News

USGA Distance Study: PGA Tour, PGA of America, Titleist respond

Published

8 years ago

Mar 6, 2018

The USGA and R&A’s annual Distance Report hit the golf mediaverse Monday. Now, responses from other industry powers are following in the report’s wake.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan wrote a letter to PGA Tour players offering his thoughts on the USGA’s findings

“Having carefully reviewed the data, we do not believe the trends indicate a significant or abnormal increase in distance since 2003 or from 2016 to 2017,” the commissioner stated.

Monahan pointed to fluctuations between seasons, increases in clubhead speed and bigger, stronger players.

“While this may seem significant when taken in isolation, it has not been uncommon over the past 15 years to see significant gains or losses. Since 2003, there have been three instances where a significant gain was recorded between years, and five instances where the average decreased. … There is a strong correlation between clubhead speed and the total distance gains seen since 2003. We believe this increase in clubhead speed is mostly attributable to a combination of factors, such as increased player athleticism and fitness, physical build of the player, enhancements in equipment fitting and the proliferation of launch-monitoring capabilities. It is interesting to note that since 2003, the average age of a Tour member has gone down and the average height has gone up.”

Titleist, industry leader in the golf ball space, also issued a response.David Maher, CEO and president of Titleist’s parent company, Acushnet, said:

“In any given year there are variables that impact distance, and any movement as in 2017 is not suddenly indicative of a harmful trend. We continue to believe equipment innovation has benefitted golfers at all levels, and our analysis of the 2017 Distance Report affirms that the USGA and R&A have effective regulations in place to ensure the game’s health and sustainability.”

Titleist points out that removing new venues from the equation, distance gains were only 0.5 yards at the 33 events held at the same courses in 2015-2016 and 2017-2018. In fact, Titleist points out, at 15 of the 33 PGA Tour events contested at the same venue the past two season, distance decreased. The company also highlights the outlier of the more than 20-yard increase at U.S. Open venues (Oakmont in 2016, Erin Hills in 2017).

“A closer look into the numbers in the report underscores the complexity of making any meaningful year-to-year comparison. There were several contributing variables in 2017, including course selection and setup, agronomical conditions and weather, which need to be considered when assessing the data.”

Read Titleist’s full response and research here.

Per Golf Digest PGA of America CEO, Pete Bevacqua also expressed skepticism.

“Having just received the full report last evening, it is difficult for us at the PGA of America to provide meaningful comments on its content at this time. However, given the recent industry discussions and media reports regarding a potential roll back of the golf ball for all players and/or a segment of elite players, our Board of Directors has discussed this topic at length. Based on the information we have seen, we are highly skeptical that rolling back the golf ball in whole or part will be in the best interests of the sport and our collective efforts to grow the game.’

Bevacqua indicated the PGA of America will poll its nearly 29,000 PGA Pros this week to get their feedback before issuing a full response.

We’ll continue to monitor substantial responses as the debate continues.

Related Topics:

Up Next

Tiger Woods enters Final Round just one stroke back at the Valspar Championship

Don't Miss

USGA finds “unusual and concerning” distance increases in annual report

Ben Alberstadt

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

19 Comments

G March

Mar 8, 2018 at 8:31 pm

Doesn’t Merion prove a point that you don’t have to limit technology to challenge the pro’s? Look at the finishing scores of the 2013 USOpen. Justin Rose won it with a +1. Course design will keep the bombers under control. If they can bomb it down the middle then all the better. But if they miss the fairway then they should not be able to advance it the way they can. Short rough is not enough of a penalty. Merion was considered a short track and the couch coaches all said they were going the shredd the “short” course. Well it didn’t work out that way did it?
All the best.
G

Reply Report comment
Robert Parsons

Mar 8, 2018 at 1:27 am

Put restrictions on the players. Nobody under 35 years old. Must be under 5’10”. Players can not take full backswing. And tees must not stick out of the ground more than 1 inch.

Reply Report comment
Charlie

Mar 7, 2018 at 11:40 am

Why not use Iron Byron to test the balls and the equipment at the same courses (3 should suffice) at the same time (not hard since tournaments generally happen at the same time each year). If the balls and clubs make no difference; why do so many people waste their money upgrading so often? Of course, the tour players are better, stronger and have their clubs custom made for their swings. If the ability of the great players is accentuated to the point that the average golfer can’t feel a relationship between the tour players and themselves, that could be the end of a viable golf industry. I am a member of the USGA but am starting to believe that the relationship to the game is more liked that of the NRA; that is they represent the manufacturers more than the average golfer.

