Opinion & Analysis
What’s going on with the decline in putting on the PGA Tour?
Watching the PGA Tour recently, I was struck by Frank Nobilo commenting on how professionals and their instructors work down to the smallest detail, a reflection on the intense competition on the PGA Tour and the fact that to be successful you cannot ignore anything. He made this comment with his thumb and forefinger barely not touching for emphasis.
That being the case, the numbers below should cause major introspection by every player and their coach. They are self-explanatory and have been verified by a third party expert who deals in putting data.
All figures are Shotlink data from the PGA Tour. To preclude undue influence by an anomaly years 2003-5 are averaged as are 2016-18
Average make percentage from 5 distances, 2003-2005 combined
- 6 FEET: 71.98 percent
- 8 FEET: 55.01 percent
- 10 FEET: 43.26 percent
- 15-20 FEET: 19.37 percent
- 25 FEET AND BEYOND: 5.96 percent
Average make percentage from the same 5 distances, 2015-2018
- 6 FEET: 70.43 percent
- 8 FEET: 53.54 percent
- 10 FEET: 41.39 percent
- 15-20 FEET: 18.80 percent
- 25 FEET AND BEYOND: 5.33 percent
Percent decrease
- 6 FEET: 1.55 percent
- 8 FEET: 1.67 percent
- 10 FEET: 1.87 percent
- 15-20 FEET: .57 percent
- 25 FEET AND BEYOND: .83 percent
One comment, green conditions have been vetted to the point where they are not considered a culprit. Faster, yes, but pristine surfaces, and very consistent week to week. There are some outliers like the U.S. Open greens but they are included in the data shown and caused no significant spike for that week.
Further, on the subject of greens, today’s professional has booklets showing green patterns, high MOI putter heads, instruction from putting specialists, and caddies, expert green readers in their own right. Bottom line: if anything the greens help not hurt.
So your turn. Look at the data. Appoint yourself all-powerful guru to improve putting data. What would your plan, be? Oh and this little tidbit so you can earn a huge consulting fee: We took six players, three on either side of the halfway point, your solution resulted in a one-shot per TOURNAMENT improvement. Average INCREASE in earnings for the season: a smidge over $500K!
Opinion & Analysis
Brandel Chamblee PGA Championship Q&A: Rose’s huge McLaren risk, distracted LIV pros and why Aronimink suits the bombers
PGA Championship week is here, and Brandel Chamblee did not hold back in our latest discussion ahead of the season’s second major.
In our 2026 PGA Championship Q&A, golf’s leading analyst made the case that PIF pulling LIV’s funding has left its players competing in a state of confusion, called Justin Rose’s mid-season equipment switch a huge risk at 45, and explained why Aronimink will be a bombers’ delight this week.
Check out the full Q&A below.
Gianni: With the PIF confirming that they’re pulling funding from LIV at the end of the season, what impact do you expect that to have on the LIV players competing at the PGA Championship?
Brandel: I would imagine that they have all been thrown into a state of confusion, and will be distracted, not knowing where they are going to play next year and not knowing exactly their road back to either the DP World Tour or the PGA Tour. Or in Rahm’s case, being tied to a sinking ship for the next few years, likely playing for pennies on the dollar in events that no one cares about or watches.
I doubt this would put him in the best frame of mind to compete at his highest level. Keeping in mind, however, that majors are the only time that LIV disciples get to play in events that matter, so never disregard the motivation they have to prove to the world they are still relevant.
Gianni: Justin Rose switched to McLaren Golf equipment mid-season while playing some of the best golf of his career. What do you make of the change?
Brandel: I don’t really know what to make of Rose switching equipment. It seems a huge risk on his part, even though it is likely, in my opinion, that the clubs he’s playing are similar, if not the exact grinds, to what he was playing previously, with a McLaren stamp on them.
Having said that, at best, it is a distraction when he seemed to be as dialed in with his game as any 45-year-old could be and trending in the majors to perhaps do something that would definitely put him in the Hall of Fame. At worst, given the possibility that these clubs aren’t just duplicates of his old set stamped with McLaren on them, he’s made an equipment change that would take time, and 45-year-old athletes don’t have the time to do such things.
