Kansas Kid said:

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This is a big nothing for average golfers. Look at this chart that shows the average handicapper has gone from 200 to 208 since 1996. The scratch guys have improved even less. The only group with a major improvement is the high handicappers which have added 24 yards which I believe is due to the much for forgiving clubs and not the balls.

The average distance for the pros has gone from 266 to 297 over the same time. The longest driver in 1996 was Daly at 289 vs McElroy did 327 last year.

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Where did this data come from? I was a scratch golfer and played with more or less all under 10 handicaps from 2000 - 2005 and 250 yards being the tops "average" driving distance is off to me, unless it includes par 3s I guess.

I just looked at PGA America data. 2000-2005 was a more meaningful jump than the full period thereafter, which happens to be right after the Pro V1 was released. Whatever happened in 2010 was the next meaningful jump. I had quit the game the year before so IDK what happened then.

https://www.pga.com/story/how-driving-distance-has-changed-over-the-past-40-years-on-the-pga-tour

Project Gemini said:

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Kansas Kid said:

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This is a big nothing for average golfers. Look at this chart that shows the average handicapper has gone from 200 to 208 since 1996. The scratch guys have improved even less. The only group with a major improvement is the high handicappers which have added 24 yards which I believe is due to the much for forgiving clubs and not the balls.

The average distance for the pros has gone from 266 to 297 over the same time. The longest driver in 1996 was Daly at 289 vs McElroy did 327 last year.

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Where did this data come from? I was a scratch golfer and played with more or less all under 10 handicaps from 2000 - 2005 and 250 yards being the tops "average" driving distance is off to me, unless it includes par 3s I guess.

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It is from a USGA study and is only drivers so likely not including par 3s. I would assume the data was obtained on a driving range especially pre flight monitors where they use actually measured distance.
https://golf.com/instruction/driving/driving-distance-average-golfers-new-report/?amp=1

Also note it is the average 0-6 handicappers so you will get your senior golfers. Unfortunately, a lot of know we lose distance as we age.

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

I found this video comparing the 1991 Big Bertha to the new Paradym. Change in distance - 22 yards on both carry and total distance. This is with someone with 108-110 mph swing speed with the new technology.



It is also shocking to see the heads side by side. It reminds me of comparing the heads on my dad's irons from 1973 to my current irons. I don't think I could hit the 1973 clubs now.

Will be interesting to see what the manufacturers with God knows how much money and staff in R&D push back.

I don't recall bat manufacturers fighting real hard when they rolled back aluminum bats. Then again the argument was safety. Not some BS "for the good of the game".

hunterjr81 said:

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I seriously doubt most amateur golfers lose more than 5 yards from this unless they have a decently high swing speed. I'm in favor of this move so I guess I'm the only one on here for it lol.

I saw on TV the amateurs (us) are going to foot the bill instead of the pro? That already happens now so no changes there. Pros already get all the balls they want. We foot the bill by buying them. Also, no amateur is going to want to play different balls vs the pros. We want to use the same equipment so we know where we stand against them even though we suck.

What I want to know is how they plan to roll it back technically speaking. Are all balls going to have to use the same type of core and have the same compression? I'm genuinely curious how the roll back on the ball will happen. Will they all have to use the same dimple pattern, covers etc.? If so, maybe the cheap top flight ball will perform the same as prov1 and save us all money. Did anyone think about that? lol.

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Same here. I don't think this has any significant impact on most amateur golfers. I score about as well playing Trufeel and Velocity as I do playing ProV. Is Titleist going to roll back Trufeels too? LOL.

Sorry olds that have their ego broken. Working out is more important than ever these days so of course people will hit it further. How about you make a course that actually bites back? Add more bunkers and water, actually grow the rough out so when the players hit if offline you get a bad lie. Golf rules seem about as stupid as trying to figure out the tax code.

The Milkman said:

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Pros are up in arms (minus the very few like Rory who are bold/wise enough to speak out) because it threatens to make them adapt to something they have dialed in exactly. Their livelihood is on the line, and new equipment allows them to cover up flaws because of the forgiveness and distance. They talk like they are concerned about the state of the game, but that's total BS. Entirely self interested.

The rollback will help identify who the best ball strikers and players are.

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I guess we see it the opposite.

I see this purely as self interest by Rory because he's losing his God gifted ability to hit it further than the rest. He's not near as accurate as the rest and his one advantage was hitting it further is being eroded by technology. And his pride won't let him admit that or stomach someone like Rose or Harmen being able to compete with him.

So of course he's all for rolling back the ball and gaining advantage again. Him hitting short irons while the rest of the field is hitting mid irons levels the field in accuracy.

I don't know that it's necessarily the distance as much as it is the left and right spin

AgLA06 said:

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The Milkman said:

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Pros are up in arms (minus the very few like Rory who are bold/wise enough to speak out) because it threatens to make them adapt to something they have dialed in exactly. Their livelihood is on the line, and new equipment allows them to cover up flaws because of the forgiveness and distance. They talk like they are concerned about the state of the game, but that's total BS. Entirely self interested.

The rollback will help identify who the best ball strikers and players are.

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I guess we see it the opposite.

I see this purely as self interest by Rory because he's losing his God gifted ability to hit it further than the rest. He's not near as accurate as the rest and his one advantage was hitting it further is being eroded by technology. And his pride won't let him admit that or stomach someone like Rose or Harmen being able to compete with him.

