Changes to golf ball distances are far off

A reduction in how far a golf ball can travel has been approved by golf's two world governing bodies the R&A and the United States Golf Association.

But any changes are far off.

For the recreational golfer, changes will not take effect until 2030 and for professional or elite golfers it will be 2028.

The decision aims to reduce the impact increased hitting distances have on golf’s long term sustainability while minimising the impact on the recreational game.

The longest hitters are expected to see a reduction of as much as 13-15 yards in drive distance. Average professional tour and elite male players are expected to see a reduction of 9-11 yards, with a 5-7-yard reduction for an average Ladies' European Tour (LET) or Ladies' Professional Golf Association (LPGA) player.

The change in testing speed is expected to have a minimal distance impact, five yards or less, for most recreational golfers.

Existing balls approved for conformance in 2027 may continue to be used by recreational golfers until January 2030 to give golfers, manufacturers and retailers additional time to adjust. These decisions are in line with the commitments made by the governing bodies at the project’s inception.

A significant portion of golf ball models that are currently in the market – and more than 30 percent of all golf ball models submitted for conformance across the game – are expected to remain conforming after these changes are applied.

Martin Slumbers, chief executive of The R&A, said, “We are convinced that this decision is one of the key ways of achieving a sustainable future for golf, protecting the integrity of the game and meeting our environmental responsibilities.

``The measure we are taking has been carefully considered and calibrated while maintaining the one game ethos deemed to be so important to the golf industry. Importantly, it also keeps the impact on recreational golfers to an absolute minimum.

``We are acting now because we want to ensure that future generations can enjoy the unique challenge of golf as much as we do.”

USGA chief executive Mike Whan added: “Governance is hard. And while thousands will claim that we did too much, there will be just as many who said we didn’t do enough to protect the game long term.

``But from the very beginning, we’ve been driven to do what is right for the game, without bias. As we’ve said, doing nothing is not an option – and we would be failing in our responsibility to protect the game’s future if we didn’t take appropriate action now.”

The notice of decision follows the most thorough and comprehensive examination of the issue in the game’s history through the distance insights' project, which was launched in 2018 and gathered data, shared research and solicited feedback from golf course owners, players, and stakeholders across the game.

Data provided by the seven major worldwide tours has also been analysed by the governing bodies, which have published annual driving distance reports every year since 2015.

All golf ball and club manufacturers were advised of the decision and were given full technical details and an implementation timeline. The notice of decision takes into account the extensive research and feedback received from manufacturers and other industry stakeholders throughout the six-year process and following multiple areas of interest and proposals starting in 2021 as part of the equipment rule making process.

The extensive feedback received showed worldwide sentiment that the retention of a single set of playing rules and equipment standards is critically important to the sport and should apply across the game. Feedback from manufacturers resulted in the timeline being extended to 2028 to allow more time for innovation and production of new products for elite and recreational players.

The R&A and the USGA are guided by an overarching principle to continue to preserve the fundamental elements of golf – protecting the integrity of golf courses, including their overall length, and ensuring that a variety of skills are needed to be successful.

Longer golf courses require additional resources such as water, the cost of renovating or moving elements like tees and bunkers continues to rise and other long term impacts have been identified as a result of increased distance. The governing bodies believe that if the sport is to enjoy a sustainable long term future then these economic and environmental impacts have to be kept under control.