6,811 yards is the official distance of the first women’s major this week
Some people think it’s too long. I couldn’t disagree more.
Women’s golf is where the WNBA was five years ago before Caitlin Clark. It had little fanfare, small tv audiences, and minimal media coverage.
What if women’s basketball had done what many suggest women’s golf should do — make the game easier?
Would Clark be a megastar if she was burying logo 3s on an 8-foot goal? No chance.
Shortening courses won’t grow women’s golf. Athleticism and personalities will. So will playing better golf courses.
No offense to the older guys, but when I grew up watching the PGA TOUR, many of them had pot bellies. Tiger Woods changed it. He made the tour more athletic AND dynamic.
Making golf courses for the women longer, firmer, and faster will force the women’s game to become more athletic… and every sports fan knows that’s when people really start paying attention.
(📸: LPGA)