Sources tell MGS that driving distance on those same venues showed only a half a yard increase. On the PGA Tour, data was taken from 41 events in 2017, but only 33 of those events were played on the same courses as 2016. While the broad numbers certainly feed the narrative that golfers are hitting it too far, sources tell MyGolfSpy there are several other factors that need to be considered. The 2017 increases were significant in five of the seven tours (the Japan Tour and Web.com Tour in particular), but it’s important to note the Champions Tour saw a relatively insignificant increase, while the LGPA actually saw a decrease. The 3-yard distance jump in just one year certainly looks like a statistical outlier, given that previously the 7-tour average distance increased around 0.2 yards per year. We’ve written about this issue before, but there’s an awful lot to digest in this report, particularly since nowhere in it does the USGA specifically mention the ball. That seems to say distance may not only be a problem for the pros, golf’s governing bodies seem to be worried that you may be hitting it too far for your 6,000 yard muni. These trends can impact the costs to operate golf courses and put additional pressures on golf courses in their local environmental landscape.” “Increases in distance can contribute to demands for longer, tougher and more resource-intensive golf courses at all levels of the game. While we may think this only applies to the Pro’s, another passage in the report may wind up impacting the rest of us: “As the review of this issue progresses, the USGA and the R&A remain committed to the spirit of the 2002 Joint Statement of Principles, which recognizes that distance impacts many aspects of golf and that any further significant increases in hitting distances at the highest level are undesirable.” – USGA 2017 Distance Report The report says that while distances have been creeping up slowly since 2003, this across the board spike “requires closer inspection and monitoring to fully understand the causes and effects.” There’s a ton of info in the full report, but the gist of it says there was a unusual spike across the Professional board in driving distance in 2017 compared to previous years – an average of 3 yards across the seven worldwide tours, and just over 2.5 yards – or approximately 7 feet – on the PGA Tour. The USGA and the R&A released its 2017 Distance Report today, and amidst all the latest hullaballoo about rolling back the ball we find that it’s all about 7 feet, or the length of one NBA pivot man.
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