When does a concern become an official concern? When that concern is stated in an official press release.

Over the past year or so, there has been increasing and, well, concerned talk coming from high places about the distance the golf ball continues to travel.

Martin Slumbers, the R&A’s chief executive, expressed those very concerns to a small gathering of golf writers just a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday, they were officially scribbled down in black and white on some officially headed note paper as both the R&A and the USGA released their third joint annual report on driving distances.

In the 2015 and 2016 editions of the distance report, the figures presented the increases since 2003 – the year evaluation became joined up - as “a slow creep of around 0.2 yards per year.” However, the statement added that, “the 2017 data shows a deviation from this trend. The average distance gain across the seven worldwide tours was more than three yards since 2016.”

This particular hike helped to stir the aforementioned concerns. The developmental Web.com Tour, for instance, saw the largest one-year leap on any professional tour with a 6.9 yard gain in 2017.

“Variability in driving distance of four or more yards from season to season on any one tour is not uncommon,” the statement went on. “However, this level of increase across so many tours in a single season is unusual and concerning and requires closer inspection and monitoring to fully understand the causes and effects.”

In something akin to a golfing Brexit, there are the rein-inners – those who want the ball reined back at the top level – and, well, the remainers, who are happy to plough on with the status quo.

Like a booming drive, this debate will run and run and talk of bifurcation, by which amateurs and professionals play to different equipment rules, continues to be tossed around.

The use of the word ‘bifurcation’ in the presence of golfing officials is a bit like holding a cross to a vampire and the powers-that-be remain determined that golfers at all levels will, essentially, be playing the same game.

“In an historical context, the game has seen progressive developments in the clubs and balls available to golfers who, through almost six centuries, have sought to improve their playing performance and enjoyment,” read the statement’s conclusions.

“While generally welcoming this progress, the R&A and the USGA will remain vigilant when considering equipment rules. The R&A and USGA continue to believe that the retention of a single set of rules for all players of the game, irrespective of ability, is one of golf’s greatest strengths.

“The R&A and USGA regard the prospect of having permanent separate rules for elite competition as undesirable and have no current plans to create separate equipment rules for highly skilled players. In the current circumstances, the R&A and the USGA are not advocating that the rules relating to golf ball specifications be changed other than to modernise test methods.”

Elsewhere in the world of golf, Michelle Wie continues to savour her first LPGA Tour win since 2014.

The 28-year-old, who has been a professional since 2005, finally ended a frustrating, injury-hampered spell by plundering the HSBC Women’s World Championship as she holed a raking birdie putt of some 35-feet on the last to win by a single shot during a thrilling finale in Singapore. That winning feeling took a bit of getting used to.

“This feels new, it’s been such a long time,” she said. “It’s been a tough journey since 2014.

“There have been moments when it was hard to keep going and to keep playing. I just want to keep rising.”