Players Sound Off on Universal Golf Ball Rollback, Which Is Expected to Be Announced Next Week
NASSAU, Bahamas – A universal rollback of the golf ball is set to be announced soon, a divisive issue in the world of pro golf.
Golf Digest reported that the United States Golf Association and the R&A – golf’s governing bodies – will announce sometime next week changes to testing that will result in a likely 5 percent decrease in distance for swing speeds that top 125 miles per hour. A swing that fast would generally impact only elite players.
The original proposal was for a “Modified Local Rule’’ that would be used for top-level players only, with recreational and amateur players allowed to play golf balls in use today.
Although that would be allowed under the Rules of Golf — there are local rules throughout the rule book that allow for the game to be played differently — many in the game believed that was too close to what is called “bifurcation," or different rules for different players. Golf has always championed that idea that everyone plays by the same rules.
“I’ve always been for bifurcation. I’ve always said that," said Tiger Woods at the Hero World Challenge. "Just like wood bats and metal bats."
Woods added: “This has been I guess the talk ever since I've been out on Tour. And then to finally see it come to this point where I think both governing bodies who control the rules around the world are going to come to a collaborative understanding of how far ... we just don’t have enough property (on golf courses) anymore.
“So I think that understanding that, yeah, we've been hammering the ball needs to slow down, but it has kept speeding up my entire time and here we are.’’
Few of Woods's PGA Tour colleagues, however, are in favor of bifurcation. Rory McIlroy has expressed views similar to Woods. Jack Nicklaus has long been an advocate for slowing the golf ball down so certain golf courses around the world do not become obsolete for elite players.
But the PGA Tour earlier this year announced it did not support bifurcation and would not adopt the local rule for its competitions. The PGA of America, which runs the PGA Championship, said the same thing. And yet the Masters, U.S. Open and British Open were on board with the rule change, leading to the possibility that a different golf ball might be required in different events.
The expected rollback announcement would not be bifurcation, but a new golf ball standard for all players. Although the governing bodies have released no definitive data, the general message has been that recreational players with slower swing speeds would be minimally affected by a different ball, if at all. PGA Tour players have their own opinion on this, as well.
“For the amateur world, to hit the ball shorter is monstrous,’’ said Keegan Bradley Saturday at the Hero. “I can't think of anything more stupid than that. I don’t think it’s very smart at all, with golf’s growing popularity.’’
Rickie Fowler expressed a similar view.
“When you look at the state of golf, where it is today, I don’t think you can argue that game has been in a better place,’’ Fowler said. “I completely get it as far as some protection can be better, but when you look at it across the board for everyone who plays golf, those weekend guys aren’t going to want to hit it shorter. I don’t think the golf ball is the one thing to throw out there. I think there are other ways to work at this."
Fowler added: “I feel like they missed this 20 years ago.’’
Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A, recently told Golf Digest, that change is necessary.
“The game was not happy with the Model Local Rule,” he said. “There was a view that it would create a bifurcated game at the elite level. It was a very strong pushback against that. The PGA Tour was very public about it. So was the PGA of America. A number of players spoke out. And our job is to listen.
“But our responsibility is to the long-term future of the game. Along with the USGA, the R&A is a custodian of the game. We’re responsible for our period of time, something that has gone on for hundreds of years and will go on for hundreds more. So, we are listening. And we have made a decision about what we are going to do.’’
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/golf/players-sound-off-on-universal-golf-ball-rollback-which-is-expected-to-be-announced-next-week/ar-AA1kU2w2?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=ac1bf1d017dc4a9c9bf82b0561dc2848&ei=34
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
