The debate over how far balls travel continues and major league record holder Jack Nicklaus believes the very essence of the game is in grave danger if nothing is done.
Winner of 18 major tournaments, the last in Augusta in 1986 at the age of 46, Jack Nicklaus was the guest of the podcast 5 Clubs and during the conversation, which lasted almost an hour, he claimed that introducing measures to reduce the distance a bullet can travel is crucial.
Nicklaus is a supporter of those who advocate a step back and it does not date from yesterday since even when he was one of the longest hitters on the circuit in the 70s he was already holding this kind of speech.
I think something will eventually be decided but how long will it take them?
After claiming he had raised the matter with gaming authorities decades ago, he accused them of reacting too late. In fact, it took until 2017 for the USGA and the R&A take over the file, and three years were needed to make the realization that distance poses a threat to the future of golf.
Nicklaus, who will turn 82 on Saturday, expressed his dismay. “At the time they didn’t pay much attention to a 30-year-old man and they certainly don’t pay much attention to an 80-year-old man.”
According to him, solutions exist, you just have to look in the right direction.
“To put a lot of things into perspective you have to go back to the ball. It is very important for the game of golf. I think something will eventually be decided but how long will it take them? asks Nicklaus
The main rule change decided by the USGA and the R&A concerns the drivers whose maximum handle length has been reduced from 48 to 46 inches.
To avoid becoming obsolete, some of the most emblematic courses on the planet have been forced to modify their layout. Last year, Augusta National President Fred Ridley even saw fit to state that he hoped “that the day will not come when the Masters must be played on a course of 8,000 yards (7300 meters)”.
©PGA Tour