Reply Report comment
HDTVMAN

Mar 7, 2018 at 11:20 am

The USGA reminds me of the NCAA…both need to be replaced! Listening to Hank Haney yesterday on his Sirius/XM show, the USGA is so far out of touch with the game of golf it’s not funny! Don’t they test the balls, clubs, and measure the length of putters??? Oh well, gotta get my feathery, hickory sticks, and this brand new sandy wedge this guy Sarazen is using…got a tee time at 1pm.

Reply Report comment
Tom54

Mar 7, 2018 at 11:18 am

If the golf ball and the clubs are already maxed out to their legal limits then there has to be other factors for the ball to be traveling too long. Players are bigger and stronger than ever. Every course for the events are tried to be firm and fast. That obviously means more roll out on tee balls. Until these great players are shooting 59s every week no need for changes. Every golfer alive realizes there are way too many variables that go into a score in golf. Hitting the ball further is just one factor. If ball is restricted the bombers will still be longer than the rest. That’s their skill, no matter what.

Reply Report comment
Jeffrey Fish

Mar 7, 2018 at 11:10 am

The USGA is trying to craft a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist.

Reply Report comment
- Bob Jones
  
  Mar 7, 2018 at 11:16 am
  
  As usual.
  
  Reply Report comment
Chris M.

Mar 7, 2018 at 9:54 am

It appears that the USGA is searching for a way
to remain relevant. They have run Erin Hills up the flag pole and have noted the 20 yard increase in driving distance. Yet, it was the USGA and not any new ball that contributed to distance jump. Some players had complained about the difficulty of Erin Hills during the practice rounds. Suddenly, the. USGA orders that acres and acres of high fescue be mowed to create the widest fairways in all of creation. Then they have the audacity to complain about how far everyone is driving the ball. Disgusting!

Reply Report comment
1putt

Mar 6, 2018 at 5:46 pm

I am looking in the attic for my black & white tv.. this is the result of great junior programs, extensive high school programs, and a collegiate schedule that provides year round as well as world wide experience.

Reply Report comment
Robert Najarian

Mar 6, 2018 at 4:46 pm

How much are the club manufactures paying for these ignorant replies. The last 40 years they’ve ruined the game of golf. Why don’t we go back to persimmon Woods a lot of balls then tell me what the difference is the game I love has become a joke. Even a sport like baseball that allows its players to use drugs outlawed the aluminum bats why doesn’t golf do the same

Reply Report comment
- Dr Insight
  
  Mar 7, 2018 at 6:23 am
  
  It’s the fault of technology; the world was of course a much better place before the invention of the wheel let alone the jet engine. Coping with change is something that few of us can actually embrace.
  
  Reply Report comment
Richard Ramon

Mar 6, 2018 at 4:18 pm

Golf is like any other sport. Players today are bigger stronger and faster. Get over it little men of the USGA, it’s not the ball.

Reply Report comment
A T Meeks

Mar 6, 2018 at 2:17 pm

Meant USGA not PGA.
Sorry

Reply Report comment
A T Meeks

Mar 6, 2018 at 1:38 pm

Pga reminds me of Hollywood. Out of touch with the real world. They think way too much of themselves.
LEAVE US ALONE

Reply Report comment
DD

Mar 6, 2018 at 12:53 pm

i dont see where the problem is. There are plenty of tournament courses long enough tough enough. The golden bear doesnt have to build every course to host a tournament especially as hundreds of courses are closed each year. im a 2 cap and a long ball hitter. i rarely play tips and never see anyone else playing tips ever. much less clamoring for longer courses. half the courses i play even the nicer ones dont even have tee markers longer than 6500 out even if they are mowing the 6800….what problem are the trying to fix. Rolling back the ball only for tour player will hurt the pga. no one wants pros playing a different ball. no one will be wowed by their distance anymore. no one will be able to compare their drives to the pros(as i like to) no one will be able to compare their ability to the pros. all of that will be over. They will be completely separating the professional league from the consumer. good luck with that.

