Last chance to make your voice heard in the distance debate

How far do we want the ball to go?

Time is running out for those who want to have their say in the big distance debate.

To submit an entry, click here .

If you are looking for more information about the process, please find below the article we published on May 16, 2018.

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The governing bodies of Golf have increased the ante in an attempt to answer the seemingly eternal "distance debate".

R & A and USGA have launched their combined "Distance Insights" project at night to "analyze distance in golf and gather perspectives from the global golf community".

Starting today, anyone who is interested can give feedback by visiting randa.org/distanceinsights or usga.org/distanceinsights or by emailing one of both organizations directly.

The Distance Insights project, they say, will explore the distance through a multi-faceted approach that includes global stakeholder engagement, third-party data evaluation and primary research.

Focus groups and discussion forums will play an important role in the project to secure a wide range of perspectives during golf

"Distance in golf is a complex issue that is widely discussed at all levels of the sport," said R & A CEO Martin Slumbers.

"It is important that we collect all relevant data and hear the many different perspectives on this topic in the international golf community, and we intend to conduct this process openly, fully and quickly and will work with all key stakeholders to ensure that we have a complete overview of the distance and its implications. "

USGA CEO Mike Davis said that the theme of the increased distance and its effects on the game has been discussed for more than a century.

"We believe this is the time to examine this subject with a very broad and long lens, knowing that this is crucial for the future of the game," said Davis.

"We are looking forward to deepening ourselves in this subject and learning more, among other things by doing good with golf."

Stakeholder groups invited to participate in the project include amateur and professional golfers, global professional tours, owners of golf courses and operators, manufacturers of golf equipment, golf course architects, golf course managers and others.

Among the many topics that need to be explored, the organizations will look for distance-related data about the pace of the game, the construction of golf courses and maintenance practices, the evolution of equipment, golf course design and player fun and participation.

The R & A and USGA are planning to deliver their combined report on the project in 2019.