Manitoba Golf Guide

03 GOLF GUIDE 2018 Take your game to the next level! Expires May 31/18 LAC DU BONNET, MB Tee times can be booked at 204-345-4653 or toll free at 855-593-3306 www.granitehills.ca Book your next tee time at the GRANITE HILLS GOLF CLUB 14 DAY ADVANCE BOOKINGS • GIFT CARDS SPRING SPECIAL Green Fee with power cart $ 46 Better equipment, bigger athletes behind longer drives, experts say By Todd Lewys Of late, much has been made about how far Tour players are hitting the golf ball. Rightly so. As of mid-April, no fewer than 49 players were averaging 300 yards off the tee – or further – on the PGA Tour. With an average of 318 yards per drive, second- year PGA tour member Trey Mullinax was leading the way going into the second half of April. The top five was rounded out by Tony Finau (317.6 yards), Luke List (315.8), two-time winner Bubba Watson (314.8) and Ryan Palmer (313). To put things into perspective, if you average 290 yards per drive on the PGA Tour in 2018, you sit tied for 157th in driving distance rankings (hello Jonathan Byrd and 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell). That's not a short hit. Little wonder golf's governing bodies – the USGA and R&A – are concerned and have been lobbying for golf ball manufacturers to roll back the distance a golf ball can travel. Question is, is this incredible distance attributable to the golf ball alone, or is it the result of several factors coming together to generate such amazing distance? Garth Goodbrandson, Golf Manitoba's director of athletic development, says the booming drives can be attributed to the latter. "Today's players are bigger, fitter, stronger, plus I believe they're better athletes," he says. "At the same time, technology and teaching has also gotten better. Everything has gotten better, and has combined so that today's players hit the ball incredible distances. There's no doubt the ball is a factor – it's (traveling) a lot longer than it was years ago – but it's not the only reason for the big increase in distance." Golf Canada national men's coach Derek Ingram, who spends time out on various tours working with Canada's young touring pros, agrees with his former U of M golf team coaching partner. "The ball is fine. Course conditions are out of hand on tour, they're so firm and perfect," he says. "Players are also in great shape, and the equipment they use is crazy good." Then, there's the science behind the game. "Manufacturers are able to fine tune it (ball, equipment) exactly for your swing, especially on Tour," adds Ingram. "The result is that players sometimes get 40 yards or more of roll." In Ingram's opinion, just one simple step needs to be taken to curb distance. "They shouldn't roll the ball back – just grow the rough way higher (to penalize errant drives). And I would say don't allow it to get any longer going forward, but don't roll it back. The average player is really not hitting it that much farther at all." Goodbrandson concurs. "I think they (USGA, R&A) need to accept it (the significant increase in distance)," he says. "It's the same with every sport – the athletes have gotten bigger, stronger, are in better shape and the technology behind equipment and training has gotten so much better. If the golf ball helps the average player enjoy the game more, that's great." As for a rules official's perspective, longtime Golf Manitoba rules official Don MacDonald says golf's governing bodies are getting their knickers in a knot for no good reason. "My own view is that they shouldn't restrict distance," he says. "It hasn't had a significant impact on scoring. I think it's good for the game that the same rules apply to touring professionals and all other golfers." It all comes down to the enjoyment of the game, concludes Goodbrandson. "People enjoy how far the pros hit the ball on TV, and even enjoy it more when they watch them in person," he says. "It's important to remember that you still have to hit it straight in order to score well. The top players do that, and you've got to appreciate their athleticism, and how good they are. And if the golf ball helps the average player enjoy the game more, that's a good thing." GOING THE DISTANCE

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