USGA and R&A 2018 Driving Distance Report: Distance Up Again, but is it Really a Bad Thing?

The USGA and The R&A have released the 2018 Annual Driving Distance Report containing driving-distance data from seven men's and women's professional golf tours around the world, and as expected distance has once again increased. 

 

In 2018 data showed that driving distances on these seven tours increased by an average of 1.7 yards, which is slightly less than the previous year's gain of more than 3 yards.  On the PGA Tour however, distance gain was up almost 4 yards, and on the Web.com Tour gains were up almost 2 yards.  But is this really such a bad thing? 

We've been hearing the same narrative over the last few years how distance is ruining the game.  How distance is making historic courses obsolete.  How distance is taking skill out of the game and making it a competition based entirely on brute force.  But that's just not true. 

 

 

First of all, a quick look at the OWGR over the last five years shows that only three of the top-10 players in the world at the end of any given year were also ranked inside the top-10 in driving distance that same season.  In fact, you'd have to go outside the the top-50 in driving distance stats any given season to cover every player who finished in the OWGR top-10 that same year. 

While players are definitely hitting their driver longer, they're also also hitting  their irons better and more accurately.  When Brooks Koepka repeated as U.S. Open champion at Shinnecock last year, his precision iron play and clutch putting were at least as important as his monster drives in becoming just the 20th player to win two majors in the same season. 

 

 

 

The full report, which can be found via this link, summarizes data provided by the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, PGA European Tour, Ladies European Tour, Japan Golf Tour, Web.com Tour, and PGA TOUR Champions Tour based on available data at the time of publication.  

It also shows that amateur's have experienced distance gains proportionately in line with gains experienced by professionals.  And in a game as hard as golf, that's always going to be a good thing any way you look at it. 

 

 

You've heard arguments that bombers like Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas should face the same challenges that Sam Snead and Ben Hogan faced at Oakmont in 1951 or Oakland Hills that same  year.  But if you look at any sport, including golf, it's evolution that drives the game.  And that's almost always going to mean doing things differently, and often times simply better. 

 

 

Distance has always been and will always be an advantage in golf.  But that's not an absolute advantage.  The longer a ball travels, the more trouble it can find. 

 

Think about it from your own experience.  When you hit an approach shot say five-degrees off line, the result isn't as bad as a drive that also veers five-degrees off line.  And that's because the longer a ball travels off line, the worse and wider dispersion becomes.  Ever see a golfer yell "Fore!" on approach? 

 

Augusta National just announced yesterday it's lengthening the 5th hole by 40 yards.  And while that makes the hole more challenging on paper, it also risks making it almost unplayable for some.  A far better solution in situations like this would be to add hazards, narrow fairways, or even remodel a green complexes.  And courses are doing this.  Oakland Hills is currently undergoing significant renovations in hopes of bringing a major back to this historic venue. 

 

The bottom line is bigger is rarely better, and there are ways to combat distance gains off the tee if you'll hell-bent on doing that.  A par-4, 350 yard hole that requires precision off the tee and strategy on approach to a tricky green is more interesting, more entertaining, and more challenging than a par-4, 450 yard hole that only requires one huge drive and one easy wedge up to the pin.  Holes like the former will challenge any player, be they long hitter or short. 

 

So let's not worry about rolling back ball performance until it can be shown conclusively that increased distances off the tee are actually ruining the game or can't be countered by course renovations.  Let's hold off on judgement about this report and the full report that will come later in the year until we can say for sure distance is a problem in golf.  Because from where I stand right now, it's not even close.  

For more information check out www.USGA.org and www.RandA.org.