There are plenty of sports with different rules between amateurs and the pros. Amateur and pro boxing use different scoring systems. American football uses a different ball, different clock rules, different catch-possession rules, etc. Different baseball leagues use aluminum vs. wooden bats. Track uses different hurdle heights. None of these remove the central conceit of amateur sports.

That said, I agree with many professional golfers that the way to address the distance issue is through the clubs and course design. It's a simpler solution for the game.