Reply Report comment
- Richard Ramon
  
  Mar 6, 2018 at 4:15 pm
  
  Indeed. Why does the LPGA not attract fans like the PGA? Because good players don’t see shots on the LPGA that they couldn’t hit at one point in their life or another. Dustin Johnson having a yap in for eagle on a 421 yard par 4 is incomprehensible. The USGA has outlived their time. I can’t stand the USGA any more. They Ruin the US Open every year with their egos.
  
  Reply Report comment
Stump

Mar 6, 2018 at 10:11 am

The USGA wants to roll the ball back…now they are using stats that support that position. As Mark Twain said: there are lies, damned lies and statistics.

Reply Report comment
- DB
  
  Mar 6, 2018 at 1:54 pm
  
  Exactly. And if they are including outliers that show 20+ yard increases (due to agronomy – I saw those fairways at the US Open and The Open) then the statistics are pretty much flawed.
  
  Reply Report comment
Dr Troy

Mar 6, 2018 at 9:59 am

Thank you….At least weve got someone with common sense. And I dont mean Mike Davis….

Reply Report comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 U.S. Women’s Open

Published

1 hour ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX Tour Photographer made the trip from the Memorial Tournament across the country to the U.S. Women’s Open at Riviera. Check out links to all the photos below!

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2026 Memorial Tournament

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

GolfWRX is on site this week at the Memorial Tournament, with both Alistair Cameron and Tour Photographer Greg Moore on the ground in Dublin, Ohio, where a strong field is assembled to pay homage to the Golden Bear.

In addition to WITB galleries, we’ve already been treated to an in-hand look at Tommy Fleetwood’s new TaylorMade Spider putters.

Check out links to all our photos below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

News

Tour Tech Rundown: Heroic Henley

Published

2 days ago

Jun 1, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Around the world, the golf wheel spun this final week in May of 2026. From New Jersey to Austria, with stops in Korea, Texas, and North Carolina (don’t let me route your next trip) the world’s finest put their golf games on display. There were three playoffs, some known commodities and some new talent. It was the sort of week that we hope to have at this point in the seasons. June and July afford double-digit major events, and perhaps, one of this week’s champions will use this success as a springboard to new heights. Time to run it all down, tech style, in this week’s Tour Tech Rundown.

Thanks to WITBHub, Today’s Golfer, GolfWRX, and Inside Tour Golf for initial research into equipment.

PGA Tour @ Charles Schwab Challenge: Heroic Henley denies Cole

Eric Cole did nearly everything that a fellow can do, to secure a first PGA Tour title. He stayed one shot clear of Ryder Cup player Ben Griffin. He kept US Open champion Gary Woodland and wunderkind Michael Brennan two shots distant. He posted 70 on day four to reach twelve under par. And then, Russell Henley revealed his Dr. Strange cloak. Henley made 47 feet of birdie putts on holes 16, 17, and 18, to jump from minus-nine to twelve-deep, and secured a spot in a playoff with Cole. The duo returned to the final tee, and put on a stripe show.

Both golfers found the fairway off the tee, and Henley improved on his regulation play with an approach to four feet. Cole did himself proud, tucking an iron to a dozen feet, but he was unable to convert the putt for three. Henley is one of the best putters on tour, and he proved it once more by draining a putt for a fourth consecutive birdie, and a sixth PGA Tour title. For Eric Cole, that first victory should come, and soon. He has done everything necessary to earn the chalice lift.

Henley’s Suitcase

Driver: Titleist TSi3 at 10 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g 6.5 TX
Metal: Titleist TS3 at 16.5 degrees. Shaft: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist TSi2 at 21 degrees. Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT hybrid 100 TX
Iron: Titleist T250 4-iron. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 5-6 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf AMT Tour White X100
Irons: Titleist T100 7-9 irons. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 48 and 50 degrees. Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM11 at 54 and 60 degrees. Shaft: rue Temper Dynamic Golf Tour Issue S400
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron T5 Tour Prototype

LPGA @ Shoprite LPGA: Welcome back, Celine!

Soo Bin Joo had her eyes on a maiden LPGA title. She held the lead after two rounds, then hit a red light at the intersection of can-I and how-To. Joo posted plus-two on day three in New Jersey, and dropped to a T4 finish, which was still a career-best for the young Korean golfer. Instead of a new face, a familiar face returned to the top of the podium.

