “greener greens and fairways”, requiring the application of huge quantities of water and chemicals.  At this year’s Open, however, spectators watched one of the most successful championships ever, played out on dry, brown fairways which had not been watered at all during the long weeks of drought and record temperatures running up to The Open.

Hmmm...firing a little shot at their friends in Augusta! 

The excellence of Hoylake’s sustainable course led to many tributes: 

“I think it’s a fantastic test.  With the golf course being this fast, it lent itself to just amazing creativity.  This is the way – how it all started and how I think that it should be played.” Tiger Woods.

"I wish our fairways in the States were like this.  It’s nice, it’s golf, instead of trying to grip it and rip it.” Chris DiMarco. 

Agronomists and greenkeepers confirmed that Hoylake was a shining example of The R&A’s definition of the sustainable course: “Optimising the playing quality of the golf course in harmony with the conservation of its natural environment under economically sound and socially responsible management”. 

Robert Webb, Chairman of The R&A Golf Course Committee, which spearheads the drive for sustainable courses, said:  “We have had to work hard to get the message of best practice course management across to many amateur golfers and their club administrators, so The Open has helped our cause significantly.  People watching television coverage around the world – or on the course itself – must have heeded the message that best practice course management, with conservation of water, minimum use of pesticides and enhancement of the natural environment makes for more pleasurable golf and, at the same time, demonstrates greater social responsibility. 

“We’re thrilled with this boost to our work and like to think it will lead even more golfers to turn to our website, www.bestcourseforgolf.org which has already attracted registration from nearly 2,000 clubs worldwide”.

Did any of you know about the aforementioned website or the R&A "drive?"

Naturally, the hypocrisy here is breathtaking, yet predictable. The R&A is busy suggesting changes to rota courses, introducting costly changes to offset faulty golf ball regulation. They are surely aware of the liability issues and other costs making the everyday course less sustainable, all because of their complacency.