Question of the week [January 27 – February 2]: At last week's PGA Show, new PGA of America CEO Derek Sprague and president Don Rea both expressed their concerns with a proposed golf ball rollback that is to go in effect for pros in 2028 and recreational golfers in 2030. What are your thoughts?
Editor's note: Of the 1,882 respondents to The First Call | Extra poll question "Are you in favor of a golf ball rollback?" 72% responded "No."
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Rather than rolling back the golf ball, I would rather see the courses lengthened, along with more traps and higher roughs. Then let the pros hit the ball as far as they want, just realizing that there's a lot more trouble out there.
Novice golfers can always move up to more forward tees to soften the blow.
Bob Norris
Cincinnati, Ohio
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There is an interesting fact that should be pointed out. When Lexi Thompson played a PGA Tour event, her average drive was over 20 yards more than what she averaged on the LPGA Tour. Why? Agronomy. Fairways on the PGA Tour, on average, are faster and roll out too much. If the PGA Tour heightened the cut on narrower fairways and thickened the rough like Torrey Pines, the roll back would not be needed. Very few golfers like the idea of a roll back. We are heading toward the belly putter fiasco again. The powers that be should listen.
Peter Boyce
Strathroy, Ontario
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As a senior, the reduction in distance is not significant for the majority of courses that I play. if this will allow high-level amateur and professional tournaments to continue to be played on classic courses, I'm OK with the rollback.
Mark Kazich
Darien, Illinois
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As an amateur with limited interest in professional or high-level amateur golf — primarily the women's game because they still play on the more interesting golf courses and in a manner that I can occasionally approach — I have limited interest in a golf ball rollback.
If achieved through a bigger, wilder golf ball, then I don’t believe it would be a big issue for me and my friends. We don’t play in formal golf tournaments, so we would probably switch over whenever the supply evaporates.
The PGA Tour, LIV Golf, DP World Tour and high level men’s amateur leagues should consider rollbacks so that they can resume playing courses for which their current length makes them obsolete. If not, no problems. Bifurcation? Not an issue because they are not playing the same game as us.
Mark Chatfield
Houston, Texas
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As an aging guy who has seen my handicap go from 5 to 14, I've seen rollback in person already. My drives are, for obvious reasons, going shorter. But that is a fact of life. So I've moved up.
I've also seen my Donald Ross course lengthened again and again, and seen golfers similar to my former self hitting it far past my teeball locations from 30 years ago. Not that I'm jealous — OK, maybe a little — but I've also seen a toughening up of greens and bunkers to make sure that the difficulty remains. Those 150-yard shots are now with a 9-iron instead of a 7-iron.
Bring back reasonable irons into reasonable approaches.
Tommy Jennings
Winder, Georgia
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It’s not the equipment, it’s the golf courses. The PGA Tour has “the warm stove syndrome.” The same courses are routinely played.
When you post a 35-under-par score and the next week someone posts a 30-under score, the courses are a way too easy. On the West Coast Swing the same courses are played year end and year out. How about some new faces?
There are many courses in the west that are more difficult than the ones played.
Gary Byrd
Mesa, Arizona
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I'm trying to figure out how rolling back the ball will benefit the recreational golfers and bring greater equality into the game.
At 71, I'm still able to hit my drive in the range of 250. On shorter par 4s, I'm capable of hitting some kind of wedge into the green on my second shot. My playing partners, who are a bit shorter, are playing 8 and 9 irons. I do have a slight advantage, but not an advantage of two or three more clubs.
If rolling back the ball puts me at a distance of now playing a 9- or 8-iron then what does it do for my playing partners who are hitting the ball 25 or more yards less than me? You're now asking them to hit an approach shot using a 6, 5 or an utility wood. Then, in my case, my advantage increases exponentially. I'd much rather be hitting an approach with an 8- or 9-iron than a 5, 6 or longer club.
If equality is what they are looking at, then I don't see how this rollback can be anyway more advantageous for the shorter hitter. In my opinion, I think the ruling bodies are creating a situation where they will be discouraging the shorter hitters to a point that they would consider leaving the game. I also don't understand why they would want to create a situation where by they increase my advantage over my playing partners.
I know the ruling bodies will insist that handicap adjustments will take care of the scoring differences, but tell me how they are going to adjust the ego of the shorter hitter. I know, for myself, the distance I Iost has really hurt my confidence. Hitting longer approach shots does nothing for me when it comes to enjoying the game more.
In my humble opinion this does nothing good for the game of golf. Why not just leave the current ball regulations in place and cap them where they currently are now.
I think that would keep all interested parties happy and we can all move on.
Robert Fish
Sun Lakes, Arizona
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I am against the ball rollback.
1. PGA club pros were against it when surveyed. The reason? Everyone
who comes for lessons wants to hit the ball longer.
2. No one can name a course that closed or is planning to close because
golfers complained it's too short.
3. With my senior shafts, Pro V1s, Club Champion fitting, I moved up to tee
boxes from 6,100 to 5,500 yards, and they expect me to play with a
shorter ball?
4. For the championships, the pros don't return to, for example, Myopia Hunt
Club, which hosted the U.S. Open four times between 1898-1908 since it
measures 6,555 yards. So after 50-plus years, stop going to the Merions — and tricking them up through rough groomed toward tees, etc. — and booking these
venues out the next 25 years.
Steve Magno
Framingham, Massachusetts
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Front:A ball on the 18th fairway during the third round at the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot Golf Club's West Course in Mamaroneck, New York.
Photo: Robert Beck | USGA