Caddie John Wood Has Hot Sports Opinions About New Green Reading Restrictions

John Wood, the astute caddie for Matt Kuchar, offers his HSOs on why the USGA got the new green-reading edict wrong–or at least refrain from making it such a confusing grey-area stance.

To summarize, the announced ruling is essentially to give the game a better look. They say its about using inherent talent but we know better. The worst aspect is the confusing dividing line on what notes are and are not legal starting next year. I personally don’t care either way but take a black and white stance versus muddying the waters.

Here is Wood’s open letter to the governing bodies via Golf.com. Its hard to disagree.

This is where you’ve decided to put your foot down? 

Because it feels like there’s an elephant on the tee box that no one’s addressing — looking at you, 350-yard drives — and you guys are waving your hands and jumping up and down saying: “Look over here, look over here! Here’s the problem! Look at how easy putting has become!” Sorry, but if we get a calm day at St. Andrews in a couple of years and someone shoots 59 on the Old Course, it’s not gonna be because of a series of little arrows in a book.

Sure, these books are a tool that can help golfers play better, much like a yardage book or handwritten notes (which we’ll get to later). But they don’t make a stroke for you or tell you how hard to hit the putt or if there’s moisture in the greens or if the surfaces are slightly firmer than the day before, nor do they smooth out that little twitch from the extra cup of coffee before the round or the fourth beer from the night before.

And, man, do your proposed restrictions come riddled with potential headaches and gray areas.

 

Let’s begin with handwritten notes, some of which would continue to be permitted under your proposed rule, but not all. Who is going to be able to figure this out? We can still jot down notes, including arrows, but not to delineate a slope of less than 4%? Guess what? This data will still exist. Caddies and players will still gather and record it, in one way or another. They’ll use it during practice rounds and in preparation, and surely many would still reference it during tournament rounds. The data may not come from a mass-produced greens book available to all, but it still will be out there. The cat is out of the bag for this generation of players. Asking them to use less information after being allowed to use more is a giant step backward.–Wood

 

As for enforcement? What are rules officials to do? See a guy making putts all day and ask him to turn in both his caddie’s yardage book and his own for inspection? Then what? “We have determined you used illegal information to make that putt on 12, so it’s a two-shot penalty. We also think you used illegal information on 13. But because you three-putted, no foul there.”

My biggest question is this: Has putting improved because of greens-book usage? Has rolling in 15-footers become so easy as to make that skill less relevant to being successful on Tour? Not a chance. Leading the Tour this year in Strokes Gained: Putting is Jason Day, at a whopping +1.193 strokes per round. Jason does not use a greens book.

Touché sir.