Golf Ball Rollback

The governing bodies of golf have announced a rule change that will limit the distance that the ball can go. However, what effect will the new rules have on players at all skill levels? We examine the situation, its cause, and its potential implications for you.

What is happening?

The meaning of what constitutes a golf ball under the rules of golf is evolving for the first time since 2004. The testing parameters used to determine if a golf ball complies with the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) will be updated by the R&A and USGA.

When the governing organisations announced their plans to "break the ever-increasing cycle of hitting distance" in February 2020, they acknowledged that it may take years to find answers. Nevertheless, preparations were already being made to implement the plans in both professional and amateur games.

A golf ball can go no more than 320 yards when struck at a club head speed of 120 miles per hour, or 176 mph ball speed, under specific launch circumstances, according to the current regulation on conforming golf balls.

This will alter such that, under the identical launch conditions, the ball may travel no more than 320 yards when struck with a club head speed of 125 mph. It often means that the balls that are currently in use are non-conforming and cannot be used.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers stated "The rationale for us making a rule change was based on five years of work studying into the impact of distance on the game, how the game is played, what's happening on the golf courses and all the various aspects of it."

Why is this being done?

Slumbers stated "We decided we needed to change the rule because we felt that we needed to preserve the integrity of golf courses, as we've seen significant lengthening of lots of golf courses over the last 20 years.

"We wanted to maintain the balance of skills and technology around how the game is played, and not have one element of it dominating all the other elements. We wanted to make sure and be cognisant of our environmental responsibility to our sport.

"We are living in a world where we do need to be very conscious of it. As some people have said, we're running out of property. We can't keep building new tees further back, longer and longer courses, so that was that rationale and the reasons for the decision." The average recreational player is predicted to lose less than five yards of distance, while tour pros would lose ten yards, according to Slumbers. The impact on non-professional players is anticipated to be negligible.

When is it being implemented?

The rollback will take effect at the professional level in 2028 and in the recreational game in 2030.

To provide golfers, manufacturers, and merchants more time to adapt, recreational players may continue to use balls that were authorised for compliance in 2027 until January 2030.