Woods is only ninth in av. driving distance (304 yards) on the US Tour

Modern pros are stronger than ever, technically sound and armed with the latest in ball and club technology. As a result, many event organisers are being forced to add extra yardage just to keep the hounds at bay.

The lawmakers seem to have finally caught up with the equipment boffins but, judging by the size of the BBC Sport mail bag on this issue, the distance debate is still a hot topic.

But what do the pros think? We canvassed some of the game's biggest names, asking if distance is now a problem in golf and, if so, what would they do about it.

PAUL CASEY
You can never hit it far enough as far as I'm concerned! My job is to play golf so of course I'm going to maximise distance. It's exciting, everybody loves to watch people hit the ball miles.

But I do think it's a shame some of the more traditional courses are being made a bit obsolete, though some of the old course architects saw it coming and left room to add length in the future.

And we have reached a plateau. With the current rules in place, players are not going to make the big jump in distance like they did a few years ago.

LUKE DONALD
My solution is to design more traditional golf courses. There are plenty of old courses out there - 100-150 years old - that have stood the test of time.

You don't have to add length to make a course harder. Narrow the fairways, grow the rough and get firm, fast greens.

But as for distance, I'd say the ball's gone plenty far enough. It needs to stay where it is now.

PADRAIG HARRINGTON
Over the years the best players in the world have tended to be the longest hitters and golf courses have always evolved to match that.

If you picked up a golf magazine in the '60s and '70s you would see the same stories as you see now.

Historically, the world number one - bar Nick Faldo - has been the longest hitter. That's an advantage and it's part of the game.

I wouldn't change any equipment and certainly not for the amateurs. They need all the help they can get.

PETER ALLISS
I don't think courses will become obsolete, but if modern technology is not going to be harnessed in some way, thinking has to change.

You could eliminate par. People are saying: "Our course is ruined, somebody's won with 20 under par." So why not just say the person with the lowest score is the winner?

There's a lot of hype and mumbo jumbo with it. You can't change the game of golf for just 2,000 people who play at a professional standard.

And we have to be mindful that not everyone hits the ball 350 yards and it's not always the longest hitters who win.

Having a tournament ball might work but you will have arguments from the contractors and manufacturers.

There is cause for concern but not deep worry. My opinion is that golfers 100 years ago were more skilful than those today because the tools weren't as good.

THOMAS BJORN
The problem is not so much that the game has become easier, because the equipment has always developed.

Today the courses can't keep up. The older courses are simply not long enough. The money it would take to keep extending them is so big and it's not possible anyway because of space.

Golf is about tradition and they are losing that tradition and I don't like that.

Amateurs want equipment to make them play better and the manufacturers are one of the things that keep the game going so you can't stop them developing equipment to sell.

But for the pros we have to look at the balls and the clubs and see what will work.

NICK DOUGHERTY
The equipment manufacturers have massive research and development departments because at the end of the day that's what golf's all about - hitting the ball further. And equipment makes money.

But rather than making courses longer and longer make them tighter, so if you get the driver out you have to hit it straight.

The further the ball goes away from the clubhead the more difficult it is to keep it straight. So the easiest way to make it harder is to make it narrower.

KEN BROWN
Somewhere down the line something has to change as there is nowhere for some courses to go.

The ball is the thing that is causing this and would be relatively easy to change.

Changing them would bring everyone back to perhaps where we were 20 to 30 years ago. Whether it will happen is another matter.

COLIN MONTGOMERIE
I wish we could control the length of the golf ball. The easy option is to change the ball to make it go less far, to put a speed limit on it if you like.

That's what we need to do but obviously the manufacturers haven't got together to make that possible.

LEE WESTWOOD
Technology is advancing so that's why they are making courses harder and one of the ways of doing that is lengthening.

As long as it's done sensibly I see no problem with that. But you can't change the equipment. It's gone too far now.

JOSE MARIA OLAZABAL
Distance debate? There's no distance debate. But we are getting to the point where players won't hit it much further. The Bubba Watsons and all those young kids - that's pretty much the limit.

But if you wanted to make golf a bit tougher, maybe you could reduce the number of clubs in the bag.

RETIEF GOOSEN
It's not an issue. I wouldn't do anything to make the ball go shorter.

But I also wouldn't do anything to make it go longer either. Where it is now is perfect. All they've got to do is just tighten up the golf courses.

SEVE BALLESTEROS
The clubs, the shafts, they are different now, and the players are more athletic than they were 20 years ago. At the peak of my career I was hitting the ball about 285 yards.

Make the ball bigger is one thing they can do. Put less dimples on the ball to make things more equal.

Reporting by Rob Hodgetts and Paul Birch.

Here are a selection of your comments....

I was involved in the manufacture and testing of golf balls and clubs over 30 years ago. I believe that standardising the make of the ball for the pros would be the simplest solution. Back in the old days we used to make balls with a higher compression and thinner wall for our tournament pros in order to give them a potential length advantage.
Liam, N Ireland

I would recommend two things. A rule that stated the maximum length a golf ball can go after being hit by X amount of force. A test facility can measure that. Or the minimum loft for drivers can be increased to about 15 degrees. That either means the end of the three-wood, or the end of the driver.
Nestus, South Africa

I think the recent US Open highlighted how the natural advantages of the big hitters can be minimised by narrowing the fairways and firming up the greens. If hitting the ball a mile was the only pre-requisite for success, Bubba Watson would win every week. The best players in any era will always be those with all round skills, especially great short games. For all his power, Woods' putting and chipping is what separates him from the competition, not length off the tee.
Rob, Singapore

Tighten the fairways, throw in a few extra fairway bunkers here and there, grow the rough and no equipment changes will be needed. Technology will never stop and nor should it. Using it to your advantage (which could mean hitting it straighter and laying up on drives) is the key!
Neil, UK

I agree with Luke Donald; make the courses tighter and more tricky. This will make the pros play with more finesse and encourage the art of purer golf 'craft'. The manufacturers won't mind and the galleries will appreciate it more.
David Tomsett, UK

I think the idea of a tournament ball is the best way forward. The ball is the only thing you could change about modern golf equipment as the cash cow of clubs and development is far too large to put a cap on now. A tournament ball will retain exclusivity of the very top pros while amateurs and club golfers can still use a ball that goes longer.
Paul Nolan, Liverpool

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