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Nassau, Bahamas – At least one person says it’s demonic. Others say they don’t understand anger. But everyone has an opinion.
The decision by the USGA and R&A to universally “roll back” golf balls at all levels of golf is now one of the most debated topics in the game. After a three-year “notice and comments” period, in which the governing bodies proposed a bifurcated system in which only professionals used a separate ball, such strong opposition to the division led to a universal decision.
In less than a decade, the golf balls you and the pros are using will no longer be within the rules. But there’s a lot more to understand along with this big step.
What does ball rollback mean?
To ensure that they do not travel as far, golf balls will be shortened, solving the long-term problem of increasing player distance while keeping the golf course length the same (or requiring costly renovations to increase yardage. Must pass through). Manufacturers will be required to create new balls that meet the new standards. The previous system tested balls at speeds of up to 120 mph, ensuring they did not go beyond the 317-yard distance limit. The new rules extend the test to 125 mph, which will obviously send a ball forward, meaning the balls need to be scaled back. The longest hitters will lose 13-15 yards, the USGA said, while LPGA players may lose 5-7 yards. According to the USGA, the average recreational golfer will lose less than 3-5 yards.
Why are we doing this?
During the 2022-23 season, 98 PGA Tour professionals averaged more than 300 yards off the tee. Just 10 years ago only 13 did so. The 75th longest player on tour this year, Kevin Roy, averaged 303.4 yards, or 31.5 yards more than his 1998 counterpart, Guy Boros. This is due to improvements in club and ball technology, leading to concerns among many in the game that professional golf is becoming a worse product as players can drive it so far that courses cannot keep up. As Tiger Woods said Saturday, “We don’t have enough money anymore.” Woods, as he himself noted, is hitting the golf ball longer than ever, despite all of his surgeries over the past nine years.
The governing bodies only wanted to make this change for the highest levels of golf, not impact recreational golfers. But that idea faced strong opposition, especially with the PGA Tour and top equipment manufacturers, with many claiming that one of the beautiful parts of golf is that professional and recreational golfers all play the same equipment. Those involved, including, for example, PGA Tour policy board member Patrick Cantlay, said the split would mean manufacturers would have to spend millions of dollars developing many different golf balls for different levels.
Even that is debatable – Rory McIlroy countered that point last week when he tweeted, “The game is already divided in two. Do you think we would have played the same game? Is that what you do?”
I don’t understand the anger over golf ball roll backs. This will make no difference to the average golfer and will put golf back on the path to sustainability. It will also help bring back some of the skills in the pro game that have been lost over the last 2 decades.…
– Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) 3 December 2023
Maybe some of the pushback about the split was actually a fight to stop the rollback altogether, but R&A chief Martin Slumbers told Golf Digest, “There are only three options: we can split; You change the whole game; Or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option.” Because opposition to the split was so intense, the USGA and the R&A moved to bring it back for all.
It has faced a lot of backlash online, but they are moving forward with the changes.
“There’s going to be a lot of people chasing ambulances and sounding the alarm that will make this thing worse than it really is,” USGA CEO Mike Wann told The Golf Channel. “…I don’t want some loud voices trying to get more clicks and more viewers and more phone calls to create a frenzy that’s not based in fact.”
When will it take effect?
The roll back begins in 2028 for specific players and competitions, and it begins to apply to everyone in 2030.
What does this mean for the recreational golfer?
You will need new golf balls. Ultimately. The new rules won’t start for non-elite players until 2030, so you’ll have two years to see pros play with this setup before they conform.
One of the few main issues with the universal roll back is that most recreational golfers are not hitting it far enough for distance to be an issue. PGA Tour golfer Keegan Bradley told reporters in the Bahamas this week: “For the amateur world to hit the ball short is monstrous. I can’t think of anything more stupid than this. “I don’t think it’s very smart at all, especially with golf’s popularity really taking off because of COVID.”
The solution would be that courses can accommodate tee boxes (and the cost of moving them up is much less than moving them back) and that the length is usually a function of how far you move it relative to the standard rather than a fixed Let’s kill, it’s more about numbers. McIlroy also countered the same points as Bradley, saying, “Those who are upset with this decision should not be angry at the governing bodies, they should be angry at the elite professionals and club/ball manufacturers because they did not want the split.”
McIlroy also said: “This will make no difference to the average golfer and will put golf back on the path to sustainability. It will also help bring back some of the skills in the pro game that have been lost over the last 2 decades.
Also keep in mind that the average golfer can recoup losses in distance through proper equipment fitting, lessons, improved fitness, or simply not playing worn-out balls found in the bushes.
The proposed golf ball rollback is expected to reduce golfers’ distances by 5 percent. (Neil Baines/Getty Images)
What does this mean for PGA Tour professionals?
This is the part that is difficult to solve, and the answer will probably not be found until 2028.
The basic goal is to keep golf a game that rewards hitting a variety of shots and finding success with all the clubs you have in your bag. The concern isn’t really that people hit it too far. It happens that some courses turn into “drive the ball far and hit a short wedge”, which some say makes the game worse. Many will always cite the 2020 US Open at Winged Foot in which long-hitter Bryson DeChambeau was able to launch drives far, not worry too much about accuracy and still get up-and-down on his way to a major win. Were. This is obviously extreme, but it is the simplest example of the problem.
Many professionals say there is much more to be done with course design and setup that could serve as a deterrent to the bombs-and-gauge approach. Scotty Scheffler earlier this year touted TPC Sawgrass, Colonial and Hilton Head as courses that “stood the test of time” with designs that punish bad drives. But other courses have removed trees and opted only for rough patches, which is not always enough.
Governing bodies probably expect drives to be pushed back 15 or more yards and you’ll see more players hitting long irons into the green. Again, the goal is to reward a perfect golf game.
Will this fix the problem?
Probably not, but it would be very difficult to bring back the equipment (although the USGA and the R&A have also indicated it will continue to test “driver creep” and drivers’ forgiveness for off-center hits) and the governing body has Had to think something. From Pebble Beach to St. Andrews, some of the best courses in the world were in danger of being wiped out. Augusta National famously extended the 13th hole by 35 yards by purchasing the property behind the old back tees. Almost no other course can afford to do things like this.
Big decisions like this will always have unintended consequences. It is possible that this may create new problems. This may create a completely different benefit for deploying capital. But as Slumbers said, doing nothing was not an option, and in the short term, it might make professional golf a better product.
(Top photo: Angel Martinez/Getty Images)
