On his way to a six-stroke U.S. Open victory Bryson DeChambeau was not the longest off the tee on the narrow fairwayed, high roughed, penal test a.k.a. Winged Foot Golf Club. Given all the post tournament discussion, heartfelt angst and hand wringing it may be overlooked the young Californian was seventh in distance off the tee, a full eight yards behind leader Dustin Johnson.
DeChambeau’s greens in regulation, 46 of 72, however was one of the real accomplishments in his victory. His booming drives may have gotten all the attention but his iron play and putting were superb all week.
Since last year and making use of the downtime during the pandemic hiatus DeChambeau added 40 pounds of mostly muscle and pumped up his clubhead speed to a level more often seen on the World Long Drive Tour than the PGA Tour. It also gave him the power to hack it out of the really ugly places he hit it in ankle deep or deeper rough.
The key to his first major victory by a wide measure was raw physical strength. He could hit it most anywhere and muscle it out, often on to the green.
Some are saying this is golf at a new level—the future of the game.
But wait our game’s governing body, the United States Golf Association, is not happy. A Distance Insights Report in February said, “This report clearly shows a consistent increase in hitting distance and golf course lengths over the last 100-plus years. These increases have had a profound impact on costs to build, modify and operate golf courses and they have impacted golfers at all levels. We believe this problem will continue unless this cycle is brought to an end. With collaboration from the entire golf community, we have an opportunity to stem this tide and help ensure golf remains sustainable and enjoyable for generations to come.”
The USGA has tacitly acknowledged the problem is not with average golfers but with the stars, the 0.1% who are professionals and elite amateurs. The Association is set on doing something to rein in this game-changing development and DeChambeau is poster child.
Rather than celebrating the athleticism, dedication and skill of the top players the obvious plan is to add more restrictions to golf ball and golf club performance which seems to ignore that DeChambeau’s performance is a result of his new found strength and intense training to increase the speed of his swing.
The clubs and golf balls have not changed.
Frank Thomas, inventor of the graphite shaft and former Technical Director of the USGA puts it succinctly. “Fortunately, the laws of nature are playing an important part in governing the distance the ball will travel, while the athleticism of the elite golfers – about 0.1% of the golfing population– has changed, as it has in all other sports. Unfortunately — for most of us – this has not been as significant a change.”
Put another way, DeChambeau is six feet, one inch tall and weighs 240 lbs. Are other players to be competitive with this new golf now going to “bulk up” adding muscle and speed. Possibility a few but unlikely for most. As an aside, concurrent with DeChambeau going through his physical transformation this writer was bulking up as well…from the comfort of the family room couch without gaining a single yard off the tee.
The pandemic put the “roll back” of equipment performance until next year but the USGA evidentially plans to forge ahead.
In fact, the present CEO Mike Davis has announced his retirement at the end of 2021 and is on record saying before his term of office ends, he will get the ball “rolled back.”
The inevitable has only been postponed.
Athletes in other sports are encouraged to train harder, gain strength and speed but in golf the rules makers say that is wrong.
It is sad and perhaps the ultimate disservice to our game.
and more roll. XT Soft works best with swing speeds between 75 and 95 mph, and has been optimized for low driver spin, excellent wedge spin, and a mid-high trajectory The ultra-soft Bismuth oversized core promotes speed to more distance. Volvik has also added an alignment tracking system with long triple putting lines for easier alignment.
Before your round, be sure to hit a few balls on The Legacy’s full-length driving range where you can hit every club in the bag. Stroke a few putts on the practice green and head to the first tee.
The Legacy has several memorable holes, beginning with Number 2, a medium length par 4 that plays 359 yards from the Orange Tees and is very narrow. Although the fairway gets narrow the farther down your tree shot travels, most players can still hit driver off the tee. Playing down the left side will take the bunkers out of play on the right and leave the best angle into the green. Push anything right off the tee and the severe drop-off may claim your ball! Consider hitting an extra club into the green as it plays uphill. The green is long and narrow with a deep bunker on the right.
The run from Number 9 thru 12 can make or break your round. The front nine ends with a long par 4 that plays 405 yards from the Orange Tees. Your tee shot is through a chute of trees and from the tee, it looks like the landing area is small but trust me, there’s a lot more out there than meets the eye. Avoid the fairway bunker on the right off the tee and you’ll have a long to medium iron into the green. Anything that misses the green right will likely find the bunker while anything left will leave a delicate chip shot from grass mounds.
If I were naming holes, Number 11 would be called “Right is Death.” Regardless of the tees you play from, the tee shot is blind and accuracy is extremely important. Push your tee shot right and you’ll see what I mean! A good line is the flagstick on the 18th green; once you get past the 150-yard marker, the fairway narrows considerably. Your approach shot plays into a two-tiered green that slopes front to back and is well protected with bunkers.
Your round finishes up with the longest hole on the course. The par 5, 18th hole plays 550 yards from the back tees (a mere 509 from the Orange tees). Your first two shots play uphill and fairway bunkers on both sides of the fairway are strategically placed to catch errant layups. Shots that avoid the bunkers will leave an approach of around 125 yards into a green that slopes back to front and is protected by a deep bunker on the right side. Par or better is a great way to end the round and head to the clubhouse grill for a cool beverage.
If you live in the area and enjoy playing The Legacy, you may want to consider an annual pass. All passes include greens fees, cart fees, range balls, and applicable taxes. Call the pro shop for more information.
I played the course with a couple of local guys, Steve and Randy. They play at The Legacy quite a bit and were extremely helpful when it came to advising me where to hit the ball, especially off the tee. When I asked them their favorite feature of the course they mentioned two things, the value, and the people. Randy said that he plays all over the area and there’s no better course for the money than The Legacy.
