Colin Montgomerie claims golf has completely changed and Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka prove it

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Colin Montgomerie and Bryson DeChambeau could not be more different regarding their respective approaches to the game of golf.

Montgomerie was one of the best and most consistent players of his generation and it’s a crying shame that he didn’t win at least one major championship throughout his career.

Since the Scot’s heyday, the game has completely changed, and he used Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka to highlight just how different things are now.

One thing in the professional game which Montgomerie has consistently bemoaned is slow play.

Not only was he a top five player in the world for a decade from the mid-1990s onwards, but he was also one of the quickest.

During his career, he was hugely popular in Europe but that certainly wasn’t the case when he crossed the Atlantic to play in America.

Montgomerie received staggering amounts of abuse in the United States, especially during the Ryder Cup.

That’s all behind him now though. Things have changed with the 62-year-old now playing on the PGA Tour Champions with regard to how he is perceived by fans in America.

And things have massively changed concerning the game he loves as well.

Colin Montgomerie makes Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka claim

Montgomerie is actually just as long off the tee now as he was during his prime years at the top of the game.

When speaking on a TikTok video for the European Legends Tour, Montgomerie was asked how new technology has impacted the game over the past couple of decades.

He said: “Believe it or not, I’ve kept the same distance as I was in my so-called heyday, you know. I was 275 in my heyday which I reckon was in the top 10 per cent. Now I’m 275 and I’m in the bottom 10 per cent. Technology has kept me alive really, the ball and club has gained that 25 yards I would have lost.“

However, it’s not just the technology that has changed, according to Montgomerie.

The Scot said: “Unfortunately, nowadays, the athleticism of the players, I mean we never played against the likes of Brooks Koepka, DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, these are man-mountains these guys. It’s all about length, length, length. The words skill, finesse and feel have sort of gone really. It’s bash it as hard as you can and attempt to find it. It’s a different game.“

Montgomerie is correct with his comments there. The game has changed beyond all recognition when it comes to power and fitness.

However, there is still a high premium on skill, feel and finesse around the greens. The best players in the world are still those with strong short games, and that tells us a lot, doesn’t it?

How the average driving distance on the PGA Tour has changed since 1995

Since Montgomerie’s heyday in 1995, the game has changed beyond all recognition when it comes to driving the golf ball.

When Monty was at his best, a big premium was placed on driving accuracy whereas now, everything is about explosive power and hitting the ball as far as possible.

Here is an example of how driving on the PGA Tour has changed over the past 30 years:

More than 40 yards difference between the average PGA Tour driving distance from 1995 to 2025 is quite something.

The worrying thing for the game of golf is that should technology continue to enable golfers to hit the ball even further, some of the best courses on the planet will become obsolete.

And that is when new rules will have to be brought in, like the ‘golf ball rollback’ for example.