In this podcast excerpt, Henrik Jentsch analyzes the evolution of driving distance on the PGA Tour and questions its true impact on scoring and dominance. While modern professionals hit the ball farther than ever before, distance alone has not become a guarantee for success. By contrasting elite power hitters such as Rory McIlroy with more balanced, consistency-driven players like Scottie Scheffler, the core message becomes clear: precision, decision-making, and strategy remain the foundations of elite performance.

Since the mid-1990s, average driving distance on the PGA Tour has risen dramatically—from roughly 260 meters (285 yards) to just under 303 meters (331 yards) today. The first major jump came with the introduction of titanium drivers and multi-layer golf balls, which replaced wooden heads and older ball constructions. However, the most recent gains, particularly since around 2015, are not tied to a single innovation. Instead, they result from a synergy of several developments.

Modern equipment is now highly optimized, with refined shaft profiles, advanced head geometry, and improved ball aerodynamics. At the same time, launch monitors and AI-based analysis tools provide precise, individualized feedback, allowing players to fine-tune their swings with measurable accuracy. Sports science and biomechanics have also transformed coaching. Rather than simply encouraging players to swing harder, modern training helps athletes understand their bodies and identify their most efficient movement patterns.

Despite these gains, the comparison between McIlroy and Scheffler underlines an important truth. McIlroy is one of the longest hitters on Tour and succeeds because he combines power with precision and a strong short game. Scheffler, on the other hand, ranks well below the Tour’s longest drivers yet has become the most dominant and consistent player due to elite ball-striking, control, and scoring efficiency. Distance, therefore, is only one piece of a much larger performance puzzle.

The discussion also extends to course design. Simply lengthening golf courses tends to favor long hitters even more, widening the gap between player types. Smarter architecture—featuring strategic landing zones, narrower fairways, and meaningful risk-reward decisions—places a premium on accuracy and intelligence rather than raw power.

Ultimately, the modern distance boom is best understood not as a power race, but as the result of integrated technology, data, and biomechanics. The future of competitive balance in golf lies not in swinging faster, but in playing smarter.

• 📺 The Explainer

• www.Golg247.eu

Consistent and powerful ball striking depends primarily on precise clubface control. This control is largely determined by the lead hand and wrist, as the back of the left hand directly mirrors the orientation of the clubface. The key difference between professionals and amateurs is not strength, but the timing and sequence of three specific wrist movements.

The Professional SequenceElite players execute these movements in a clear and deliberate order:

• Flexion: During the transition from the backswing to the downswing, the left wrist is flexed to establish the correct clubface angle early.

• Ulnar Deviation (Unhinging): This is followed by a controlled downward hinging of the wrist, which begins to release stored energy.

• Supination: Only very late does the wrist rotate, squaring the clubface precisely at impact.

This sequence—flexion, unhinging, supination—ensures efficient energy transfer and delivers the clubface square to the ball.

The Typical Amateur SequenceMany amateurs reverse this order:

• Casting: The wrist hinge is released too early.

• Early Opening: The clubface opens during the downswing.

• Late Correction: Attempts to square the face occur too late to be effective.

The result is an open clubface, glancing contact, and shots that drift to the right.

Core PrincipleThe back of the left hand acts as the “navigation system” for the clubface. Every movement of the hand directly changes the clubface orientation. Mastering the correct sequence automatically leads to better clubface control.

AnalogyLike snapping a whip or cracking a towel, the “snap” only occurs when tension is maintained until the final moment and then released with precision. Releasing too early destroys both energy and direction.

Modern motion analysis tools make this sequence measurable and allow it to be trained with precision.

• 📺 The Explainer

• www.Golf247.eu

Understanding Rule 19.3b – When a Bogey is a Victory

Golf is a game of decisions, and sometimes the smartest one is knowing when not to play the hero shot.

Imagine this: you've just hit a firm putt from the green, but the ball runs past the hole, catches the slope, and rolls off into a deep greenside bunker. Welcome to Pinehurst No. 2 – or any course with slick, crowned greens.

Now what?

Most golfers instinctively reach for the sand wedge and prepare for a high-tension bunker shot. But there’s a better way — and it’s perfectly legal.

Rule 19.3b of the Rules of Golf allows you to declare the ball unplayable and return to your previous spot — in this case, back on the putting green — with a one-stroke penalty.

This rarely used option offers two massive advantages:

1. Risk Mitigation

Bunker shots from just off the green are notoriously difficult. You often have a steep lip, little green to work with, and soft sand that punishes even slight errors.

• Hit it fat? You’re still in the bunker.
• Hit it thin? The ball sails over the green.
• Try to be perfect? You might compound the error.

By invoking Rule 19.3b, you eliminate these high-risk variables completely. You remove the chance of turning a three-putt into a triple bogey.

2. Restoration of Control

Going back to your original spot on the green lets you reset the situation. Yes, you're now putting for bogey — but you’re doing it from a familiar position with no bunkers, no slopes, no drama.

This isn’t giving up — it's gaining control. And in golf, control is everything.

Think of it like paying a small insurance fee to avoid the risk of disaster. You trade one stroke to avoid the chaos that often follows a high-tension recovery shot. It’s a decision rooted in course management, self-awareness, and emotional intelligence.

As one coach put it:

“It’s like a video game undo button. You rewind to just before the mistake — but you pay a small price to do it.”

How It Works – Quick Summary of Rule 19.3b

• Ball rolls off the green into a bunker
• Your previous stroke was from the putting green
• You declare the ball unplayable
• You place the ball back at your original putting spot
• You add one penalty stroke

You’re now putting again, with full control — and likely walking away with bogey, not double or worse.

In the End...

Strategic players aren’t always the ones who take the boldest shots — they’re the ones who know when not to. Rule 19.3b gives you the power to take back control, avoid disaster, and protect your scorecard from spiraling out of control.

Because sometimes, the smartest bogey is the one you choose.

• 🎧 Listen now

• www.Golf247.eu