ORLANDO, FLORIDA | Though the so-called ball rollback is not scheduled to go into effect at the PGA Tour level until 2028, there continue to be studies related to the potential impact of the updated testing conditions, which would limit how far balls can travel.
PGA of America officials have already expressed their dissatisfaction with the new conditions adopted by the USGA and the R&A and announced in December 2023. The PGA Tour, according to reports, has been doing its own testing related to the subject.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan indicated in a 2023 memo to players that the tour did not intend to abide by the guidelines, which go into effect for elite players in three years and for recreational players in 2030.
The tour’s Player Advisory Council received a briefing related to the tour’s studies during a meeting last week, and the tour is expected to share the findings with the governing bodies, Golfweek reported.
“It’s reactive, like everything else they do, 20 years too late. Now they’re trying to do something drastic to counteract a poor decision they made 20 years ago.”
Lucas Glover
It is unclear what action the tour might take but it’s likely to be a subject raised during Monahan’s pre-tournament press conference Tuesday at the Players Championship.
“It would be a nice change where (the tour) could stand up for us. Unfortunately, we’re a for-profit entertainment business now and the entertainment is guys hitting it far and making birdies and eagles and being good at their job,” six-time PGA Tour winner Lucas Glover said at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“It’s not our fault as a whole that we are bigger, faster, stronger and have used the tools to be bigger, faster, stronger. They could have made the driver head limit 20 years ago and we wouldn’t be having this problem. Make the sweet spot smaller.
Derek Sprague, the new CEO of the PGA of America, was quoted in January saying the organization would not support a ball rollback.
Ron Green Jr.