Narrow fairways at Delhi Golf Club are forcing the world’s best to think twice off the tee.

Narrow fairways at Delhi Golf Club are forcing the world’s best to think twice off the tee.

Rory Maroyy’s average driving distance Thursday was a shocker. A mere 264 yards. This is what happens when the world’s longest hitters play a golf course so narrow and tree choked that it doesn’t allow them to hit the big dog. Dog was out of the bag having to sleep in the locker. Um just don’t see any hole out there that you need to get it more than sort of 260 270 off the tea. That was Maroy speaking from the DP World India Championship at Delhi Golf Club in New Delhi in the wake of his first round 369. On a golf course that stretches less than 7,000 yards. And with three parfives that play 522 yards or shorter, Maroy could manage only six birdies against three bogeies. And Rory wasn’t the only player to struggle with the setup. 61 of his competitors failed to break par. Here’s the point. As golf grapples with its distance problem, this week’s DP World Tour stop is a reminder that not all the answers to this conundrum lie in Far Hills, New Jersey or St. Andrew, Scotland, or in finding real estate for 8,000 yard courses. Sometimes the answers lie in tight corridors, sharp dog legs, and unpredictable rough or in the case of New Deliy’s par4 16th hole by way of a tree in the middle of the fairway. different golf than what we typically play on the PJ tour, especially nowadays, the modern golf where we’re playing bigger golf courses, longer golf courses. This is a more difficult challenge that we don’t see that that often on the PGA Tour. And we don’t play too many courses where you’re not really hitting very many drivers. And with fewer drivers comes something else you don’t see much of on the PGA Tour. I like courses like this a lot more cuz it uh you just hit a variety of different clubs more often, whereas in America, we’re so used to hitting maybe drivers and wedges a lot more. A golf course that tests nearly your whole bag.

Alan Bastable breaks down Rory McIlroy’s decision to leave the driver in the locker on Thursday and opt for a 2-iron and fairway wood instead.