Legendary South African Gary Player has again called on golf’s ruling bodies to take measures to curb the distance the golf ball is being hit.

Player was guest of honour at a breakfast hosted by HSBC within the tented village at this year’s 141st Open Championship at Royal Lytham and St. Annes.

Gary Player stands on a chair to make a point during this morning's HSBC sponsored breakfast. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

The nine-time Major winning Player, along with Jack Nicklaus and Peter Thomson, has long been an advocate of bringing in a special tournament ball to be used just by professionals.

And Player this morning again reinterated that call.

“At every course around the world, the pros are hitting the ball too far,” said Player.

“At Sun City, where they host the Nebank Challenge and the largest  money tournament in the world for many years, Nicklaus came the first time and he hit a driver and then a 1-rion into the 10th hole and everyone was in awe.

“Nowadays, they hit a driver and a 5-iron, and they don’t the ball any further than Niclaus did.

“If you put Nicklaus and Tiger Woods together in their prime and give them the same age, the same equipment and same ball and there would be nothing between them.”

It is a welcome return to Royal Lytham and St. Annes for Player who is now aged 76 as he captured the 1974 Open Championship and his third of three Open’s.

“I’ve seen a bit of the golf this week and nobody is using the driver as they’re all hitting irons and no one has come here this week to see players like Tiger Woods hitting irons all around the course,” said Player.

“But while they should be cutting the ball back golf courses are spending hundreds of millions of dollars all around the world altering golf courses and making all these changes which are unnecessary.

“What they should be doing in bringing the ball back 50 yards.

“The R & A is saying that golf is not too different a game for the amateurs and the professionals but golf is a different game and they don’t think it’s different then they should go out and watch Tiger Woods.

“Tell me if you play like that because you dream of playing like that.

“The professional game is so far apart from the game amateurs play it’s unbelievable.

“So leave all the technology for the amateurs and let them hit the ball 50 yards further, as they will be in rough more, anyway.  So let them enjoy it.

“But in professional golf we have to do something to stop this trend.  We are going the wrong way and golf’s ruling bodies have to start making decisions.”

Player also argued against the use of the long putter and the belly putter and called on the similar ruling bodies to ban their use in pro tournament play.

“I can stand here this morning and honestly say that I never choked under pressure,” said Player.

“I may have hit a bad shot, I might not have won but I never choked in a golf tournament but I could tell you the names of players who chocked so badly they were like a junk yard dog they choked so badly.

“I just trained my mind as a young man.  I had a very difficult youth that made me make comparisons to playing golf to what I went through so that when I got on the tee I didn’t choke.

Gary Player again calling on golf's ruling bodies to curb the ball and ban the long-handled and belly putters. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

“But the point is I had good nerves and that meant something but now you come down the last few holes and guys who have the yips or are a little bit yippy and they just take out the long putter and anchor it against their body and there is no more shaking.

“If you looked at Orville Moody.  He was a U.S. Open champion (1969) but he could not hold a putt from around three feet. He started using the long putter and he became ‘putter of the year’.

“He started winning Senior tournaments at 15-under par, 17 under par and it was phenomenal.  He became a fantastic putter by using the long putter.

“So once you anchor the long putter against your body you can’t shake and your hands never break down as they might using the standard size putter.

“What you have done by allowing the pros to use the long putter or the belly putter is that you have eradicated nerves out of there game, and nerves are an integral part of the game.

“You only have to look at last week’s Scottish Open with Marc Warren three shots ahead with a few holes to play and you have to ask why did he not win?

“Obviously, nerves got to him and you see this time and time again coming down the line.

“But it just worries me so much those charged with looking after the game are sitting back and allowing all this to happen.”