The proposed “rollback” of the golf ball will not begin in 2028, the USGA and the R&A announced Wednesday in conjunction with the PGA and DP World tours.
The topic has been a flashpoint in the sport for years, and many professional players have been against new testing standards for balls aimed at curbing distance increases. The PGA Tour and its former commissioner Jay Monahan were outspoken against a rollback, while other stakeholders in the game — Augusta National Golf Club, for one — favored doing something to preserve historic courses that the modern golfer was beginning to overpower.
Wednesday’s statement said “feedback from the golf industry” indicated support for a single-phase implementation in 2030 over the two-phase plan for 2028 and 2030.
In the meantime, “constructive discussions” between the governing bodies and other stakeholders revealed there was “a collective willingness to reconsider alternative approaches that may more materially impact the pace of future distance increases, while minimizing disruption to the overall golf market,” according to the statement.
As a result, the USGA and R&A, who administer the rules of golf, won’t change anything related to Overall Distance Standard testing “until January 2030 while these options are evaluated.”
The statement was published shortly before USGA CEO Mike Whan took to the microphone at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for his annual pre-U.S. Open address and press conference. Whan said he met with the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, reportedly at the Memorial Tournament two weeks ago.
“I’m not sure, if I’m being honest with you and being very personal, whether or not we’ll create or re-create an even better approach,” Whan said, “but I will tell you on a personal level I’m both willing and excited to pursue them with some of the best players in the world.”
Asked what gives him confidence that the leading tours will accept golf ball regulation of any kind, Whan called himself a “glass half full” guy.
“You could take the angle of, well, it’s been five years, and nobody is helping. … Or you can say if we could get to something better together, wouldn’t that be great for the game?” Whan said. “I think it would be crazy to not take the time to see if we could come up with something together.”
Whan called the rollback pause “an opportunity to think bigger.” And although the topic of bifurcation — different sets of standards for amateurs and professionals — wasn’t broached, Whan was asked whether the USGA and R&A would consider a “narrow” solution focused on the competition ball.
“A simpler, more narrow solution is exactly what we’re going to spend time looking at,” Whan said. “I think the alternative to what’s on the table for 2030, things that we’re going to look at together as a group are simpler, more narrow solutions, yes.”
