The golf ball rollback proposal announced in 2023 plans to restrict elite-level professional golfers from using a ball capable of travelling further than 317 yards at 127mph clubhead speed.
Read on to find out why R&A and the USGA are enforcing the rule, how it may affect the game and the latest rollback proposal updates from 2025.
What Is the Golf Ball Rollback Rule?
To summarise, the R&A and the USGA plan to enforce a local model rule that restricts the type of balls high-level professional golfers can use in official tournaments, on average resulting in the loss of around 20 yards per swing or more.
For a ball to be approved to this model local rule, it must not exceed the overall distance standard limit (cannot fly further than 317 yards at a 127mph clubhead speed).
These proposed changes will hypothetically be applied starting in January 2026, with all professionals being required to use a modified golf ball from 2028, while recreational players will start using them in 2030. While this only initially affects a small percentage of players, people are not very pleased with the change.
What Is a Model Local Rule?
A model local rule is a modification of an existing rule or the creation of an additional rule that a committee adopts for a competition. A model local rule has the same status as a standard rule of golf for that competition, and model local rules are usually implemented to cover a situation or issue that arises often enough to justify having a new rule made.
What Is the Point of the Golf Ball Rollback Rule?
The reasoning behind the golf ball rollback announcement is founded in the principle that the game of golf is becoming ‘too easy’, and they need to keep golf challenging for the top-performing players.
In the past, golf courses have been updated and expanded to make the terrain more challenging as the overall standard of golfers has increased, and as technology and training techniques have advanced. However, we’re now at a point where golf courses are running out of space to expand their courses, so the natural solution (according to R&A and the USGA) is to limit the distance a golf ball can travel.
What Does ‘Bifurcation’ Mean?
This buzzword is central to the golf ball rollback conversation. Put simply, bifurcation means a separate set of rules for amateurs and pros.
Golf Ball Rollback Pros & Cons:
Pros:
The main argument in favour of the golf ball rollback announcement is that it’s needed in order to keep the game challenging, particularly for high-level professional players. As modern golf equipment has improved, golfers are able to hit the ball with incredible speed with unbelievable accuracy. This has created concerns around the game becoming ‘too easy’ and ‘boring’.
Plus, the impressive hitting distances for leading players has rendered many traditional golf courses obsolete for elite competition. By limiting the distance the ball can travel, there will be less of a need to expand, update and create new, more advanced golf courses.
Cons:
1) It’s not necessary
The R&A and USGA have been accused of making up problems that don’t really exist and overcomplicating the rules. Do the numbers agree? Let’s take a look!
In 2023, there are about 28 players who average 300 yards off the tee, whereas 20 years ago, the number of players who could rack up those kinds of distances were only 2. These are the kind of figures that the P&A and USGA are using as foundation that the ball rollback is needed.
However, it’s worth knowing that in those 20 years, the overall average distance has only gone up by about 10 yards. Although more and more people are now able to reach long distances like 300 yards, people aren’t shooting on average that much farther than they used to, which leads some to conclude that this rollback really isn’t needed at all.
2) Bifurcation of rules creates inequality
Across all fronts, this new rule creates different rules for different levels of golfers, genders, and even inequality within those who have to use the new limited balls.
There is concern that those who shoot shorter off the tee will be more unfairly disadvantaged by the ball rollback than those with faster swing speeds. For example, where someone with a fast-swing speed may be impacted by the roll back by 20 yards, someone with a slower swing speed may see their shots reduced by 40 yards, maybe even more!
Many people have been drawing attention to the fact that one thing people love about golf is that even casual golfers can access the same quality equipment used by professionals, and they can watch and compare as professionals play with the very same equipment they do. With this new rollback, it will be more difficult to judge the performance of a professional golfer, and maybe even to some, more difficult to enjoy watching the game.
3) Discourages future golfers
There is some concern that adding all these limitations may discourage up-and coming golfers from pursuing the game professionally, particularly junior golfers. Being told that once you reach a certain level of performance, you’ll have to change to new equipment that limits your performance would be a confusing thing for any athlete to hear!
This leads some to believe that golfers will be discouraged from aiming to reach their peak performance abilities out of fear of being hit with equipment restrictions as soon as they do.
PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague insists that his organisation is "vehemently against" the proposed golf ball rollback for similar reasons, telling Golf Digest earlier this year: “I don't know one recreational golfer that wants to hit it shorter”.
4) It loses the thrill of the game
Although this policy was put into play to try and stop golf from becoming ‘boring’, some have fears that the opposite may actually become true. By limiting the distance the ball can fly, you are limiting the technique options and routes a golfer can take, and thus make the game less interesting to watch.
People love watching golf as they can witness the true, unfettered skills and abilities of the professionals, and maybe even aspire to get a shot like that one day! But by limiting the ball, you’re limiting the abilities of the golfers – why would they bother to watch them play?
While the R&A and USGA think that the golf ball rollback is the best way to keep the game of golf thriving and fair, they’re being met with a fair amount of conflict on the matter from several major equipment manufacturers and both the PGA of America and PGS Tour who are calling for a delay in the rollback so that research numbers can be reassessed.
So, in three years will the best golfers on the planet be arriving at the 2028 PGA Championships with newly rolled back golf balls in their kit bags? We can't say for sure yet - you'll have to keep an eye out on the golfing news!
For more information regarding the golf ball rollback rule, check out the video below:
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