Gianni: Aronimink has only hosted a handful of professional events since it hosted the 1962 PGA Championship. What kind of test does it present, and does a course with less recent major championship history tend to level the playing field?
Brandel: Even though Aronimink has only hosted a handful of meaningful professional events, it has been fairly discerning in who can win there. When Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship on the Donald Ross masterpiece in 2018, he was the 2nd best iron player on tour coming into that week. When Nick Watney won the AT&T at Aronimink in 2011, he was 2nd in strokes gained total coming into the week.
In 2020, Aronimink hosted the KPMG Championship, and Sei Young Kim won. On the LPGA that year, she was first in greens in regulation, putts per green in regulation, and scoring average on the way to being the LPGA player of the year. And then there is the 1962 PGA Championship won by Gary Player, who eventually became just one of a few players to win the career grand slam on the way to winning 9 majors. It is a formidable test, and if it’s not softened by rain, it will bring out the best in the upper echelons of the game.
Gianni: Is there a specific hole at Aronimink that you think will do the most to decide the winner?
Brandel: The hardest hole at Aronimink in each of the three tour events that have been played there since 2010 has been the long par-3 8th hole, with the par-4 10th being the second hardest, so most of the carnage will happen around the turn, but with the par-5 16th offering opportunities for bold plays and the tough closing holes at 17 and 18, the finish is likely to be frenetic.
Gianni: The PGA Championship has always sat in the shadow of the other majors. What does the ideal PGA Championship look like in your eyes, and what would it take for it to carve out its own identity?
Brandel: The PGA Championship, to whatever degree it suffers from the comparison to the other three majors, is still counted just as much when adding them up at the end of one’s career. Almost 1/3 of Nicklaus’ major wins were the five PGA Championships he won. Walter Hagen won 11 majors, five of which were PGA Championships.
Tiger Woods twice in his career won back-to-back PGA Championships, and those four majors count just as much as the other 11 he won. The PGA may not have the prestige of the other three, but it carries the same weight. Having said that, I preferred the identity that it had as the last major of the year.
Gianni: You nailed your Masters picks. Rory won, Scottie finished solo second, and Morikawa surged to a tie for seventh. Who are your top 3 picks for the PGA Championship and why?
Brandel: I am not a huge fan of majors played on golf courses that have been shorn of most of the trees, although I understand some of the agronomic reasons for doing so and of course the ease with which it allows members to play after errant drives. However, at the highest level, it all but eliminates any strategy off the tee and turns professional golf into an even bigger slugfest. That means that it will likely be a bomber’s delight this week, but fortunately, Scottie Scheffler is long enough to play that game and straight enough to play it better than anyone else.
The major championships give us very few surprises anymore, going back to the beginning of 2012, so the last 57 majors played, the average world rank of the winners has been better than 15th in the world. So look at the highest ranked and longest drivers who are on form coming into the PGA Championship who also have great short games as the surrounds at Aronimink are very challenging. That’s Scottie Scheffler by a mile and then McIlroy and Cameron Young with a far bigger nod towards DeChambeau than I gave him at the Masters.
In this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, we dive into one of the most interesting flatstick releases of the year with a full review of the new TaylorMade SYSTM 2 putters. After spending time on the greens, I break down what makes this design stand out, where it performs, and why it has me completely torn between loving it and fighting it. If you are into feel, alignment, and consistency, this is one you will want to hear about.
We also take a look at some of the putters in play on the PGA Tour last week. From familiar favorites to a few surprising setups, there is always something to learn from what the best players in the world are rolling with under pressure.
To wrap things up, I walk through the process of building a set of JP Golf Prime irons paired with Baddazz Gold Series shafts. From component selection to performance goals, this is a deep dive into what goes into creating a unique custom set and why this combo has been so intriguing.
This year my 50th birthday. Gosh, where has the time gone?
