Since the rules have been changed, “nearly every popular golf ball” will no longer follow the rules.
The USGA and the R&A are likely to announce a universal rollback of golf balls. This would mean that almost all popular golf balls would no longer be legal at both the professional and amateur levels.
No one knows when the new balls will be used, but they will have an effect all over the world.
Golf Digest said that the change in how balls are checked is what caused the roll back. The governing groups want to raise the swing speed at which the balls are tested from 120 mph to 125 mph as part of the Overall Distance Standard. The current distance limit of 317 yards will not change, though.
Many golf balls used by pros and most golfers risk going over the yardage limit when swing speeds get faster. If this happens, the balls will no longer work properly.
It was suggested earlier this year that the speed limit be lowered to 127 mph, but this would only affect the best professional players. There was a plan in place called the Model Local Rule (MLR) that would let competition directors decide if rolled back balls should be used. People didn’t like this change to the rules.
Slumbers, CEO of the R&A, told Golf Digest last week, “The game was not happy with the Model Local Rule.” A lot of people thought it would split the game at the highest level. It was a strong defense against that. The PGA Tour told a lot of people about it. The PGA of America was the same. A lot of people spoke up. It’s our job to listen.
Now that the rule has been changed, there will probably be a time when professionals play with a shorter golf ball than people who play for fun. It is said that by the end of two years, all golf balls that follow the Rules of Golf will be at least 15 yards shorter at the highest level.
It’s possible that the effect on recreational players will be smaller than on top players, but it will still be proportional. This means that the two groups might not lose the same amount of distance, but they might lose the same amount of yardage.
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