Brian Goff at Forbes touched on something important in trying to explain why the extreme distance pursuit is debated in golf.
The trouble is, that sooner or later, when this becomes common place, what then? When the most challenging courses and tournaments begin to look like a January romp through a Palm Springs desert course and not much more than a putting contest, will that be so attractive? A version of this occurred with the steroid-enhanced explosion of home runs in Major League Baseball in the late 1990s and early 2000s attracted fans. Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chasing Roger Maris’ record was exciting. Then, when Barry Bonds blew it away and seemingly half the guys in the league became a threat to hit 50 homers, it began to seem a lot less appealing (at least, to me). In fact, MLB has found itself back in this spot, not because of steroids but because of ball characteristics coupled with swing mechanics.
Everyone wants to see genuine power rewarded and part of the game. But when everyone does it, and the courses can’t put up any kind of defense for most of the field, even a casual fan may detect something off.