Bryson DeChambeau, for instance, became the longest driver – the long-distance shot played from the tee box – on the PGA Tour last year, by using a 48-inch club. He has reportedly shelved plans to break the new 46-inch barrier. The physics of motion works on the principle of the longer the club, the larger the curve of the swing, the bigger the force of club-ball impact, the faster the ball’s speed, and, therefore, the farther the distance travelled by it. Too long a stick and, as any dandiya dancer knows, it becomes unwieldy. But fixing a limit limits a golfer’s trade-off between length and agility, part of his or her skill set. We can’t stick with such short-sighted conservatism.