During his press conference on the eve of the 90th Masters, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley provided perhaps his most full-throated support of the R&A and USGA’s decision to roll back golf ball distance.
The USGA announced this week that after seeking comment on changing the implementation date for the new testing rule that could initially reduce elite driving distance by 15 yards, it is in fact now proposing that the rule not go into effect until 2030.
New PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp outlined sweeping potential changes to the tour’s future, including a two-tier competition structure, larger markets on the schedule and possible playoff shake-ups.
While golf’s ruling bodies mull over whether to delay the timeline for the start of the golf ball rollback, USGA chief executive Mike Whan indicated that the rulemaker has been collaborating with manufacturers to study prototypes to clarify exactly what these new shorter golf balls will and won’t do.
This latest announcement indicates that golf’s ruling bodies are considering comments to do away with the two-year interim period, implementing the rollback rule for both elite golfers and average golfers starting in 2030.
Asked if pushback from within the sport could cause the USGA to reconsider its plan and make adjustments before 2028, CEO Mike Whan reiterated they were “full-speed ahead on what we’ve announced.”
Asked if pushback from within the sport could cause the USGA to reconsider its plan and make adjustments before 2028, CEO Mike Whan reiterated they were “full-speed ahead on what we’ve announced.”
Thomas Pagel, chief governance officer for the USGA, spoke to Golf Digest on the topic of why the decision to include a rollback for all levels of golfers.
Tom Mase and Martin Brouilette have spent hundreds of hours studying various scientific areas in golf, but neither can yet say with certainty how the rule change announced overnight by the R&A and USGA will affect golfers, especially those on the recreational side.
Wherever you sit on the matter, it’s increasingly clear that something is going to happen, and probably soon with a rule that will apply eventually to all golfers, not just elite players.
Australian Golf Digest
