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Issue #3 December 2003
Thank you for your support this year. We are very proud to have helped 114,682 of you over the last year and look forward to helping more golfers as word of franklygolf.com spreads. Please let us know if we can assist you in the upcoming year. With warmest wishes for a successful 2004
Visit our Frankly Friends Newsletter Archive|November| September| ______________________________________________________________________ Gift Certificates Now Available Frank addresses PGA of Europe Annual Congress ______________________________________________________________________ Let me try to define the problem. This does not mean that there is a problem but rather, that in the minds of some very vocal and influential people in the game of golf the ball is going too far. These people believe that because of technological advances in ball design, professionals and other elite golfers are compromising the integrity of some classic and older course designs and they are becoming obsolete.
This concern first became an issue soon after the Haskell ball was introduced and in 1907 it was stated; “ The average drive will soon be 300 yards and all golf courses will need to be lengthened if the USGA does not take action soon.” Well the average drive today is 195 yards for men and 145 for women. The average drive on the PGA Tour at the end of the 2003 season is 285 yards. Herein lies the problem. The professional golfers (approximately 100 of them) are able to hit the ball 285 yards or more with the longest reaching distances of more than 300 yards. So again the cry for something to be done as “The ball is
going too far.”
The facts are that the ball is going about 15 yards longer than it did 50 years ago and the club (because the USGA refused to enforce the spring like effect rule) is hitting the ball about 10 yards farther than it did seven years ago. Also because of this phenomenon of a spring in the face and the new ball designs a synergy has developed allowing the ball to better approach its optimum launch conditions for those hard hitting elite players and thus added another 5 yards to the mix. These technological advances in ball and club head design are reflected in the averages of driving distance on the PGA Tour, of 255 yards in 1968 to 285 yards in 2003.
There are at least two major proposals floating around; one to roll the ball back or to adopt a tour ball, which travels about, twenty-five or thirty yards less than today’s ball. Two sets of rules are not to the liking of the R&A or the USGA and so stated in the “Statement of Principles” recently developed and adopted by the two bodies. What I say is, that we cannot, nor should we try to preserve the game. We do, however, need to protect the challenge. The challenge seems to be intact at this time and if we have to lengthen golf courses to allow the best of the best to exhibit their skills then so be it. Lengthening courses for these elite golfers is only rewarding “Raw distance” rather than “distance and accuracy”. As Jack Nicklaus said to me two days ago, “Distance used to be about 20% of the game but today it is about 80% of that which determines the winner.” Rolling the ball back is equivalent to lengthening the course except that it affects all of us; the 99.99% of the golfing population who don’t hit the ball far enough. We will never compromise the integrity of the existing golf courses designs. What I suggest is that we persuade those who are so concerned about distance, to consider a new tact of designing and/or modifying existing course to become more “strategic”, especially for the elite player so that the skill of distance with accuracy is rewarded. This will encourage the elite to exhibit their true skills which may in some cases require that the driver not be used on every long par four or even some par fives. This proposal will not require that golf courses be lengthened nor will it affect the rest of us. The real problem in golf is not that “the ball is going too far” but that it is too intimidating for the beginner and we need to retain those who decide to participate rather frightening them off through intimidation. We need “bunny slopes” superimposed on or adjacent to existing courses as they are not financially feasible stand alone projects. The game is not growing and in fact decreasing in participation with 3% fewer rounds being played annually over the last several years. Happy holidays and I look forward in keeping you up to date in the New Year. Back to top>>>>
We hope that you will enjoy this addition to the site and will give you something new to look at and learn about every time you come back. And if it leaves you wanting more, be sure to check out our Q&A Archive Section. ______________________________________________________________________ Gift certificates now available
Frankly Golf Gift Certificates are now available for the Holidays. They make the perfect stocking filler and are sure to please. Treat someone to a Gift Certificate for a Frankly Putter: a Stealth or an Amber. Or, we also have gift certificates available for our highly popular Equipment Essentials Reports. You can learn more about them by clicking here and can purchase them online or call us direct (toll free) on 1-866 879 1007 ______________________________________________________________________ Frank addresses PGA of Europe Annual Congress Frank has been invited to Spain to deliver a keynote address to the PGA of Europe Annual Congress at Atalaya Park Golf Hotel and Resort in Estepona from 10-13 December. With discussion centering on technology and its effect on the game, Frank is going to tackle issues relating to technology, golf equipment and golf course design. Attendees include the Presidents and Executive Directors of over 30 European PGA's and members of the Institute of European Golf Course Architects. ______________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe, just email us franklyfriends@franklygolf.com and we will remove you from our list.
Contact details: Editor: Valerie Melvin Frankly Golf, P.O. Box 707, Chester, NJ 07930 Tel: 908 879 1007 Fax: 908 879 5884
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Happy
Holidays from everyone at Frankly Golf! I hope this Newsletter finds
you looking forward to the festive season and we wish you the very
best for the New Year.
