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The game’s governing bodies have proposed a way of bifurcation where elite golfers use different golf balls to recreational golfers.
Crucially, the plan would limit the distance a ball can travel in elite competition to 320 yards. However, while CEO of The R&A Martin Slumbers and his USGA counterpart Mike Whan insist the plan will help preserve the long-term integrity of game, it hasn’t gone down well with one of the game’s biggest hitters.
LIV Golf player Bryson DeChambeau has derided the idea, telling the circuit’s official website (opens in new tab): “If you could say I’m the complete opposite times 1,000, that’s what I would be.”
The 2020 US Open winner, who is preparing for this week’s LIV Golf Tuscon event, then argued that the proposal will unfairly penalise players who have honed their game to include hitting the ball long.
He said: “It’s a great handicap for us guys that have worked really hard to learn how to hit it farther. Look, if they do it in a way where it only affects the top end, I see the rationale. But I think it’s the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf. It’s not about rolling golf balls back; it’s about making golf courses more difficult.”
DeChambeau also explained that, while his big hitting-style is divisive, it’s something that creates interest in the game. “I think it’s the most unimaginative, uninspiring, game-cutting thing you could do,” said the 29-year-old. “Everybody wants to see people hit it farther. That’s part of the reason why a lot of people like what I do. It’s part of the reason a lot of people don’t like what I do.
“But again, it creates more conversation in a positive way than cutting it back and trying to make everybody equal. I’m all about equality. I’m not about equity on this front.”
It is hardly a surprise that DeChambeau is against the proposal given his dedication to his craft, which has included embarking on a brutal training regime to dramatically bulk up and improve his swing speed and driving distances. Still, the force with which he has made his feelings clear is notable.
The American isn’t alone in stating his displeasure at the proposal either, albeit with further criticism coming from Titleist, rather than a player, in the immediate aftermath of the announcement. The equipment manufacturer said the proposal of golf ball bifurcation was “a solution looking for a problem”.
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