As a teenager in rural Missouri, some of my junior high and high school years felt interminable. Graduation seemed light years away. But the older I get, the faster life seems to fly by.
I’m also increasingly aware of my mortality. My dad died recently. Earlier this year, a friend and fellow PGA of America professional and I were texting about our next catch-up. The next message I received was news of his unexpected passing at 48. Shortly after, a woman I dated in college succumbed to cancer at 51.
Certainly, one can share perspective at any age. Seniors help freshmen, veterans guide rookies. But reaching this milestone feels like as good a time as any to do one of those “what would I tell my younger self?” articles.
I’ve had a uniquely varied career in golf. I started as a 27-year-old, average-length-hitting, 14-handicap computer engineer and somehow managed to turn pro before running out of money, constantly bootstrapping my way forward. I’ve won qualifiers and set venue records in the World Long Drive Championships, finished fifth at the Speedgolf World Championships, coached all skill levels as a PGA of America professional, built industry-leading swing speed training programs for Swing Man Golf, helped advance the single-length iron market with Sterling Irons®, caddied on the PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions, and played about 300 courses across 32 countries.
It’s been a ride, and I’ve gone both deep and wide.
So while I can consult and advise from a lot of angles, let me keep it to a few things I’d tell the average golfer who wants to improve.
1. Think About What You Want
Everyone has their own reason for picking up a golf club.
Oddly, as a professional athlete, I’m not internally driven by competition. That can be challenging, as the industry currently prioritizes and incentivizes competition over the love of the game.
For me, I love walking and being outdoors. Nature helps balance my energy. I prefer courses that are integrated into the natural beauty of their surroundings. I’m comfortable practicing alone. I’m a deep thinker, and I genuinely enjoy investigating the game, using data and intuition to unearth unique, often innovative insights. I’m fortunate to be strong and athletic, so I appreciate the chance to engage with my abilities. Traveling feels adventurous. I could go on.
You don’t have to overthink it like I do. For you, it might be as simple as hitting balls to escape work, hanging out with friends, and playing loosely with the rules and the score.
The point is to give yourself permission to play for your own reasons, and let that be enough.
But if improvement is your goal, thinking about your destination—and when you want to get there—is important, because it dictates the steps you need to take. When I set out to go from a 14-handicap to the PGA TOUR as quickly as possible, the steps I needed were very different from those of a working golfer trying to break 90 in six months. That’s also different from someone who just wants a few peaceful hours outside each week, away from work or family.
None of these goals are better than the others, but each requires a different plan that you can work backward from.
2. There Are Lots of Things That Can Work
One of the challenges of golf is that, although there are rules for playing, there aren’t clear, industry-wide standards for how to best play the game. There’s a lot of gray area.
You might hear a top coach or trainer insist that a certain move is the best way to swing or train. Then you dig a bit deeper and, much to your confusion and frustration, another respected coach or trainer says something completely different. I don’t think anyone is trying to confuse you—at least I hope not. It’s just where the industry is right now.
You have to be careful with advice from tournament pros, too. They might be great at scoring, but they’re also human and sometimes just as susceptible as amateurs to believing things that don’t really move the needle. Tour players might describe what they feel, but that’s not always what they’re actually doing when assessed with technology.
I recently ran a test on my YouTube channel (which connects to my GolfWRX article “How to use your hands in the golf swing for power and accuracy”), and, interestingly, two of the most commonly taught hand actions produced the worst results in the test.
Coaches can certainly help. If you find someone you connect with to help navigate, that’s great. But there are many ways to get the ball in the hole. In the current landscape, you may need to seek multiple opinions, think critically, and use your own intuition to discern what seems true and whose advice resonates with you.
I’d recommend seeking someone who is open-minded and always learning, because things constantly change. Absolutes like “correct” or “proper” should raise a red flag. AI can be useful, but it tends to confidently repeat popular advice, so proceed with caution.
3. Get Custom Fit
If you’re serious about becoming a better player, getting custom fit is hugely important. There’s no sense fighting your equipment if you don’t have to. Most better players get fit these days and, if they don’t, they’re usually skilled enough to work around clubs that aren’t ideal.
