If I could find one good thing to come out of the last few months it’s that the golf distance debate was temporarily paused. Of course, it all came flooding back when the PGA Tour and a bulked-up Bryson DeChambeau returned to our screens.
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It seems like R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers has been particularly impressed with the change in DeChambeau’s physicality.
“I’m not sure I can remember another sportsman, in any sport, so fundamentally changing their physical shape,” he told the Daily Mail.
“But what is extraordinary is that Bryson isn’t the first one to put on muscle in golf. How he’s able to control the ball, with that extra power, is extraordinary.
“All credit to him, he’s a true athlete.”
It’s hard to argue. I have been fascinated by DeChambeau in recent weeks. Watching the distances he can now hit in while still retaining his accuracy is bordering on absurd. I’ve been so captivated that I even found I wasn’t really interested in watching the week he wasn’t playing.
Distance is an advantage – no one is doubting that – but it’s not easy to gain. It has taken DeChambeau months of deliberate and carefully constructed workouts and eating plans on top of years of preparation to get his body to where it is.
If someone is dedicated enough to make that change then they should be allowed to reap the rewards.
But there’s being impressed with DeChambeau’s transformation and being concerned for the credibility of the sport. Slumbers also suggested equipment changes are coming – but maybe not simply in the shape of a new ball as many expected.
“It’s important to have a balance of skill and technology,” he explained. “It is too simple to say just change the ball. Way too simple. You can do things with the ball. But it’s the relationship between ball and club which is most important to me.”
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