Time for Technology to Take a Back Seat to Playability

Northwest of the Las Vegas Strip, in the foothills that border the city, sits TPC Summerlin, a course lauded by many as one of the best golf courses in the country. On television, it does look to be stunning, with gorgeous views of the mountainous terrain around it.

This week, the PGA TOUR is playing the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and it looks like it is going to finish a great tournament. As I write this, Lucas Glover holds a one shot lead at 15-under par going into the final day’s play.

Lucas Glover of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole…

Lucas Glover of the United States plays a shot on the 18th hole during the third round of the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open on November 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

That score, and others like it, is at the heart of part of the problem with golf equipment nowadays.

Golf is supposed to be hard. You shouldn’t have players shooting extremely low scores on a regular basis. Glover is averaging 5-under par for his three tournament rounds this week. Two men have shot 62 this week, two have shot 61, and one shot a 60.

Cameron Smith hit driver on the par-4 15th hole from 318 to two feet (It really was a great shot.) Smith currently ranks 49th on Tour in driving distance and 174th in driving accuracy. I’m not saying the guy can’t play. He’s obviously good enough to be on Tour. I’m not saying he’s great either. He’s a middling young player who turned pro three years ago, but is 49th in driving distance on Tour with an average drive of 299.6 yards. This guy is hitting the ball a few inches shy of 300 yards on average and is only the 49th longest driving on tour.

Cameron Smith of Australia plays his shot from the third tee during…

Cameron Smith of Australia plays his shot from the third tee during the third round of the Shriners Hospitals For Children Open on November 5, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Twenty years ago, averaging 299.6 per drive on Tour would have put you second in driving distance behind only John Daly and ahead of some guy named Woods.

This is the simple fact of the matter, and there is no disputing it: As technology continues to improve, the game is becoming more about how far you can hit the ball and less about how well you can hit the ball. People what to see long, straight drives, and that’s great, but the cost of prodigious length off the tee is that our game is taking up more and more space when we have less and less to spare.

TPC Summerlin is playing at a distance of 7223 yards. That’s longer than Augusta National played at the turn of the millennium. That’s longer than all but one of the longest courses upon which the U.S. Open has ever been contested. Only Winged Foot in 2006 was longer and that was by a scant 31 yards.

One has to wonder how long it will be until we see an 8000-yard golf course.

There may be some effect of the altitude on the length of Summerlin, but it wouldn’t be too significant. Las Vegas sits only 2000 feet about sea level. The air isn’t that thin to account for the length the balls are traveling at the PGA TOUR stop this week.

Some will say golf players are better athletes and in better shape than they were in the past, and that is a valid point. You don’t see guys like Craig Stadler very often anymore, guys who look like your uncle after Thanksgiving dinner.

Craig Stadler reacts as his birdie chip attempt stops just on the…

Craig Stadler reacts as his birdie chip attempt stops just on the edge of the 17th hole during the second round of the Shaw Charity Classic at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club on August 30,… Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Nowadays, you see guys like Woods, and McIlroy. (Have you seen Rory without his shirt? I’m no woman, but even I felt my uterus twitch when I saw his abs.)

But that doesn’t account for me and my friends hitting the ball as far if not further than we ever have. I’m still the amorphous pile of flabby goo I have been my whole life.

In the times in which we live, when there is overcrowding of cities, overpopulation of countries, and less land upon which to put more people (or grow food for them), the idea of increasing the space used to play what has been historically viewed as an elitist game to begin with seems ludicrous at best and criminal at worst.

Equipment companies will complain, maybe some fans and players will, too, but it is time to reign in the distance of the golf ball. There needs to be an absolute distance limit on the ball. This is as far as the ball will go. Period.

Amateurs will complain that they don’t hit the ball as well as pros so restricting the distance of the ball is going to hurt them more than the pros. They need all the distance they can get.

Well, I have solution for that: Move up to more forward tees. Instead of lengthening the distance you hit the ball, how about shortening the golf course upon which you play? You are most likely playing too far back to begin with.

Not only will shortening ball distance a great way to bring shot-making back into the game, it will eliminate the need to keep making courses longer to keep up with technology. Technology will keep advancing, but they haven’t found a way to make more land for golf courses.

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