Has Club And Ball Technology Gone Too Far For Professionals?

Five Major champions with differing views answer the question...

Has Club And Ball Technology Gone Too Far For Professionals?

Tom Watson: I’ll tell you one thing that I think people don’t realise – the players are getting stronger and they’re swinging the club faster. The club and ball technology have levelled out, but the thing that hasn’t levelled out is the strength and the speed with which the players swing the golf club.

Mark O’Meara: No. My take has always been that as long as the equipment and the ball are legal, I really haven’t had a problem with it because I understand the athletes are bigger, stronger, faster. The ball goes a long way and a lot of people have said how that’s maybe ruining the game, but power always had a bit of an advantage. You can’t fault the manufacturers for trying to push the limits – everything in life gets better.

Gary Player: I am very worried about golf because we’ve got people coming out now who are going to be able to hit the ball 450 yards. If Koepka went to St Andrews on a calm day with the ball running, he could drive the 1st green, he could drive the 2nd green, he could drive probably seven or eight greens. I would cut the ball back by 50 yards, but only for the pros – let club golfers play with anything.

Larry Mize: There are always going to be long hitters, and I’m okay with that. I just think it’s got too long. I’d like to see 300 being long again rather than 350 or 360.

Tom Lehman: I think the game is in a good position. It still takes a lot of skill to do what the young guys do, but I think they’ve perfected the physical skills needed to take advantage of the technology. That’s the way I see it – the way the club is swung and the way they approach the game

Related: How far do average golfers hit the ball?

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All Major Champions were playing in the 2019 Berenberg Gary Player Invitational at Wentworth, an annual fundraising event hosted by Gary Player

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