Dogleg Right Golf

A brief summary on why the ball rollback proposed by the @USGA and @RandA will in some ways have the opposite of its desired effect and an alternate proposal to address the distance question: Summary: The rollback will incentivize players to chase speed and power while placing no increased emphasis on precision and control. To remedy this, the ball should remain as it is and driver head size should be reduced. - The rollback’s goal is to reduce distance (primarily with the driver) to make elite players hit more mid- and long-irons into par 4s and 5s and to place more emphasis on the skills of precision and control. The distance report talks extensively of driver distance being the main issue, but the proposed solution affects all clubs. - Will the rolled back ball travel shorter? Absolutely. Although the USGA and R&A are talking out of both sides of their mouths saying the rollback is necessary for sustainability but at the same time will be unnoticeable for most golfers. Perhaps this will prove to be true. - Where the rollback falls short is where it rewards and incentivizes skill. Because it will be harder to hit the ball farther, the result will only further reward speed and power. Golfers still want distance, and stats tell us that, all else being equal, more distance = lower scores. Players will continue to chase speed to score lower. - The rollback will result in more emphasis on speed and power, NOT precision and control. - If the USGA and R&A want to have the best of both worlds, max driver head size should be reduced. Why? This still allows golfers to hit huge drives, but they must do so with great precision and control. A smaller driver head provides a more volatile risk/reward dynamic for players. Yes, the potential for massive drives is still there, but there is less room for error. Overall, I agree with the USGA and R&A that driving distance could use a modest reduction. I do, however, believe that changing the ball, which affects every shot, is unwise and could backfire due to how it incentivizes golfers. This is especially true when there is no increased incentive for golfers to swing the driver with greater precision and control.

@MyGolfSpy I’m tired of reading the Bryson hate. It’s all slop.

QUESTION: Are you tired of Bryson DeChambeau? We've seen a lot of back and forth lately on the struggle between being a pro-golfer and a content creator. Even he seems confused. Here's what he said: buff.ly/gl1zX1g

@engineeringolf @LukeKerrDineen Really great insight here. I used to align the line on the ball to my desired start line, but then when I got over the ball, it was clear that the start line was out of whack. This probably explains it.

Great thread from LKD. Another putting optics problem is simply that the ball is round. Many players struggle to match the lines on putter & ball. If your eyes aren't directly over the ball, you'd need to tilt the ball to visually match the alignment aid on your putter.

This is crazy. Two USGA quotes. Read them in order. John Spitzer, USGA Managing Director of Equipment Standards (see video below): "...equipment plays a very very small role in this. The increases that we see at the PGA Tour level are almost entirely due to the player himself." The USGA's Distance Insight Conclusions document, page 3: "this assessment should not focus on player-related factors that contribute to increased distance, such as improved athleticism and swing techniques... we expect the main topic for research and assessment to be potential changes in the Equipment Rules." The USGA's own equipment standards director said that since equipment regulations went into effect in 2004 the player is basically the entire reason for distance gains. The USGA however decided to exclude the player from the assessment and aimed the rule changes at equipment.... ... even through their own director of equipment said equipment plays a "very very small role" in distance gains.

Pro-rollback crowd: "Hogan hit 4-iron from where today's pros hit 7-iron." The USGA studied this. The loft on a modern iron is ~2 clubs stronger than in 1950. The shaft is ~3 clubs longer. They hit irons longer today, but according to the USGA, most, if not all, of that increase is because lofts are jacked and the shaft lengths are longer. Hogan's "4-iron" is a modern-day 7-iron.

@LouStagner @4golfonline Wow. It’s even worse than I thought. Really sad that the USGA doesn’t understand the game they regulate and can’t think two steps ahead.

This is a remarkable exchange between the USGA's John Spitzer and Dr. Sasho Mackenzie. Spitzer is the USGA's head of equipment standards. Watching this, it's hard to come away thinking he understands what Sasho is saying. Pair that with the recent news that Cameron Young is already playing a rolled-back ball in competition, and you can draw your own conclusions about the scientific rigor behind the USGA's approach to the rollback. Video should start at 19:05. Watch through 23:36 for Sasho's priceless reaction. youtube.com/watch?v=zNvjFu…

@bardley1999 @Top100Rick Thank you!

