Golf's two largest governing bodies can't agree whether extra
distance off the tee is bad for the game. Now, golf will be under
different equipment standards depending on where it is played.
That means the thin-faced drivers, banned by the U.S. Golf
Association because shots go as much as 30 yards farther, will be
permissible in tournaments outside North America, including next
year's Ryder Cup.
``We have a difference of philosophy, not science,'' Dick Rugge,
senior technical director of the USGA, said Friday.
The Royal & Ancient Golf Club, which governs golf everywhere
except the United States and Mexico, announced Thursday there was
no need for a test to measure the springlike effect from drivers
such as the ERC by Callaway Golf.
The USGA implemented such a test two years ago.
Its concern was that unlike the first wave of metal drivers that
helped with control as much as small gains in distance, the new
thin-faced drivers primarily helped only the more skilled players
with drives so big it might render some courses obsolete.
Rugge said driving distance on the PGA Tour increased at a rate
of 1 foot a year from 1968 to 1994. Over the past five years, he
said distance has gone up six times as much, to an average of 2
yards a year.
``It becomes a pitch-and-putt contest,'' Rugge said. ``We
believe our responsibility is to keep the game a great challenge.''
The St. Andrews-based R&A did not think the integrity of the
game was compromised.
``Based on the data currently available to the R&A, any
consequential increase in driving distance ... is not considered to
be detrimental to the game,'' the R&A said.
It's the first time the governing bodies have had such a sharp
difference in opinion since the R&A endorsed a smaller golf ball.
It finally gave in to the USGA standard in the 1970s, and a ball
with a diameter of 1.68 inches is now the standard.
``We don't like that, and the R&A doesn't like it, either,''
Rugge said of the rare difference of opinion.
But he said springlike effect was only one sentence out of 10
pages dedicated to equipment issues.
``We realize it's an important point, but this isn't the Grand
Canyon,'' Rugge said. ``I don't think it's going to poison the well
between the USGA and the R&A. If anything, it's going to help us
work more closely together.''
The R&A appeared to be going along on the ``hot drivers'' issue,
when it told manufacturers in May that a test to regulate distance
would be required, and that ``such distance gains are not
considered to be in the best long-term interests of the game.''
But it changed its mind, going so far as to say even greater
technology advancements will not significantly increase driving
distance.
The R&A suggested other reasons why players are hitting the ball
farther than ever - athleticism, coaching and golf course
maintenance in which the fairways are cut low so the ball rolls
farther.
``This is a confirmation of what we have believed all along,''
Callaway spokesman Larry Dorman said. ``Extra distance when
provided with human power is not a threat.''
Callaway, which began marketing the ERC driver in Europe and
Japan last spring, is among the 21 clubs that the USGA has deemed
nonconforming because the ball springs off the face of the club too
quickly.
A dozen players used a thin-faced driver in the British Open,
although extra distance wasn't as important at St. Andrews because
of the hard, fast conditions during a dry spell. Recently, Pierre
Fulke won the Scottish PGA using the ERC.
Because of the R&A's decision, more players might be inclined to
use it during competition outside North America. Canada falls under
R&A jurisdiction but decided to follow the USGA in this matter.
The next big tournament where PGA Tour players can use a ``hot
driver'' is the American Express Championship at Valderrama, Spain,
where Tiger Woods is the defending champion. Woods has said he
wasn't interested in the controversial drivers.
The drivers can also be used in the Match Play Championship in
January in Australia. And they will be acceptable for the Ryder
Cup, played at The Belfry in England next September.
The R&A said it could take another look if it determines golfers
are gaining ``significant distances.'' Dave Billings, whose Dogleg
Right company makes a thin-faced driver, said that might not be
necessary.
``We're close to the physical limits,'' Billings said.
