GolfNewsRI

The USGA and R&A have officially announced a universal rollback of the golf ball starting in 2028 for professionals and 2030 for everyone else. 

“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,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA.

Reports surfaced last week that an announcement was expected at some point this week. 

The Rollback 

According to the USGA, the revised ball testing conditions will be as follows:

125-mph clubhead speed (equivalent to 183 mph ball speed); spin rate of 2200 rpm and launch angle of 11 degrees. 

The current conditions, which were established 20 years ago, are set at 120 mph (equivalent to 176 mph ball speed), 2520 rpm with a 10-degree launch angle.

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 LPGA or Ladies European Tour (LET) player.

The USGA notes that the new testing will have minimal effect for recreational golfers, likely five yards or less. 

“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,” said R&A CEO Martin Slumbers. 

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.

The press release notes that more than 30% of golf ball models submitted for conformance across the game are expected to remain conforming to the changes. 

A significant portion of these models are already in the market.