by Forrest Richardson

I think so. Just take a look at this 1983 memo from PGA Tour Commissioner, Deane Beman. In 1983 Beman had the foresight to alert the members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) on how far Tour players were hitting the ball. I’m not sure the full motive behind Beman’s memo, but today it really doesn’t matter.

In 1983 the average drive at the Phoenix Open was 260 yards.

In 2026 Phoenix Open players averaged 308 yards.

1983 Memo from PGA Tour Commissioner, Deane Beman

That’s more than 18% longer. My golf design world does not typically revolve around how far Tour players hit the ball, but a whole lot of things in golf does get influenced by how the elite players behave. A lot of slow play, for instance, comes from watching famous golfers line up putts and linger over each shot. Hitting it farther is a pursuit — I get that. For me, hitting it 18% farther is a good thing. But hitting it farther causes issues, even among the average golfer.

“More length equals more width,” said Jay Morrish, ASGCA’s 57th President. Morrish was good at geometry. When a player — any player — hits a ball off-line, the width of that deviation gets wider the farther the ball travels. This has to do with angles. Hitting a golf ball 18% farther means more than 50 feet needs to be added to the width of a golf hole area to protect whatever lies to either side — other golf holes, homes, roads, etc. And that’s just to accommodate a ball mishit by 15-degrees to the left or right. On a typical par-4 hole, that 50 feet adds up to more than a full acre of land. Multiply that by 18 holes and you have enough room to build ten soccer fields.

Of course, we don’t always have the luxury of simply adding land to older golf courses, so what happens is that we build back tees and do our best to keep everyone safe. It’s a difficult balance.

The world’s golf courses cannot all suddenly become longer, wider and take up more acreage. So, when professional players hit the ball 300 or more yards, the defense of a golf course starts taking on new ‘qualities.’ As ASGCA Past President Steve Smyers once put it: “Up, down and back…” referring to the only option at hand to protect par…bring the rough heights up, the greens heights down (for lightening fast speeds) and the tees back as far as possible. A lot of times, that’s not fun to play, nor to watch.

At the average course, where people play to have fun and socialize, the pursuit of length is obvious. Golfers buy the latest balls and clubs to go out and try to crack the code to get more length. I get this, but is it good for golf? Is it the right message, or the right focus?

You can decide for yourself. At the very least, the PGA Tour’s memo in 1983 gives us all a baseline to form an opinion. Professional players are hitting the ball nearly 20% farther as a whole. That cannot be disputed. So, when you read an opinion about hitting distance stats, you now know the truth. Nearly 20% longer is a lot. It makes many classic courses irrelevant and can lead to tricking up the course so players don’t make a joke out of it.

Perhaps the best summary on this is to quote William Flynn, golf architect of many notable courses, including Shinnecock Hills where the 2026 US Open was played. Flynn felt the three tenants of golf architecture and playing ability should be “Accuracy, carry and length…” He used that order deliberately. Length is purposefully in last place. Sadly, today it seems the priority.

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