PGA Tour players saying 'no' to golf ball rollback

The PAC met in Hilton Head Island, S.C., ahead of the RBC Heritage, less than a week later, and Harris English, another Titleist paid endorser, said the rollback was the main topic of conversation.

The proposed rule changes would not alter the Overall Distance Standard but would raise the test driver's clubhead speed from the current 120 mph to 125 mph.

More: Augusta National chairman supports golf ball distance regulation

Originally, the USGA and R&A planned a staggered rollout so it would affect only elite golfers in 2028 before applying to all golfers in 2030. The governing bodies announced in January that they were seeking input on whether the rollback would be better if it were set at a single date, which would be Jan. 1, 2030. The deadline for submitting comments on the proposed date change was April 16.

Speaking at the Open Championship media day in late April, R&A CEO Mark Darbon commented on Ridley’s endorsement of the roll back.

“I think we're pretty closely aligned with what Fred said. We've obviously spent a lot of time discussing the topic with Augusta National and other major stakeholders across the golfing landscape," Darbon said. "For us, the trend on distance is undeniable. A decision was made at the back end of ‘23 to make a change to the golf ball. We remain committed to that."

He continued: “I would expect there to be a finalized position on that over the next couple of months as we consolidate that feedback we’ve taken from manufacturers and other stakeholders. We think the change is important, and so we’re committed to it … There’s some debate on it in certain quarters, but we’re optimistic about the route ahead.”

PGA pros asking: Why complicate golf?

But on the PGA Tour, players aren’t even willing to concede that the ball goes too far.

“I think that is a debate we have skipped over,” said Maverick McNealy, a director on the Tour policy board, who uses and endorses Titleist balls. “Golf is in the best place it’s ever been. I don’t know why we’re trying to complicate things for such a small fraction of the golf-playing community. But assuming that we do hit it too far and we need to fix that, the way we’ve gone about changing the testing of the golf ball doesn’t actually accomplish what they want it to do.”

Maverick McNealy and caddie Scout McNealy look on the second hole during the second round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club.

It's worth noting that of the six player directors on the Tour's board, only Tiger Woods isn't a Titleist ambassador. Woods has a sponsorship deal with Bridgestone. Titleist, the leader in golf ball sales by a wide margin, has opposed the rollback from the start.

The concern of English, McNealy, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and others have is that the rule change as proposed will create winners and losers. It will affect certain ball flights more than others, and potentially give an advantage to players able to create higher ball speeds. Spieth at least acknowledged that distance gains are real and isn’t opposed to a rollback, but he said that the manner in which the governing bodies are going about making the change is flawed.

“They should be finding a way for it to be the same for everybody. Some players will be affected 2 yards and others 20,” he said. “I hit Titleist (rollback) prototypes one time straight into the wind and I hit a couple that were the same ball speed, hit a little different on the face and the difference in carry was crazy. The dispersion was massive.”

Some might argue that is the point – to put skill back into the game.

Brian Harman plays the 13th hole during the second round of the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

Brian Harman, one of the shortest drivers on Tour, is another PAC member and Titleist ambassador who has tried rollback prototypes in the past and doesn’t hesitate to voice his opinion on this matter.

“I don't disagree with Ridley's comments that distance means a little too much right now. And if there was a solution out there to where you could snap your fingers, and every single person lost 20 yards, well, everyone would be in favor of it. But that's not the solution that's been provided. I think the answer is a lot more nuanced. I don't disagree that there is perhaps a problem, but the solution that they've come up with is not it.”

Asked if he’s identified a better one, Harman pointed to the driver and claimed it to be a bigger factor in distance gains than the ball. In fact, he went so far as to say he wouldn't be opposed to players going back to persimmon woods. “It's the trampoline effect in these hollow golf clubs, these clubs are just so forgiving now that the golf ball doesn't have to spin at all," he said, "and, so, guys just swing as hard as they can. I would love to see some sort of experiment where we had to use a non-hollow driver.”

He noted that Adam Scott, another player director on the Tour board, addressed the heads of the governing bodies not long ago. He grew up in the era of the balata ball and his playing career spans the period of the distance explosion. At age 45, he still ranks 16th in average driving distance this season (314 yards) and sees both sides of the argument in the distance debate, and the Aussie has given the topic extensive thought.

Multiple players recounted how Scott shared that when he was younger, and his game was off-kilter, he'd hit something less than a driver to keep the ball in play. Now, when his swing goes haywire, he hits his driver because it's the straightest and most forgiving club in his bag.

Harman said adding length to courses has been an ineffective, knee-jerk response. He contended that pros don’t like showing up at a Tour stop and seeing the tee boxes have been moved 20 yards back on multiple holes simply to protect par. “We complain about that all the time because there's no thought to just make a course longer,” he said.

More: USGA, R&A consider shifting golf ball rollback dates

Is golf architecture to blame?

Thomas and McNealy cited course architecture as a bigger problem than the golf ball, especially if one of the objectives is to force players to shape more shots.

“It’s more an issue of how the golf courses are nowadays, where architects will come in and take out 500 trees. I think that is a much bigger problem of strategy and how you play a golf course,” Thomas said.

To hear the pros, it sounds as if we’re headed to a worst-case scenario where the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open could be played with one golf ball, and the PGA Championship, which is administered by the PGA of America and has opposed the rollback from the outset, and the remainder of the PGA Tour schedule is played with a different ball.

“Does that sound fun to you?” Harman said. “It doesn’t sound fun to me.”

Harman acknowledges that the governing bodies are adopting the rule in the best interests of the game and to protect golf courses. “But there's a way to do this without, you know, closing your eyes and shooting in the dark.”

When reminded that the USGA and R&A have produced exhaustive studies over the last decade, Harman barked back, “Have you looked at their data? You should. That would be my advice: look at their data. I was very unconvinced by their data.”

McNealy also questioned whether the governing bodies had done their homework before issuing the proposed rule changes, calling them half-baked. He, too, was reminded that the governing bodies have debated and investigated this subject at great length, releasing numerous Distance Insights Reports and sharing their process with stakeholders. The governing bodies backed off a Model Local Rule proposal for elite players only and are allowing ample time for equipment makers and players to adjust (including potentially pushing back to 2030). “But why then did they come up with the rule that they did?" McNealy replied. "Because the rule is not really fixing the problem.”

He added: “I see the governing bodies pushing to protect their one tournament a year, whereas the PGA Tour is looking at the overall health of its membership. So, I think there is a disconnect there.”

It isn’t just Titleist brand ambassadors that are voicing these concerns. Keegan Bradley, a Srixon ambassador, has gone through this before when the governing bodies banned the belly putter he used to win the 2011 PGA Championship. He said he’s resigned to the fact that he will have little say in the matter. “When I hear talk about a rollback, I don’t necessarily agree, but I know my opinion doesn’t mean anything. If they roll the ball back, I’ll figure it out,” he said, before adding, “Do I think we need to? I don’t.”

Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour players question golf ball rollback plan