It’s sad that anytime a major league baseball player has a big year home-run wise, one thing pops into everyone’s mind – steroids. But baseball has no one to blame but itself. Looking back to 1996, when the ridiculous home run numbers began piling up, questions and accusations had already started flying. When Brady Anderson hit 50 HR’s that year, almost a quarter of his career total, fans had their suspicions. And the rest, as they say, is history.
In the history of major league baseball, there have been 42 individual 50 home run seasons. Two-dozen of them have come since 1995. So, what? Did major leaguers all of a sudden just miraculously get stronger over the course of one off-season? Well, that’s what the offices of MLB would have liked you to believe. Hell, they were still recovering from the strike of 1994. Anything that could have been done to bring the fans back, they were going to let it happen…even if it meant mortgaging their future. Then along came a little document known as the Mitchell Report. And next thing you know, the thought processes of major league baseball fans was forever altered.
So how and why is this related to golf? Well, one could loosely equate the spike in home runs in baseball to the 300-yard drive in golf. Let’s compare a few numbers around the same time period. Pre-1990, MLB saw a total of seventeen 50 HR season. Now this dates back to the first organized game back in 1846, and the first 50 HR season being recorded by Babe Ruth in 1920. In comparison, pre-1990, the PGA saw not one single golfer average more than 280-yards per drive.
Fast forward to the 90’s, a time when it’s widely believed (and somewhat proven) that the steroid era truly began. After seventeen 50 HR seasons in 144 years, we see twelve in only one decade. And one can argue there could have been several more if not for the strike in ’94. Coincidentally, the PGA saw the number of players sporting a 280 yard average drive increase from zero to 29! Further, John Daly became the first player to average over 300 yards per drive!
Moving on to the years 2000-2011, despite the crackdown on the steroid epidemic, baseball saw thirteen 50 HR seasons. Moving over to the PGA Tour, as of 2011 there were 169 players averaging more than 280 yards per drive. Remember, back as recently as 1990, there were none! Furthermore, there are 21 players averaging over 300 yards per drive, and five averaging over 310 led by J.B. Holmes at more than 318 per!
Now, does this mean there’s a steroid epidemic on the PGA Tour? Of course not. Players are more focused on physical fitness. There have been technological advances in the equipment used to play the game. But, the same can be said for MLB and its players. Players are hitting the weights more than they did in the past. The days of the scrawny and scrappy second baseman are on their way out. Baseballs wound tighter and bats made of harder woods such as maple are becoming more prevalent. But one cannot deny that steroids played a major role in increasing those numbers as six of the sixteen different players to have a 50 HR season since 1990 have been linked to steroids and/or PEDs in one way or another.
Of course, golf is a gentlemen’s game. It’s built on a code of honor. So no one on the PGA Tour would ever consider using steroids. If this is your particular school of thought, I’m sorry but…you’re a fool. Golf is a sport played by human beings. There is more money on the line from tournament purses, sponsorships and endorsement deals than ever before. These are all reasons that someone would be tempted to cheat the game…even a PGA golfer. And if you don’t think a few other golfers other than Tiger, Phil and Furyk would like to be on Sports Illustrated’s Fortunate 50, you’re crazy.
All I’m saying is the increase in certain numbers, coupled with the steroid problems occurring in some other major sports, may constitute an investigation by the PGA itself. Because if the PGA doesn’t handle something themselves, they may have a report of their own on their hands.
Swing ’til you’re happy!
I can attest to when the ProV golf ball came out that my tee shots were instantly 20-30 yards longer. Instantly! Today’s technology coupled with better physical conditioning has had a lot to do with increased distances. I’m sure conditions on the tour have improved as well – hard and fast is how they like it and hard and fast is what they get! This is not to say there might be some shenanigans going on – it wouldn’t surprise me.