Celine Boutier was the It Girl in 2023. She collected four victories, including a major title at Evian. Boutier reached world number one status, then simply faded into the background. No wins came her way over the next 30 months. On Sunday, she collected LPGA victory number seven, at the same trace as LPGA victory number two.

Day three saw Boutier manage the windswept Seaview Bay course with six birdies and a bogey. She was challenged in the end by Thailand’s Arpichaya Yubol, who signed for a 66 of her own. Yubol came up one shot shy of the top ladder rung. Finishing in third place at -7, two back of the winner, was Ireland’s Lauren Walsh.

Celine’s Suitcase

Driver: PXG 0311 Black Ops Tour-1 at 9 degrees. Shaft: Graphite Design AD IZ-5
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Black Ops at 19 and 22 degrees. Shaft: KBS Hybrid Prototype
Hybrid: PXG 0311 Gen5.
Iron: PXG 0311 P Gen 4 5-9 irons
Wedge: PXG 0311 T Gen 4 PW
Wedges: PXG 0311 Sugar Daddy II at 50, 54, 58 degrees
Putter: Bettinardi Studio Stock 3 DASS

DP World Tour @ Austrian Alpine: KK? KK!

Kota Kaneko has a rhythmic name. It has strong vowels and a run of voiceless stops in its crunchy K sounds. On Sunday in Austria, Kaneko put a stop to a challenge from Portugal’s Ricardo Gouveia and everyone else, and claimed a first-ever title on the DP World Tour. Gouveia did well to reach 16-under par over four days, but Kaneko held firm, two shots in the clear.

Davis Bryant of the USA also forged a strong challenge for the win. He ended in a tie with Gouveia for second place. Kaneko began and finished his final round in a bit of a malaise, but he caught fire midway through. Birdies at 10, 12, and 13 provided the necessary cushion to cruise to the finish line without breaking a serious sweat.

Kaneko’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping Max G440
Metals: TaylorMade Qi4D at 15, 16.5, 21, and 24 degrees
Irons: TaylorMade P760 5 and 6 irons
Irons: TaylorMade P7TW 7-9 irons
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design at 46, 52, 56, and 60 degrees
Putter: Odyssey Ai-One Cruiser Arm Lock #7

Korn Ferry Tour @ UNC Health Championship: Improbably Alvaro

Alvaro Ortiz may have had a bit of scare on the outward nine on Sunday, but he came through in clutch fashion in the end. Ortiz began the day bogey-double, and added another double bogey at the 11th hole. He was mired in a downward trend, spiraling away from the top of the leader’s board. Ortiz found hope at the 14th, where his first birdie of the day tumbled home. Inspired, he closed with birdies and 17 and 18 to catch Ross Steelman at 10-under par, and the duo returned to the 18th deck for overtime.

The extra session concluded in brief time. Ortiz, buoyed by his newly-retrieved confidence, hit the fairway with driver, then approached to six feet and drained the putt. Gobsmacked, Steelman could do little more than smile and applaud, as his run at the top came to a close. The victory was the first for Ortiz on the KFT, and will implant him squarely in the chase for a PGA Tour promotion.

Alvaro’s Suitcase

Driver: Ping G430 MAX driver at 9 degrees loft
Metal: Ping G430 MAX 3W
Iron: Ping iDi Driving Iron
Irons: Ping Blueprint S irons
Wedges
Putter: Scottsdale TR Piper C

A party on the green!

Alvaro’s time comes in Raleigh with his first win @UNCHealthChamp ? pic.twitter.com/2dmtZdbSzk

— Korn Ferry Tour (@KornFerryTour) May 31, 2026

LIV @ Korea: Me llamo Joaquin

Chile’s Joaquin Niemann had been away from the LIV winner’s circle throughout all of 2026. This week in Korea, he reminded us that he is still a force to consider. Niemann chased down Taylor Gooch over the closing holes at Asiad Country Club, then claimed victory with a hole-one birdie in extra time. Bryson DeChambeau claimed solo third, one shot in arrears at minus-eleven. Dustin Johnson finished on fourth, one putt farther back.

Niemann’s Suitcase