Two Distance Articles

[iacas]

Guys, I need some help. I've already published one article and I'll be writing another soon. Both will focus on "the distance debate."

The first article is here . It lists "the players" in the distance debate and puts them on a side. Currently I have three sides: Anti-Ball, Anti-Technology, and Pro-Status-Quo. If you have any suggestions about new (or renamed) categories or, more importantly, additional names for the lists, please let me know. Post them here if you'd like.

The second article I'm tentatively calling "The Distance Facts." In it, I'll list as many facts as I can about distance. PGA Tour driving averages, spin rates, launch angles, anything about agronomy or the length of rough - whatever "facts" exist that touch on the distance golfers hit the ball these days.

I've yet to start the second article as I want to get a good set of facts for the first edition (both will be edited and updated as things change), so please share some facts here. Provide URLs, if possible, so that I can link to the sources.

[NCGolfer]

Erik,

I'll put some numbers together tonight and send you what I have. I have a few ideas that should help out. It may even be a part of my next column...you never know.

[iacas]

Just a clarification: the numbers should be what they are. I'm not looking to support a bias here. Clearly the golf ball goes further these days (and the clubs hit the ball further too, and they're lighter, and so on).

So some more stats that might be interesting:

a) average driver (shaft) length in 1965 vs. 2005
b) average clubhead speed for a driver in 1975 vs. 2005
c) average fairway grass height in 1953 vs. 2003
d) average driver weight in 19xx vs. 200x.
etc.

Scoring averages, average length of courses hosting Majors or Ryder Cups - whatever information about distance that can be gathered, I'll list it.

All of those support the fact that the ball is being hit further these days. We know that to be fact. The thing I hope to accomplish with this article is to demonstrate that there are 50 (or however many) different factors and also to look at how those factors have changed over time. I think that will give people a better sense of the distance debate and really help people identify outlandish claims (either about "then" or "now", about the ball, about equipment, about anything.)

[mediaguru]

Funny, I remember seeing an article in a golf magazine a few months ago comparing an early 70's pinnacle with a prov1x. They were nearly identical in all the categories like launch, spin etc... If I remember where I saw that I'll let you know.

[iacas]

Funny, I remember seeing an article in a golf magazine a few months ago comparing an early 70's pinnacle with a prov1x. They were nearly identical in all the categories like launch, spin etc... If I remember where I saw that I'll let you know.

Yeah, that's the thing, they just didn't "feel" as soft as they do now or spin quite as much on the shorter irons.

20 years ago you had a choice between spinning the ball or hitting it really far. The only real advance that's come in the past 20 years in the ball has been the ability to marry those two into one ball. Clubs and agronomy - and fitness - are the big three, I think.

[NCGolfer]

and fitness

Bingo. Everyone noted that about Tiger when he came on tour. He started a fitness phenomenon in golf that stressed flexibility

and strength. Now there are a good deal of fit and strong players on tour...most of them are the younger.

[iacas]

Here's the second article, dealing with facts .

More facts needed. Please let me know what you know, and as always, a link that verifies it (random guessing is no good) is quite helpful.