This article, like its sibling “The Distance Debate: Which Side are They On?” is an evolving document. We’ll list the changes at the bottom and add to it or edit it when new information becomes available.
The distance debate is raging in the world of golf. Though 99.5% of golfers may be unaware of the debate, the USGA, the R&A, former players like Jack Nicklaus, touring professionals, and members of Augusta National are all involved, and any precedent they set is going to cause quite a ripple throughout the golf world.
The Sand Trap believes in taking a factual look at things, and the goal of this article is to provide as many facts as possible. We’ll attempt to be unbiased and to avoid subjective questions, like “does the ball go too far?” Instead, we’ll simply tell you – for example – the PGA Tour average driving distances in 1974 versus 2004.
If you know of a fact, please leave a comment below or email me. This article will change over time, so bookmark its location and stop back in when you hear of some new facts.
Maintenance
Fairway Height
In 1994 (just over ten years ago), fairways were mowed at one inch. Now (2005), fairways are being cut at 4/10″ with mowers that used to cut greens. Just as you get more roll on a faster green, you get more roll on drives in “faster” fairways.
Competitive Advantage
PGA Tour Earnings
Longer drivers earn more on the PGA Tour than the more accurate ones. Using the top 20 and ties, the long drivers average about $1.4 million this year (2005) and about $97,000 per event. The most accurate drivers average about $871,000 and $54,202 per event. The long drivers include Tiger, Vijay, Phil, and Sergio. The only top 10 earner of the accurate drivers is Furyk. One interesting note is that the least any accurate driver earned this year is $171,805 (Skip Kendall). There were three guys under $100k on the long drive list. The range was much tighter for the accurate drivers of the ball.
In other words, though long drivers earn more on average, that’s largely due to Tiger, Vijay, Phil, and Sergio. The accurate drivers are more closely bunched and more consistently earning good paychecks.
PGA Tour Scoring Average
The longest drivers average 70.948 strokes per round. The accurate ones averaged 70.996 strokes per round. Again, the longest drivers includes many of the top-10 players in the world, including Tiger Woods and Vijay Singh.
Updates and Changes
August 1, 2005: Initial publication. We’ll update this article as necessary.