19th Hole
Tour pro has radical idea to curb driving distance…and a golf legend says it’s actually his idea
How to overcome the increasing desire to lengthen a golf course has been one of the most discussed topics for a long time.
Technological advances, as well as super-analytical computer systems, have meant that the driving averages on the PGA Tour have increased year-on-year, rising from 287 yards in 2010 to 299.8 yards through the 2021/22 season.
To show just how this has affected the traditional tournament, Bryson DeChambeau nearly drove the green at the par-5 6th hole at Bay Hill in 2021 – yeah, great fun but a mockery of it all.
Of course, they could make courses trickier. Bunker heavily on landing areas, narrow the fairways, decrease the size of the greens and on and on, but given many tournaments take place on courses reliant on the week-to-week player, closing them for a year doesn’t work.
Instead, outspoken Aussie pro Scott Hend suggests simply not teeing up the driver.
The 10-time Asian Tour winner took to Twitter to reveal his Masterplan:
Here is a easy way to battle the argument about the ball going tooooo far…..
You can't tee up your driver anymore, off the deck it is…
See issue fixed??????????????Now discuss…#JustSayn #golflife #BOOM #HowGoodIsGolf #SweepIt pic.twitter.com/heGJhTAr6V
— Scott Hend (@hendygolf) October 11, 2022
It seems far easier to implement the 49-year-old’s idea than most, and would row along with Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay, both players agreeing that something has to change.
Cantlay, tied for the lead at the Shriners last week until a wayward drive down the last saw him run up a double-bagel on the last hole, has been reported as saying, “Theoretically, the golf ball needs to go shorter. Every golf course I go to has different tee boxes farther back than even four or five years ago when I visited the golf course.”
No matter how valid the suggestion, Hend, whose Twitter bio introduces him as, ‘Pseudo expert on most things’ and ‘a little sarcastic at times’ sadly wasn’t being entirely serious. However, 6-time major champion Nick Faldo has previously mused the idea and he once again backed the idea.
Hello!? I remember getting shot down with this idea years ago! That would instantly bring back striking skills under pressure! I'd love to see who's good enough to drive 320 off the deck on a Sunday afternoon, more power to them if they can! ? Or a 1" max length tee? ? https://t.co/lhnCZqJ5m9
— Sir Nick Faldo (@NickFaldo006) October 12, 2022
One reply to Hend’s tweet made the case for accuracy over distance:
“Tom Kim has just won for the 2nd time on the PGA tour. He’s 128th in driving distance this season and was around 100th in driving distance for the week. Too easy to say the ball goes too far. It’s a lame argument what older generation fall back on.”
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- Pat Perez’s wife throws shade on Cantlay, Schauffele’s Napa trip with since-deleted comment
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19th Hole
Butch Harmon reveals what he worked on with Rory McIlroy during visit earlier this year
While speaking on the “Son of a Butch” Podcast, legendary swing coach Butch Harmon revealed what he worked on with Rory McIlroy when the four-time major champion went to visit him after the Players Championship this season.
Butch Harmon on what he worked on with Rory:
“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make…
— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) May 15, 2024
“The work I did with him wasn’t a tremendous amount of changing what he did, it was his attitude and the way he played certain shots. From 150 yards and in he made a full swing like he was hitting a driver and I wanted him to make more 3 quarter swings and chop the follow through off a little. He’s a very high ball hitter, but with short irons high balls aren’t good, it’s hard to control, we wanted to bring the ball flight down.”
The work certainly seemed to help McIlroy, as he went on to win the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry and the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in back-to-back starts.
Rory will now tee it up at Valhalla for the PGA Championship, which is the site of his most recent major victory in 2014.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Brandel Chamblee says this technological development was key to Phil Mickelson winning major championships
While speaking with GolfWRX, Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee shared that he believes the solid core golf ball helped Phil Mickelson win major championships.
“One of the consequences of the solid core golf ball coming around was it put the straightest of hitters in the rough.
“Phil started winning majors in 2004, I don’t think that’s any coincidence. I think he started winning majors after the solid core golf ball came along and put everybody in the rough.
“And so [Phil] is like ‘I got you in the rough, I’m going to kick your a**. This is my game. I’ve been in the rough my whole career. I can go over trees, through trees, around trees.’
“Because he’s got that amazing creativity and Phil is an underrated iron player, phenomenal iron player. Great, great great out of the trouble. If you put the top-40 players on a list and ranked them in terms of accuracy, he would be 40th.
“So, I think that was one of the consequences of the solid core golf balls was it allowed Phil to win major championships.”
Mickelson went on to win the Masters in 2004 as well as five additional majors from 2004-2021 including three total Masters, two PGA Championships, and an Open Championship.
Check out the full interview with Chamblee below:
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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19th Hole
Former Augusta National employee pleads guilty to transporting stolen Masters memorabilia; Arnold Palmer’s green jacket among stolen items
The document was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Since then, more details have emerged about the case.
According to Darren Rovell of Cllct, one of the items that was stolen was Arnold Palmer’s green jacket.
The Chicago Tribune also reported that Globensky was able to steal the merchandise due to his role as a former warehouse coordinator at Augusta National who oversaw the Masters merchandise that was sold.
Rovell states that “A source with intimate knowledge of the case said an Augusta National member, who knew the jacket was missing, contacted a well-known collector who had gained a reputation for tracking down rare items. The member’s goal was to return the jacket to Augusta under the guise of purchasing it in a private sale.”
The plan worked, and the man agreed to sell the jacket for an agreed upon price of $3.6 million. After the sale was complete, the FBI swarmed the house of the thief.
Cllct also reported that Globensky pled guilty in a federal court in Chicago on Wednesday and now faces up to 10 years in prison.
The Chicago Tribune adds that Globensky’s plea deal includes an agreement to provide the government a cashier’s check for $1.5 million in the next few days.
More from the 19th Hole
- Phil Mickelson drops big retirement hint; Says LIV will grow the game “on a much more global basis”
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Tiger explains why golf has “negative connotations” for daughter Sam
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