(单词翻译:单击)
This is the 13th hole at Augusta National Golf Club.
这是美国奥古斯塔国家高尔夫球俱乐部的第13洞。
And to reach it, you have to hit a series of shots around the corner from the tee.
打这一杆时，你必须在T台开球后分好几杆，绕过那个角落。
One to get down the fairway, and a few more to get around the corner and onto the green.
第一杆先打上球道，之后分几杆才能抵达果岭。
But not if you're Bubba Watson.
但如果你是巴巴·沃森就不用这么麻烦了。
"Bubba Watson with a driver."
“巴巴·沃森准备开球了。”
At the 2014 Masters Tournament, he did something remarkable.
在2014年的名人赛上，巴巴·沃森做了件非同寻常的事。
His drive sliced left, and into the woods, looking like a huge mistake.
球朝着左边的树林飞出去了，他似乎犯了一个巨大的失误。
Until the announcers realized what Bubba was up to.
直到播音员们意识到巴巴真正的算盘。
That ball flew far enough to go over the trees and land right in front of the green.
那个球飞了很远，直接越过树林，正好落在了果岭前面。
Bubba cut the corner. And that shot helped him win the tournament.
巴巴抄了个近道。那个球则帮他赢得了比赛。
But it also showed that golf might have a problem.
但此事也表明，那个高尔夫球可能有猫腻。
Players like Bubba might be hitting the ball too far.
巴巴这样的球员好像把球打得太远了。
Bernhard Langer is a pro golfer who had an average drive of 280 yards in 2018.
伯纳德·兰格是一名职业高尔夫球手，2018年他的平均发球距离为280码（约合256米）。
That's 20 yards farther than what he was hitting when he was 30.
比他30岁时的发球距离还要远20码（约合18米）。
And that jump is part of a much bigger trend.
不仅是他，业内的大趋势也是如此。
Since 1980, the average driving distance on the PGA Pro Tour has climbed over 30 yards.
自1980年以来，美巡赛（PGA）的平均开球距离已经提高了30码（约合27米）以上。
So the question is, what's causing this rise?
问题是，是什么因素导致发球距离增加的?
The truth is, there are a lot of reasons why golfers are hitting the ball farther.
事实上，有很多原因可以解释高尔夫球手为什么把球打得比以前更远了。
They're stronger, their clubs are high-tech, and the courses are in better condition.
一是他们更强壮了，他们的球杆也配备了高科技，球场的条件也更好了。
But while all of these factors have had an effect, one particular thing has become a focus of conversation:
然而，尽管所有这些因素都对开球距离产生了一定的影响，有一个因素却成了人们谈论的焦点：
Does the ball play a role? For sure.
是不是跟球也有关？肯定的啊。
Something needs to be done about the golf ball.
必须对球规范规范了。
My idea was to have it so that every professional would have to play a reduced-flight ball.
我认为，每个职业球员都应该使用飞行距离比较短的球。
The earliest golf balls were, likely, wooden,
早期的高尔夫球可能是木制球，
or "Hairies," made with stitched fabric filled with...hair.
也可能是用塞满…毛发的布料缝成的“毛发球”。
Then came "Featheries," made from leather filled with...feathers.
后来又出现了由塞满……羽毛的皮革制成的“羽毛高尔夫球”。
And later, "Gutties," made with ...???
再后来是“胶球”，其材质是？？？
Maybe you've never heard of the gutta percha, a tropical tree species that provided the sap used to make gutty balls.
也许你从未听说过古塔波胶，这是一种能产橡胶高尔夫球用的那种汁液的热带树种。
Playing Gutties, golfers noticed that their older balls, the ones beaten up with nicks and scratches, were flying farther than the new ones.
打这种胶球的球员们注意到，旧球，也就是那些已经被打得擦痕累累的球，反而比新球飞得远。
So they started carving designs into Gutties to get more distance.
于是，他们开始有意地在球上面刻一些设计的线条，让球飞得更远。
And, experimenting with different patterns, golfers realized that dimples work best.
通过对不同图案的试验，球员们意识到，“酒窝”状的图案效果最好。
Dimpled balls fly farther because air, coming into contact with an uneven surface,
有酒窝的球飞得更远是因为空气接触到不平整的表面时，
creates a protective layer of turbulence around the golf ball.
会在高尔夫球周围形成一层涡流保护层。
And that creates a smaller wake, that has less drag on the ball.
这样会产生更小的尾流，对球的阻力就会更小。
But remember this chart?
还记得这张图吗?
Dimples were around way before this line started rising, so they don't really explain what's going on here.
在曲线开始急剧上升之前，带“酒窝”的高尔夫球就已经出现了，所以并不能真正解释这里的问题
And I mean right here.
我的意思是这里。
See this jump?
看见这个位置的跳跃了吗?
It's the steepest part of this trendline.
这是整条曲线最陡的部分。
Something caused this, and it wasn't dimples.
这一变化肯定是有原因的，但原因并不是酒窝的设计。
It was this: The Titleist Pro VI. The golf ball that revolutionized the sport.
而是它：Titleist Pro VI。彻底改变了这项运动的一种高尔夫球。
