Tony may just have called it right with his squash analogy

The hottest debate in golf is what to do about the ever-increasing distances the modern balls fly at the highest levels of the game.

My good friend, Tony Jacklin (below), has called for golf balls to be colour-coded for different levels of the sport, in a similar fashion to squash.

In the racquet sport there are four levels: Pro (International Tour players), Competition (Club players), Progress (Recreational players) and Intro (Beginners).g

What provoked Tony’st outburst was Cameron Champ‘s recent four-stroke win at the Sanderson Farm Championship on the PGA Tour.

Champ is a rookie on the main US tour, having graduated from their feeder, tthe Web.com Tour, andd it would be an understatement to call him a long hitter!

He easily led the 2018 driving stats, averaging a massive 343 yards off the tee for the whole season.

To put that into perspective, our own Rory Mcilroy was the season’s biggest hitter on the main tour, averaging just over 319 yards.

Tony wants to rein in the power that is making courses obsolete for the big hitters.

That is, unless we set up courses every week like Le Golf National in Paris, which neutralises length, as we witnessed in the Ryder Cup.

But the golf tours around the world know spectators and, probably more importantly, TV want to see big hitting and plenty of birdies, which means wide fairways and perfect putting surfaces.

Jack Nicklaus has been calling for a shorter-travelling ball for years without much success, mainly because the amateurs scores have, in general, not substantially improved despite hitting it further.

This dichotomy has been causing theth rules bodies – the R&&A and the USGA – ama major number headache of years, for becauseb they don’t want to stop amateurs having fun.

But, at the same time, if they feel the skill factor is beingb diminished, thhere will come a timee when they will be compelcopelled to act. After all, golf is supposed to be a skilful game rather than just a big hit and a wedge at nearly every hole.

However, the golf ball manufacturers have a point when they maintain the ball is only a contributory factor in this debate.

Players’ fitness, titanium club heads, improved graphite shafts and less-watered courses are ALL contributing to the players being able to hit it a long way.

But restricting the ball is the easiest component to change in this complicated problem.

Tony’s solution is worth a try – a ball for the pros and a ball for the rest. A record four Scots qualified for the European Tour next season, after finishing in the top-15 on the tough Challenge Tour.

Although it is only natural that Grant Forrest, Liam Johnston, Robert Mcintyre and David Law will be apprehensive, there is no reason why these fine young golfers should not succeed immediately.

I just hope they do not fall into the trap of thinking they need to change anything now they are playing on the main Tour.

Competition, of course, will be tougher. But that’s the name of the game.

Concentrate on the short game more than any other part of the game, and be careful not to spend too many hours on the practice ground at tournaments, tiring yourself out hitting balls.

Many a golfer has gone to the practice area with a good game, and left with a bad one!