If you plan to play for a long time, it’s worth spending a little more upfront to get something that truly fits you and your game, rather than continually buying and discarding equipment.
Equipment rules haven’t really changed significantly since the early 2000s. To stay in business, manufacturers keep pushing those limits. If you pull a bunch of clubs and balls off the rack and test them, you’ll find differences. I’ve tested two new drivers and seen a 30-yard total distance gap. Usually, the issue isn’t bad equipment; it’s that the combination of components simply isn’t the best fit.
It’s like wearing a new pair of floppy clown shoes. Sure, they’re shoes—but you won’t sprint your best in them compared to track shoes that fit perfectly.
Be wary of what’s called custom fitting, too. Sometimes the term is used as a marketing strategy rather than an actual fitting. In some retail settings, fitters may be incentivized to steer you toward higher-priced components. That doesn’t automatically mean it’s not the best fit, but you should be aware of potential biases.
I learned a version of this lesson outside of golf. Years ago, I bought a tennis racquet at a big box store from a seemingly knowledgeable employee who thought it would suit me best. The racquet gave me tennis elbow, and I spent months recovering with rest and acupuncture. The next season, I invested more time and money to find what actually fit me, and I walked away with something amazing that I still play with years later.
So if you’re going to get fit, be smart about it.
Find someone you believe has deep knowledge—possibly with certifications, but not necessarily. Make sure there’s a wide inventory across many brands. Check recent reviews for the individual fitter if possible. Make sure you trust that the fitter has your best interests at heart. If they’re wearing a hat or shirt with a specific brand’s logo, proceed with caution. Unless you specifically want a certain brand or look, be wary of upsells, especially if two options perform nearly the same.
Also, while golf is called a sport of integrity, there’s a thread of manipulation in the industry. I once drafted an equipment article for an industry magazine, structured just like one of their previous popular stories, with matching word count and great photos. The assistant editor loved it; it was useful to readers and required little work on his part. But the editor-in-chief nixed the story. When I asked why, I was told it was because I wasn’t an advertiser. It turned out the article I’d modeled mine after was a paid ad cleverly disguised as editorial content.
I really dislike games, clickbait, and fear-based manipulation. I hope this changes, but golfers deserve to know it exists.
4. Distance and Strategy Matter
There’s a real relationship between how far you hit the ball and your scoring average, even at the PGA TOUR level.
I experienced this early in my pro career. I started as a power hitter, swinging in the high 120s and breaking 200 mph ball speed with a stock driver.
Back then, some instructors advised swinging at 80%, so I tried slowing down for more accuracy. That worked fine on shorter, tighter courses. But on longer setups, I was coming into greens with too much club, and par 5s stopped being
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ChipNRun
Jul 1, 2019 at 3:02 pm
Two factors to look at:
* The Ban on anchor putting started in 2016. Segment out the players who anchored in 2015, and see if they had statistically significant difference in miss rates over the pre-rule non anchors. And, see if they made up lost ground in 2017 and 2018 seasons as they learned non-anchor putting.
* Dave Pelz suggests that great ballstrikers are more likely to have putting problems than average ballstrikers. The reason: the right (or trailing arm) forearm rotation is stronger in great ballstrikers, and this can creep into the putting stroke and disrupt the pendulum motion. With the large number of players who regularly hit their drives 300+ yards, is it possible the we’re getting more great ballstrikers per top 250 than in earlier years? If so, do these players tend to miss more putts because of episodic forearm antics?
ChipNRun
Jul 2, 2019 at 6:04 pm
FOLLOWUP:
Another article this week talks about “too much information” in greens books for various courses. Any chance that some info relating to the greens themselves might be flawed? After all, Bryson DeChambeau caused a stir by “remeasuring” some of the greens he faced each week. Did he discover upon pockets of flawed information?