So of course he's all for rolling back the ball and gaining advantage again. Him hitting short irons while the rest of the field is hitting mid irons levels the field in accuracy.

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Rory will still hit it further than the rest, it just won't be as far. There might be a little bit of drop in the difference between Rory and the shortest hitters but he will still be hitting his second shot last most of the time.

I'd think local rules will dictate what balls we can use and I bet we will continue to use the old balls unless manufacturers completely discontinue manufacturing it.

Rory can also hit shots that other players can't like that 2-iron in the Scottish open. he would like it rolled back because he's a better player and now more will have to hit shots like that.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0VXgt3t_uZ/?igshid=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

They really just need to issue an "official" ball (or multiple balls) for tournaments. Decide on a type and amount. If you run out, you get DQed. Three to five options on composition, cover, dimple patterns, etc. You get a batch when you hit the first tee, and some you can use for practice rounds, putting, and the range (they already do this part anyway). I'm sure there would be some nuance for taking a ball out of play for road rage or cuts but that seems easily surmountable.

Mr.Bond said:

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https://www.instagram.com/reel/C0VXgt3t_uZ/?igshid=NzBmMjdhZWRiYQ==

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Have to say I agree with Elon on this one......

Why can't manufacturers just continue to pump out the exact same balls they do now but with red logos or something to show they are "non-conforming"? 95% of players don't care if it conforms to USGA rules as we are weekend players. Only official tournaments would really matter and that's only for the best golfers. In any charity or fun tournament, no one checks your balls now to make sure they are "conforming". Come out with one new line of "conforming" that is a slight tweak to the top of the line ball already.

AggieDruggist89 said:

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**** that bull*****

I'm gonna keep playing the balls I use.

I'm not spending another 100s of hours trying to learn to play with some bull **** rolled back balls because some 20 year old roided out lab produced human specimen can swing a driver 145 mph.

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It will only affect your distances plus or minus 1-2 yards with your irons and maybe 5 with your driver.

If you're pushing 60, you'll be just fine.

DGrimesAg92 said:

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AggieDruggist89 said:

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**** that bull*****

I'm gonna keep playing the balls I use.

I'm not spending another 100s of hours trying to learn to play with some bull **** rolled back balls because some 20 year old roided out lab produced human specimen can swing a driver 145 mph.

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It will only affect your distances plus or minus 1-2 yards with your irons and maybe 5 with your driver.

If you're pushing 60, you'll be just fine.

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This is my opinion as well.

The point being....

This rule change is to impact the high level competition golf.

Why impose the rule that doesn't help the rest 99.9% of the golf population?

Just because they can? For the sake of uniformity?

AggieDruggist89 said:

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The point being....

This rule change is to impact the high level competition golf.

Why impose the rule that doesn't help the rest 99.9% of the golf population?

Just because they can? For the sake of uniformity?

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Because some old crusty guys can't handle the pros going driver 8 iron into #13 at Augusta.

That's even worse. So you're saying USGA caved to the manufacturers??

AggieDruggist89 said:

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That's even worse. So you're saying USGA caved to the manufacturers??

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And the Tour players who complained on behalf of their sponsor OEM.

I think this will reduce the difference in distance between brands. The USGA states that 30% of balls will still qualify under the new testing rules. The 70% that exceed the new limit will all exceed by varying amounts. If they all dial back to just pass the new limit, that will make ball performance more even among brands.

As an example, I looked at MyGolfSpy's 2023 ball data for driver with high swing speeds. Average carry distance ranged from 299 to 317 yards, a spread of 18 yds. 70% of the balls exceeded 306 yds. If the new limit was 306 yards and manufacturers just reduced to that limit, the new overall spread would be just 7 yards between balls.

Looks like some manufacturers may not mind the new rules.

Golf ball manufacturers make money selling golf balls, not sponsoring players on tour. Bifurcation would have meant increased costs for R&D, manufacturing, etc. In the end it would have been bad money wise for the consumer because we bear the brunt of those costs. hello $100/dz golf balls.

I would like to see some actual tests before I throw my hands in the air. If its actually 5% across the board, my usual 250 yrd drive is now 238ish from the same tees which isn't the end of the world but at the same time I'm not looking to lose distance. Its 6 years before this even takes effect, if it will at all, for us mortals. A lot can change between now and then.

I've been working from home today and watching Golf Channel all day. They've done a good job of interviewing people all across the golf industry, including the heads of the USGA and R&A.

The notion that manufacturers will continue to make a non-conforming ball is not a reality. The manufacturers will make conforming balls, and, like today, they'll do everything they can to push the envelope as far as they can. Taylormade CEO says they have R&D going on all the time anyway, so he doesn't foresee a tremendous increase in the price of golf balls. I'm sure the price will go up along with the price of everything else by 2030, when this takes effect for everybody.

Heads of the regulatory bodies say that amateurs just need to move up a set of tees if we see significant distance loss. As it is, they're projecting driver distance loss of 5 yards or less for the majority of the golfing public. Some industry people aren't so sure of that at this point. Don't know how that will translate throughout the bag.

Nothing burger…5 yards distance is half a club. Going to save most of you $$$ with not as many balls AS deep in the woods.