Sunday 14 June 2020 13:43, UK
Bryson DeChambeau is once again attracting plenty of attention around the golfing world after going through a remarkable transition in his physique that has helped him power the ball huge distances.
DeChambeau has packed on around three stone in weight over the last nine months, most of it in muscle, and he is now the leading player on the PGA Tour in the average driving distance statistics.
The American has seen his ball speed with a driver increase from 178mph to 189mph, which gives him an extra 20-25 yards of carry, and Paul McGinley fears that, if DeChambeau finds success, then many other professionals will follow suit in pursuit of distance over accuracy ...
"He's put on three stone and he's had the results he was looking for. He's a scientist by nature, and he's analysed and realised the importance of big hitting on the PGA Tour.
He's seen the correlation between big hitting, and the top players in the world rankings, the guys who are really controlling the game, and he decided he needs to be that kind of player.
Bryson has gone about it by putting on massive amounts of muscle, and he's now hitting the ball so much further than before. This is quite a seismic shift for the game, because if he plays well over the next couple of months and wins, then how many will do the same?
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
We're very much like sheep as professional golfers, and if we see someone doing something like this with instantaneous results, then we normally follow. So if Bryson continues with this and has some success, will others be doing something similar?
There's a lot of debate in the game, and there has been for a number of years now, with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Tiger Woods saying that it has got out of control.
The distance off the tee is becoming too important, and too much of a factor in the game. And Bryson's attitude is that he doesn't need to be in the fairway all the time, because he's going to be so far up there it's going to be so much easier for him.
Of course, at the top level, big hitting has always been a factor, but if you're not a big hitter on Tour, you've pretty much got no chance now. It's incredibly difficult and the odds are stacked against you.
Just look at the top players in the world rankings, and also where they rank in terms of driving distance, not accuracy. There's clearly a huge correlation there.
The game is not just about power, it should be about hitting the ball straight as well. But now it's less and less about how accuracy you are, and more about how far you can hit the ball.
The strokes gained statistics will illustrate that, so all professionals are being told that if they want to succeed, don't worry about hitting it straight, just get your ball speed up.