Tom
Jun 25, 2019 at 5:41 am
The issue isn’t within putting it’s outside putting. The element of putting isn’t as important in effecting the outcome as other elements-ie bombing the driver 350-375
James
Jun 25, 2019 at 2:49 am
Surely this decrease relates to about one putt missed in every thousand or so (given how many players there are). So, surely nothing to really make a fuss about?
Geeber
Jun 25, 2019 at 7:40 am
Ummm. An average of 1% wouldn’t that be 10 putts per 1000?
Howard Clark
Jun 24, 2019 at 8:23 pm
If they had “green reading books” back then, they couldn’t have putted either. Plus, mammoth grips; you can’t putt with a baseball bat handle.
Born
Jun 25, 2019 at 10:20 am
Bingoooo
JP
Jun 24, 2019 at 7:39 pm
It’s not just length that goes into how difficult a putt is, break is a significant factor. Given a straight 6 ft. putt vs. a 6 footer with 6 inches of break, a much higher percentage of the straight putts will be made. I suspect that the tour greens are slightly faster now than in 2003, which makes putts with the same slope break more, thus they are more difficult. In addition, it’s possible that the tour pin positions have gotten slightly more difficult (both for approach shots and for putts) than they were from 2003-2005.
DanQ
Jun 24, 2019 at 5:32 pm
Pga rule change. Green reading books level of detail changed 1/1/19. Correct?
Jaxon
Jun 24, 2019 at 5:55 pm
Maybe because guys hit it further and better. You had to putt fifteen years ago if you were a shortish hitter or medium hitter. Now bombs away and putting is not as comparable or relative from then to now.
TheWeekendHackGolf
Jun 24, 2019 at 4:00 pm
Two things
1) Anchoring ban went effective Jan 2016…really need to control for that.
2) Very possible that putting just isn’t as important / rewarded as much anymore on the PGA. Game has gone the way of favoring the Brooks and DJ’s of the world, not Steve Stricker and Zach Johnson and Jordan Speith.
~IG @theweekendhackgolf
TheWeekendHackGolf
Jun 24, 2019 at 4:02 pm
*Spieth (sorry Jordan…)
Matt J
Jun 24, 2019 at 9:58 am
I feel like a lot has to do with putting style. Purely observational, but it seems that players are trying to die it in the hole more often. The ball will naturally break harder as it starts to lose speed just before reaching the cup. You still see guys like Tiger and Koepka staying agreesive and running it by 3-4 feet when they miss, but they seem to be the outliers.
Ted Noel
Jun 25, 2019 at 8:36 am
Dave Pelz has done studies on pristine greens with his True Roller gadget. Using 100 balls, he got valid numbers. The best results came with a putt speed to die the putt 17″ past the hole. “Dead speed” is a real problem. How often are we seeing putts die barely short of the hole? 17″ past would give a tap-in on the miss, and putts left short rarely fall.
Stedman
Jun 24, 2019 at 8:10 am
Is have an observation: drivers, woods and irons are all regulated and are all very similar in weight size and shape across all manufacturer brands. Yet putters come in all shapes and sizes. You have trouble telling which irons a player uses unless you get close. But look at the difference in putters used by Jason day, Adam Scott, and Jordan Spieth. Maybe they should all use the same putter, then we’ll see who can really putt. And get rid of those stupid books. If I can’t get one why should they. They’re pros right?
liam
Jun 24, 2019 at 9:22 am
so if we make every 100m dash runner wear a size 10 shoe we’d find out who’s the fastest runner? no…i’d guess the fastest would be the runner who happens to fit that shoe.
same for putting. which style of putter are you going to determine to be used by all. weight, alignment, length, color, feel….these are personal and you can’t simply take one putter and force all players in to it. you wouldn’t find the best putter, you’d find the player that best fits that putter.
Geoffrey Holland
Jun 24, 2019 at 3:42 am
Players are so caught up in reading a book instead of reading the green that they’re bound to miss more putts. The book is usually someone else’s interpretation of how the green breaks and it’s not always correct. Players have to learn to read the greens themselves without the stupid books and they will get better.
