Callaway defends Xander Schauffele, but the tech battle rages on

The CEO of Callaway Golf has come to the public defense of Xander Schauffele, but the question still lingers: how much farther can driver technology really go?

Xander Schauffele became the unwitting center of a major controversy at the British Open two weeks ago, and it just doesn’t seem to go away. On Monday, the CEO of Callaway Golf came to his very public defense.

In his statement, Chip Brewer made his views on the non-conforming driver debacle very clear. Not only did he state that Schauffele is one of the “highest quality, highest integrity individuals” he’s ever met, he also placed the entirety of the blame – however much you may or may not feel there is to go around – at the feet of his own company.

Some excerpts from his statement are below, and you can read the full statement here.

"On who, if anyone, is at fault for Schauffele’s failed driver test: “If anybody deserves blame or criticism for the driver test failure at the Open Championship, it’s us. We provide Xander his equipment. But in all fairness, I’m not sure we did anything wrong. We do everything in our power to design equipment that performs at the limit of USGA / R&A rules but does not exceed it. As long as I am in charge, we will never knowingly produce non-conforming equipment or condone its use, especially in tournament play.”On what, specifically, happened at Royal Portrush: “We know Xander’s driver was conforming when he received it. Probably in the range of 245 – 250 CT. At the Open we tested it at 255 CT, still conforming but close to the limit. The R&A tested it at 258, one over the limit. This sort of testing variation is going to happen. Because the R&A tested it over the limit, the driver was taken out of play and we replaced it with one that tested well within the limits. All before the event began and conforming with the rules of golf and intent of all the testing (both ours and the R&A’s).”"

Brewer also stated that it was the intent of Callaway (and presumably every other equipment manufacturer out there) to make golf equipment that is “right up to, but not over” the legal limits of Characteristic Time, or the spring-like effect in the face of the driver that caused this whole mess.

This brings up what might be the most vexing question in not only Tour play, but all of golf – how far can these companies really take their equipment before this type of issue becomes far more standard?

To me, it all comes down to marketing. Club manufacturers are always touting how their drivers – typically the most expensive club in any player’s bag that isn’t carrying a Scotty Cameron putter – will make you hit it longer and straighter. Every year, there’s some new development that all but guarantees that every single golfer that picks this new club up will see instant gains. Why would you ever say no?

And while the manufacturers certainly know that those claims are more often than not puffery at best and misleading at worst, they also know that golfers, from the casual duffer to the club champion – all want to play what the pros play. And if it helps them gain a few extra yards, who wouldn’t want that?

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Hand in hand with marketing, of course, goes on course results. This is what brings us to the very borderline of USGA and R&A compliance. How many commercials do you see from companies (Callaway and everyone else) bragging about how many wins this driver has, or how far and straight their TOUR players hit it? Those numbers can’t be faked, so of course you want to put the absolute maximum amount of tech in your guys’ hands that you legally can.

As Brewer said, they would be foolish not to put the absolute best equipment in to their players’ bags. The tests that the governing bodies are using measure CT in microseconds – literally millionths of one second. Think about that for a moment. The difference between being totally conforming and not – according to both Callaway and the R&A – came down to what was likely less than .000005 seconds. Pretty ridiculous, right?

What we’re experiencing today is nothing less than a battle between the companies making drivers and the bodies who wish to put some type of cap on raw performance. TaylorMade even admits that their M5 and M6 models for 2019 are engineered to exceed the legal limits, then pushed back to a conforming state. Why? It’s easier to control tolerance levels this way, instead of hoping that what they originally produce up against the edge doesn’t go over after production is complete.

In face, what’s most surprising about this drama is that we don’t hear about more players bagging equipment that winds up testing over the limit. It was likely a matter of sheer bad luck that this particular clubhead from Callaway tested fine on their van, then a single microsecond over with the R&A.

While PXG denied the claim that one of their drivers failed testing at the British Open, TaylorMade has neither confirmed nor denied Schauffele’s statement that one of their drivers may have failed as well. Ping acknowledged that one of their drivers was “damaged”, causing a failed test. Justin Thomas had to replace his Titleist TS3 ahead of the Open just to make sure he didn’t fall victim to the CT test, as well.

Bryson DeChambeau has what I think is a spectacular idea when it comes to ensuring fairness across the board: testing players after wins and other top finishes, and putting a FedEx Cup points penalty in place for those found to truly be in violation. While that would have its own set of debates, it’s certainly a better place to start than the secretive policies in place today.

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It’s clear to me that Schauffele didn’t knowingly put a nonconforming driver in play, so those on social media, and especially any of his fellow players, can lay off the idea that he’s a cheater in any sense. Hopefully the manufacturers and governing bodies can figure out a way to make this work for everyone. The sooner, the better, because the technology isn’t going to stop for anything. And as long as that battle rages, the problems will only continue to get more and more difficult to avoid.

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