The Golf Ball Rollback Plan Has Changed (Again)... USGA Boss Explains Why And What's Next

A golf ball rollback will not be introduced at any level of the game before January 2030 following a joint statement from four of the sport's biggest governing bodies.

The USGA, the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and The R&A all signed off on a statement released on Wednesday which confirmed the possibility of a two-phase approach to implementing how golf balls are tested via the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) is now off the table.

Previously, the USGA and The R&A has said testing rules would apply to the equipment used by elite players from 2028 before affecting all golfers from 2030.

However, communication between the quartet of leading organizations, professional golfers and industry stakeholders has led to a change of heart, with a unified target confirmed as the latest approach.

The statement read: "Through a series of formal feedback processes and numerous individual stakeholder meetings, the governing bodies agreed on an across-the-game change in how golf balls are tested via the Overall Distance Standard (ODS)."

Plus, for the first time, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have publicly backed the USGA and R&A's long-term stance on the game having a distance issue and how action must be taken to protect the sport.

Among what the statement labelled as "two significant developments in the efforts to address the impact of distance on the game", it was noted the leading tours felt the updated ODS testing approach "may not achieve the desired results" in the long term.

It also went on to say there is a "collective willingness to reconsider alternative approaches that may more materially impact the pace of future distance increases while minimizing disruption to the overall golf market."

In the USGA press conference ahead of this week's US Open at Shinnecock Hills, CEO Mike Whan clarified everyone involved in the process is ultimately looking towards a "simple, more narrow solution" in curbing sharp distance increases and admitted even ideas which might previously have been discarded could now be back on the table.

Whan said: "I think a simpler, more narrow solution is exactly what we're going to spend time looking at. I think the alternative to what's on the table for 2030, things that we're going to look at together as a group are simpler, more narrow solutions, yes."

Earlier in the press conference, Whan said: "I view the ODS ball change as a small, digestible bite that the industry can handle. It would be small. It's not horrific.

"As I've said many times in many interviews, it's fair to critique whether or not it's enough. It probably isn't enough, and we'd have to do other small, digestible bites in time, too, but I think as an industry, we want to be able to get through those.

"So when we talk about the concern of is it going to be enough... I think there was concern coming back to us of we're going to go through this change, and are we really going to get enough real distance difference to affect the game in a meaningful way?

"I said that quickly led to how about, and we started talking about things. I think we realized pretty quickly, let's not kill the how-abouts because maybe there are some ideas here that are getting reopened that we looked at in the past and probably closed the door on because of some of the [PGA] Tour's feedback that feel to be more open today.

"I think that's why we can say that it would be... I think it would be the wrong way to govern if we don't listen to that when we're starting to now talk about similar objectives.

"A collective willingness to reconsider maybe some of the ideas we moved on with based on previous feedback we had received before and determine whether or not there could be other ideas that could be more impactful and maybe even less disruptive for the overall game."

The joint-statement noted “The R&A and USGA will take the appropriate amount of time to assess a range of possible options and determine the path forward.

"Specifically, the governing bodies will work closely with key stakeholders - including the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and their respective members - to review, test and implement options that have a meaningful impact on distance at the elite level.

"These efforts will ensure the elite game does not become too one-dimensional while continuing to emphasize the importance of shotmaking.”

Whan admitted that while the date of any potential change has been pushed back by at least two years, time remains firmly of the essence for those involved.

He said: "We're leaving 2030 on the table. So when we talk about other approaches, we want to be doing that with the speed of saying, you know, if we were going to do something other than 2030 or in addition to 2030, we need to know that sooner than later.

"So it creates a sense of urgency for all parties. This isn't another eight-year effort. We need to get at it and do it with a sense of urgency."