Jack
Jun 24, 2019 at 12:22 am
paralysis by analysis. Just read it, step up to it, and hit it. Players seize up less and deliver a better more confident stroke. Constant second guessing on an inexact art doesn’t make things better. Makes it worse.
Rybo
Jun 23, 2019 at 10:27 pm
It’s the ball. Dr. Paul Hurrion has known this for awhile.
Go to 14:30.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Qodg2Oe0LP4
JP
Jun 24, 2019 at 7:30 pm
Tiger won at Pebble with a solid ball (a Nike made by Bridgestone) in 2000. By 2003 everyone was playing ProV1’s or something similar. I don’t think there was a balata wound ball to be found on the PGA Tour by 2003.
Scratchscorer
Jun 23, 2019 at 9:49 pm
Because it’s compiled of a different generation of golfers. The younger players that took the place of the older players they replaced shoot lower scores overall, primarily because they hit it much further. They may not putt as well as the guys from yesteryear, but they hit it so much longer and end up with easier approach shots; they’re able to putt less efficiently and still shoot lower scores overall.
Aaron Fisher
Jun 23, 2019 at 7:25 pm
Too much money. Players are playing in less events and that dilutes the field every week for your average tour event. Slightly weaker fields make for slightly weaker performance results.
liam
Jun 24, 2019 at 9:26 am
i think an argument can be made that strength of field is much harder today than a decade ago. today’s number 70 player is much much better than 2001 number 70 player.
Greg
Jun 23, 2019 at 6:02 pm
Is it because putter heads have gotten heavier causing too much flex in the putter shaft and that is enough to cause more misses? Maybe if there was some sort of solution that made a stiffer, better putter shaft which could handle those heavier putter head weights? Hmmmmmm…..
Russ
Jun 24, 2019 at 6:00 pm
You are correct that putter heads are heavier and causing performance issues due to 50+ year old putter shaft technology. In fact, Barney is not out of the golf industry and has started a new company, BreakthroughGolfTechnology. He has designed a after-market shaft that reduces shaft torque from 1.9 to .9 which is a major improvement and allows the player to start the ball on line on a significantly greater percentage due to reduced face twisting. The shaft is called the Stability Shaft. The MSRP seems a little high until you realize you use a putter 24 – 36 times per round and provides the greatest numerical opportunities for total score improvement.
To provide full transparency, after having Club Champion install the Stability Shaft on my two putters and testing them on both the course (Shot Scope) and SAM PuttLab system to confirm the improved results, I contacted BGT and now install them as part of my club repair business.
Gary McCormick
Jun 25, 2019 at 10:37 am
I see what you did there. Unfortunately, it’s nonsense. While the Stability Shaft may work well for some players based on feel and balance, there is no “flex problem” in modern putters dues to heavier heads being too much for a standard shaft to handle.
The data that is presented on the Breakthrough Golf website that purports to depict displacement of the putter head about the vertical axis is, in fact, depicting vibration that does not affect the direction or speed of the ball coming off of the club face.
I tested the Stability Shaft last year, having one swapped in to replace the standard counter-weighted shaft in my Odyssey Tank Cruiser Anser-style blade putter.
https://willotheglenongolf.blogspot.com/2018/06/the-stability-shaft-how-good-for-your.html
The balance and weight distribution – which is the major (or only, really…) performance contribution of the Stability Shaft – were quite different with the new shaft, and it was not until I installed a 50-gram SuperStroke counterweight in the grip that the modified putter felt right again (or better, at least.)
A couple of weeks ago I removed the Stability Shaft and replaced it with a bog-standard, off the shelf, $10 steel putter shaft with a standard-size Odyssey pistol grip and the aforementioned 50-gram counterweight. This re-mod was a revelation, and transformed that putter’s performance in my hands. The improved weight distribution resulted in a higher head to grip MOI and a more consistent swing, which led to better distance control.
Note that I am not saying that the Stability Shaft isn’t going to help some players. Putting is very much about feel and balance, and this shaft may work for some people; what I am saying, though, is that their claims about their shaft addressing some supposed shortcoming in standard steel shafts because new-style putter heads are so heavy that they cause a standard putter shaft to flex, is ridiculous.