@DoglegRightGolf @Top100Rick Prairie Dunes sorry, typed faster than my brain works.

Rate my 10 handicap friend’s swag collection. Gotta be some sort of bonus for the old school Sim driver cover.

Me the next time I need an excuse to skip the family function

@JohnPetersonFW I find solid golf with great camera work and angles (YouTube) more engaging than pro golf with decent camera work and infinity commercials.

I’ve watched a few YouTube golf videos over the last couple days for the first time ever. I’ve given those guys (creators) all kinds of smack over the years for calling it a job….. But I think I’m turning a corner. When I turned it on (for my kids) I figured they’d be entertained enough to not bother me or my wife for an hour but we all ended up sitting there watching the whole thing. Multiple camera angles, honest thoughts between shots, etc. The golf may not be pga tour quality but these guys aren’t scrubs either…. Except for @wesleybryangolf May have to tune into the @YourGolfTourYGT and see if those guys can play when it comes out.

My favorite pieces of media are attempted hit pieces (e.g., Vice about Cheney) that the creators think will make you dislike the person but just make you respect them more. This article by Kevin is a great example.

@itsjustMarc66 @FixUrBallMark Relax, Speed Racer. If you want to set a time record consider playing on the days that aren’t busy.

@FixUrBallMark Hurry the fuck up and let people play through. If you can’t play in 3:30, don’t play on the weekends.

Dear male golfers over 60, You don’t get a prize for finishing your round in under 3 hours. When the course gets backed up, but is still ahead of time, you have no reason to hit into the group in front of you and gesticulate like an angry toddler on each hole. Me

@Top100Rick Kirkland gloves are the best per $$ out there.

Send a message to my 10 handicap friend.

Yep, they are an embarrassment to the media industry. To be fair, it’s a shell of its former self & most people in golf media don’t have an ounce of genuine talent. That’s why it’s being disrupted. I urge all of you to call out the frauds starting with @GolfDigest @GolfChannel

Incredibly blessed to have grown up in this era.

“People should know when to pick up their golf ball and just take a triple bogey.” “Would you, Quintus? Would I?”

@VictorFlores406 They say on their podcast they’re sponsored. I’m not your research assistant. But I’d hazard a guess that about 5 minutes on Google will show you that pros have consistently only added about 1 yard per year on drives and approach distance on par 4s has remained quite stable.

@DoglegRightGolf They are? Genuinely question. I’m willing to concede that you’re right, I just haven’t found any evidence. I’m also gonna ask you to provide some evidence that the average approach distance on Tour has remained largely unchanged for 20 years.

The PGA just hosted a major on a classic Donald Ross course, with a winning score of -9, and this is the response from one of the premier Golf Course Architecture names in the game. At this point rollback vs non rollback is as polarizing as Democrats and Republicans in this country. Neither side is willing to yield that the other side has any reasonable points. On the pro rollback side, none of the goodness from this weekend matters. On the anti rollback side, this weekend is proof that no rollback is needed. I need to remute some words on here.

TFE/Shotgun Start is sponsored by the USGA. The average approach distance on Tour has remained largely unchanged for 20 years. While the “eye test” + constant narrative may skew perception that it’s all “bomb and gouge,” people have been saying that since the 60s. Probably even earlier. The rollback is only targeting the ball. Which is a whole other issue because, among other issues, it incentivizes power more.

@DoglegRightGolf @MidwestGolfJake Who specifically is sponsored by the USGA? As for your first point, the pro-rollback crowd doesn’t expect (or even want) guys to hit irons off tees. They just want guys to see more driver-mid/long iron par 4s. A ball/driver rollback could make that happen.

@engineeringolf Also dig how they added an extra degree of loft difference to help with gapping.

While researching every iron, I found a surprising nugget. Have to applaud PXG Wildcat. They made a Super-GI set and simply stopped at 7i. A blunt statement: if you need these, you don’t have the speed for a 6i pal. Fill the bag with hybrids & woods. 😄 Also, weak lofts!

Expand the fuck out of this, I hope the club I join someday will do something similar