Tour Pro Suggests Way To Curb Driving Distance In Golf

Australian Scott Hend thinks there's an easy answer to reducing hitting distances

Scott Hend plays a shot during the pro-am prior to the 2022 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Mike Hall
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Tour Pro Scott Hend has weighed in on golf’s distance debate with a simple idea to resolve the issue.

The Australian offered a straightforward solution to a problem that has been discussed for years  – don’t tee up your driver anymore. The 49-year-old wrote on Twitter: “Here is a easy way to battle the argument about the ball going tooooo far..... You can't tee up your driver anymore, off the deck it is.”

Hend’s proposed solution certainly seems far easier to implement than other suggestions, including an idea Tiger Woods put forward during February’s Genesis Invitational of changing the ball to reduce hitting distances. Woods also said it would be "advantageous for the game of golf" if the driver face was dialled back. 

While Hend's idea is more simple and immediate than either of Woods', he's actually not the first person to suggest it. Speaking on The Shack Show in 2020, Nick Faldo said: "If they went and played a tournament with no tee pegs, right? Well, the guys would have to alter their driver. You would be allowed to place it on the grass.”

Whatever the solution to the issue is, it’s clearly going to remain a topic of discussion for the foreseeable future, with many of the game’s leading figures having an opinion. This year alone, Jack Nicklaus voiced his frustration at the perceived slowness of the game’s governing bodies in addressing the issue, while Patrick Cantlay said “something has to give” as the game accommodates an increasing number of big hitters.

Whether Hend’s idea is ever tried is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure – as far as suggestions go, it would surely be as simple to implement as any.  

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Mike Hall
Mike Hall
News Writer

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories. 

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game. 

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course. 

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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