Mark O'Meara On Technology: Make Golf Courses More Accountable

The two-time Major champion says that making golf courses longer is "feeding the beast"

Mark O'Meara On Technology
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The two-time Major champion says that making golf courses longer is "feeding the beast"

Mark O'Meara On Technology: Make Golf Courses More Accountable

Mark O'Meara has had his say on golf's technology debate, saying that courses need to be made tougher and more demanding, but not longer.

There has been plenty of talk recently about how far the golf ball goes and how to combat it after 25 under par won the BMW Championship at the famously difficult Medinah.

Gary Player said the golf ball should be cut 50 yards and Tony Jacklin slated the modern game largely due to the technology.

Adam Scott has a different idea, though, wanting golf courses to be made "smarter, not longer."

Two-time Major winner Mark O'Meara is one who agrees with Adam Scott.

"I think my take on it has always been, 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," he told Golf Monthly.

"The ball goes a long way and a lot of people have said how that’s maybe ruining the game but my estimation you know, I mean power always had a little bit of an advantage.

"You cant fault the manufacturers for trying to push the limits and everything in life gets better.

"Aeroplanes are better, media is better, accessibility is better and so it doesn’t phase me that equipment has gotten better and the golf ball's gotten better.

"I think the only way you can really combat that is not by always making the courses longer, but making the courses more accountable.

"Make the courses more like links golf like we’ve just witnessed in the Open Championship where weather, creativity factor and make players, force them to have to have an option to have to think more.

"Strategically-wise getting around the golf course as opposed to saying 'oh we are just going to build a 530 yard par-4', to me there is no strategy there and you know, they almost fed the beast by making these courses longer.

"It is kind of interesting to see a golf course that has two short par-4s where there are a possible driving holes or you have a hole like number 7 at Pebble, or the Postage Stamp at Troon where the hole is 95 yards, 118-20 yards but have severity around the greens so if you're not right on distance control or the shot selection that you’ve picked you're going to pay a heavy price.

"And that doesn’t seem to be where they are going, they feel like 'hey we just have to make everything longer, longer and longer'.

"And yeah all these kids hit the ball really long but if they can hit it long and straight then fine, but if they can't hit it long and straight then there has to be more of a sever penalty out there."

Listen to our interview with Mark O'Meara on this week's Golf Monthly Clubhouse Podcast. Interview begins at 24 mins and a wide range of topics are discussed -

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Elliott Heath
News Editor

Elliott Heath is our News Editor and has been with Golf Monthly since early 2016 after graduating with a degree in Sports Journalism. He manages the Golf Monthly news team as well as our large Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages. He covered the 2022 Masters from Augusta National as well as five Open Championships on-site including the 150th at St Andrews. His first Open was in 2017 at Royal Birkdale, when he walked inside the ropes with Jordan Spieth during the Texan's memorable Claret Jug triumph. He has played 35 of our Top 100 golf courses, with his favourites being both Sunningdales, Woodhall Spa, Western Gailes, Old Head and Turnberry. He has been obsessed with the sport since the age of 8 and currently plays off of a six handicap. His golfing highlights are making albatross on the 9th hole on the Hotchkin Course at Woodhall Spa, shooting an under-par round, playing in the Aramco Team Series on the Ladies European Tour and making his one and only hole-in-one at the age of 15 - a long time ago now!


Elliott is currently playing:


Driver: Titleist TSR4

3 wood: Titleist TSi2

Hybrids: Titleist 816 H1

Irons: Mizuno MP5 5-PW

Wedges: Cleveland RTX ZipCore 50, 54, 58

Putter: Odyssey White Hot OG #5

Ball: Srixon Z Star XV