In 2000, the great USGA statesman Sandy Tatum said about bifurcation: “It would be unmanageable. At worst, there would be anarchy; at best, there would be confusion.â€
That observation seems to be relevant today, almost six years after Tatum died at age 96, after the USGA and the R&A announced a proposed rollback of the golf ball, effective in 2026.
In their 2022 Areas of Interest communication, the USGA and R&A put forth the idea of rolling back the golf ball for all golfers and bifurcating the driver through a “model local rule,†with elite players using presumably smaller-headed drivers with lower characteristic time, or spring-like effect, and reduced moment of inertia, or forgiveness. The drivers used by recreational golfers would remain unchanged.
So, it came as a shock last week when the governing bodies, after reviewing feedback on their 2022 proposal, chose not to roll back the golf ball for all golfers and not take any action on drivers. Many observers presumed any proposal would involve balls and clubs, so it came as a surprise the governing bodies instead turned their focus singularly on rolling back the golf ball, but only for “elite†men’s amateurs and professionals. Credit the PGA of America for persuading the USGA and R&A to leave the recreational game alone at a time when it is experiencing a tremendous surge in participation.
The change in direction no doubt delighted the club manufacturers but brought a chill to ball makers, particularly Acushnet’s Titleist brand. For nearly 90 years, the Titleist marketing strategy can be summed up in one phrase: You can play the same ball the pros play.
Every year, Titleist invests millions of dollars to ensure it is the most widely played golf ball across all major professional tours. This enables the Massachusetts-based company to claim to be “the No. 1 ball in golf.â€
It isn’t just Titleist that would be affected by this proposal. Bridgestone, Callaway, and TaylorMade face similar concerns. Are they going to pour the necessary money into research, development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of golf balls for which no one pays?
The proposed MLR announced by the governing bodies last week is an existential threat to Titleist’s business model. If a “tour ball†is required beginning in 2026, the claim “you can play the same ball as the pros†still would be true, but how many recreational golfers are going to want to play a golf ball that flies 15 or more yards shorter than their current ball of choice?
The company immediately released a statement that read in part “Playing by a unified set of rules is an essential part of the game’s allure, contributes to its global understanding and appeal, and eliminates the inconsistency and instability that would come from multiple sets of equipment standards. Unification is a powerfully positive force in the game, and we believe that equipment bifurcation would be detrimental to golf’s long-term well-being. As a result, we will actively participate in this conversation with the governing bodies, worldwide professional tours, PGA Professional organizations, amateur associations and federations, and golfers, in an effort to contribute to the continued enjoyment and growth of the game.â€
It isn’t just Titleist that would be affected by this proposal. Bridgestone, Callaway, and TaylorMade face similar concerns. Are they going to pour the necessary money into research, development, testing, manufacturing and distribution of golf balls for which no one pays? (A note for those who might be unaware: tour professionals and elite amateurs don’t pay for their golf balls. Lucky them.)
There is one way this situation can be avoided: The PGA Tour decides it is not going to implement this MLR and continues to allow its players to play the current ball. There is no requirement for the tour to honor every rule promulgated by the governing bodies, although it historically has done so. This time may be different.
The tour has not indicated what position it will take, although it is known to be skeptical of any proposed rule change that would affect driving distance. PGA Tour players and executives may not warm to the idea of being told by the governing bodies under what conditions they will conduct their tournaments. Furthermore, the tour believes it has superior insight into the situation through its data collection and analyses during the past decade.
The tour is a member-based organization, and as such commissioner Jay Monahan will be talking to his members a lot about this MLR in the months ahead. It is a known fact some PGA Tour players have varying degrees of disdain for the USGA, for a variety of reasons. Consider the way in which Justin Thomas went off on the USGA last week, saying about the organization “They definitely, in my mind, have done a lot of things that aren't for the betterment of the game, although they claim it.â€
And then there is the LIV Golf situation. LIV was not part of the deliberation process of the Distance Insights project conducted by the governing bodies in recent years. However, it is certainly a consideration for Monahan now. You can just imagine a scenario by which the PGA Tour goes along with the MLR and is branded the “no-fun tour†by LIV.
The PGA Tour is not alone in its skepticism. The PGA of America is thought to be equally concerned about the situation. If there are two standards for balls in the market, confusion results, as Tatum observed, and it would be left to the members of the PGA of America – the on-course golf professionals – to explain the situation to recreational golfers and, in many cases, defend a rule to which they are opposed. This did not go well the last time the governing bodies implemented a rule relating to golf equipment. When they banned the anchoring of long putters by all golfers, announced in 2013 and implemented in 2016, it was the on-course professional who was put in a difficult position.
The PGA Tour’s decision, which will not come any time soon and probably not by the August 14 deadline for submitting comment to the governing bodies, will be followed by all affiliated professional tours around the world. It could result in some of the men’s major championships being played under one set of conditions (a so-called tour ball) while others are played with golf balls that are in the marketplace at the time.
One thing is certain: extensive lobbying in the months to come. Expect many closed-doors meetings next month in Augusta, Georgia.
E-MAIL JIM
TOP: Jamie Squire, Allsport via Getty Images