Sahil
Jun 23, 2019 at 5:50 pm
Because all players want to bomb it 350m and then chip ‘n putt. they focus way too much on driving.
Every single tour pro can hit the green in regulation. Its putting and the short game that makes the difference
Tal
Jun 24, 2019 at 11:32 pm
This isn’t the case. The difference between the best strikers on tour and the rest is far greater than the best putters and the rest. This is clearly shown when you look at who the best iron players are vs who the best putters are. There’s a huge difference between just hitting a green and hitting a green in the right spot and only the best ball strikers can hit the right spot the majority of the time. Chipping and putting is secondary to driving and approach play.
gunmetal
Jun 23, 2019 at 3:27 pm
Combination of much of what has been said.
1) Game is way more data driven with analytics and stats for everything (IE Aim point, green books, etc) and much less about feel.
2) Spieth is a good example of the above. He didn’t used to be afraid to be unconventional (going left hand low before the masses) but now he won’t make any meaningful changes like arm lock, conventional, claw, etc. Why? I believe he’s stuck looking at stats.
3) More 14 club deals from Callaway and maybe even TM which puts a lot of pressure on players to swap one putter for the latest and greatest. This could be a stretch and maybe I’m off, but there’s something to be said for keeping the flat stick constant. I think BK agrees.
JMO
Shallowface
Jun 23, 2019 at 2:14 pm
Perhaps they have moved away (very very slightly) from the USGA recommendation of placing the hole in an area where it is as flat as possible three feet around the cup. Most of us never see that adhered to at the places we play, and many of our three footers are what I call “McDonald’s Putts” because the track of them looks like an arch. You rarely see a pro have to play any break on a three footer.
Underachiever
Jun 23, 2019 at 11:53 am
Decreased cup size. ????
Geoffrey Holland
Jun 24, 2019 at 3:53 pm
Obviously not!
Luis Nlazario
Jun 23, 2019 at 10:59 am
It’s all about the dam new spikes and shoe soles!
Old spike marks didn’t damaged surface, and helped!
Yes there were a lot of players who didn’t know how to walk with them and damaged the greens. Yes because of them we’re suffering the consequences
Shallowface
Jun 23, 2019 at 2:19 pm
The ONLY reason for the advent of plastic spikes was to sell more replacement spikes. It was determined very quickly that they weren’t viable on shoes like the old leather soled FootJoy Classics, and then we started seeing what we have today. I can remember a time when “turf shoes” were specifically banned on courses in our area, but not anymore. Everyone was told that the greens would be so much better and the marks ate it up. You have no one to blame but yourselves.
Stump
Jun 24, 2019 at 8:52 am
The Chicken Little Syndrome…one person panics and everyone else follows along. It happened with coconut oil and popcorn, paper grocery bags,etc. It’s also happening with the distance debate. A few people with public pulpits are decrying the increase in driving distance and how it will ruin the game. Soon, they are going to roll back the ball and we will all suffer. One of two things will happen: One, we’ll all play the new ball and will be lucky to hit it 230 or 2. We bifurcate and we keep playing the current ball and the pros play the short ball then the advertising money will dry up because the ball companies won’t put money towards players that play balls that the consumer doesn’t.
Gareth Jones
Jun 23, 2019 at 10:38 am
Too much information maybe.
Bill Rctor
Jun 23, 2019 at 10:13 am
You need to learn the difference between “points” and “percentage”. We something you are measuring goes from 2% to 1%, it has not dropped 1%, it has dropped 1 point and 50%.
HappydayJ
Jun 23, 2019 at 10:02 am
Paralysis of Analysis, as Gary Player likes to say.
Danny Bonin
Jun 23, 2019 at 9:55 am
Players are paying more attention to driving and approach shots, they don’t need to putt as well to win today. Times have changed.
Paul
Jun 23, 2019 at 9:40 am
Better measurement technology?
Christopher Barnes
Jun 23, 2019 at 9:09 am
Super stroke grips