Iain Carter BBC Sport golf correspondent

Spring in the air leads to a spring in the step on the march down the fairway.

Especially if a spring in the clubface has lengthened the stroll and shortened the approach to the green.

As the weather improves, club golfers - armed with the latest equipment - may well find their bad shots aren't quite so bad and their good ones are flying further.

Even so, concern is growing that technological improvements are putting the game on the road to ruin.

It's currently the biggest issue in golf.

I can't see how it can keep going because otherwise we're going to end up with a laser shaft or something Nick Faldo

According to a recent survey, more than a fifth of fans believe the game has already been spoiled, and four out of 10 fear for its future unless something is done to limit the distance a ball can travel.

While it might seem great that the game is becoming easier for you and me, the same benefits are available to the top pros and many courses are having to be lengthened to remain relevant.

Nick Faldo voiced his concerns to me a couple of weeks ago.

"I can't see how it can keep going because otherwise we're going to end up with a laser shaft or something," said the six-time Major winner.

"The difference between amateur golf and professional golf is massive. I design loads of resort-type courses principally for amateurs.

"Then two years down the line they say they want to hold a pro tournament there and I'm saying 'Hang on a minute, we've got to beef that up', which makes life difficult."

Last week's Carter feature

It's a worry shared by the authorities.

"We would like to see a line drawn in the sand with the distance of the ball and in such a way so that in the future whatever increases are generated come from only one thing, increased clubhead speed," said PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem.

Last week the rule-makers, the USGA and the Royal and Ancient, issued a joint proposal to manufacturers to simplify testing drivers for the controversial "spring effect" which has added so much distance to shots.

But their attention should also centre on the golf ball itself.

Ernie Els tops the current charts in driving distance, a feat he puts down to the new model of ball he is using.

Greg Norman believes the game is at a crossroads.

The big difference is that today's balls offer greenside feel and length from the tee in one dimpled package Iain Carter

With an idea that has great merit, he suggests pros should retain allegiances to the different manufacturers but use a "tournament" ball with specifications that limit the length it can fly.

Longer hitters would still belt it furthest, just not quite as far and the competitive dynamics would not be altered.

Some say, including a leading administrator with whom I've been speaking, that it would be wrong to introduce such a rule because it would separate the pro game from that of the club player and infringe one of the essential charms of golf.

I disagree. It's not so long ago that such a separation existed by default.

The better players would use balls with Balata surfaces for additional feel around the greens while most amateurs opted for harder models to gain more distance.

The big difference is that today's balls offer greenside feel and length from the tee in one dimpled package.

By adopting Norman's proposal the authorities could end the need for courses to stretch close to the 8,000-yard mark and still allow the game to be that little bit easier, and rewarding, for the likes of you and me.