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CROMWELL, Conn. — Last week at Shinnecock Hills, USGA CEO Mike Whan announced golf ball rollback scheduled to begin in 2028 for elite players has been pushed back to 2030, which means that all golfers are now slated to make the transition together.
But that rollback is also not exactly marching toward 2030 confidently. Today, after PGA Tour CEO (and future commissioner) Brian Rolapp spoke, it feels a lot more like something that is “under review.”
Ahead of the Travelers Championship, Rolapp announced the Tour’s plans to reorganize into two divisions starting in 2028, but Golfweek asked for comments about last week’s announcement from the USGA and R&A. He did not deliver an earth-shaking revelation and nothing was announced, but Rolapp once again did not come out to throw the PGA Tour’s support behind the rollback and USGA and R&A’s plans.
“I think we had a really good meeting at the Memorial with the R&A, USGA. I think they have a profound responsibility for the rules of the game, for amateurs and professionals,” he said. “And I think they heard our point of view, and they heard, more importantly, the point of view of our members, which resulted in the announcement last week, which I think is really helpful.”
If you put that diplomatic answer into Google Translate, you will get something like “We’re talking to the USGA and the R&A, and they are aware that the players on the PGA Tour are not too happy about the idea of a golf ball rollback, so we’re going to talk about it some more and see if there are other options that are more agreeable”
More: PGA Tour surveys players on golf ball rollback
Asked specifically whether ideas such as a Model Local Rule, bifurcation or different equipment standards for PGA Tour players and recreational golfers could now be part of the discussion, Rolapp did not endorse any specific solution. But he did not shut the door, either.
“I think dialogue is always really productive and beneficial,” Rolapp said. “Especially for rules that are going to impact people who are playing the game. So, I think that’s always good. I think everything is on the table. I mean, I think we’re working with the USGA for a solution. Obviously, nothing to announce.”
The key line was in that answer … “I think everything is on the table.”
In golf’s distance debate, that is not a throwaway line. That is the sentence that makes everyone sit up a little straighter, or at least stop pretending to check messages on their phone.
It does not mean the PGA Tour is supporting bifurcation, that the rollback is going away or that the Tour is thinking about persimmon drivers and wound balls. But it does mean the conversation about distance has changed.
For years, bifurcation was mentioned only in whispers around the USGA and R&A. No one wanted to be heard talking about it, and the governing bodies were emphatic their concept of a Model Local Rule that would mandate players in elite competitions use a distance-reducing ball was not bifurcation. That solution was rejected after feedback from stakeholders and golfers made it clear that “the game” feels it is important that there is just one set of rules and they cover everyone.
Last week, Whan made it clear the governing bodies are willing to reconsider whether there is a better way.
“A simpler, more narrow solution is exactly what we’re going to spend time looking at,” Whan said at Shinnecock Hills. “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.”
A “simpler, more narrow solution” sounds a lot like something aimed exclusively at elite competitions rather than recreational golfers.
Rolapp’s comments on Tuesday are noteworthy because the PGA Tour is no longer simply being asked to react to a rule imposed by the USGA and R&A. The Tour, its Player Advisory Council and its members are now part of the process in a more public, and apparently more meaningful, way.
There could still be a golf ball rollback in 2030. But maybe there will be a Model Local Rule for elite competitions instead. Other equipment changes that once were locked in the attic with the balata balls and square drivers might be considered again.
Rolapp said everything is on the table, and when it comes to distance, that could literally mean anything, including ideas that we thought were left for dead.
David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek covering equipment.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour's Brian Rolapp says everything is on table in rollback debate
Continue reading...
But that rollback is also not exactly marching toward 2030 confidently. Today, after PGA Tour CEO (and future commissioner) Brian Rolapp spoke, it feels a lot more like something that is “under review.”
Ahead of the Travelers Championship, Rolapp announced the Tour’s plans to reorganize into two divisions starting in 2028, but Golfweek asked for comments about last week’s announcement from the USGA and R&A. He did not deliver an earth-shaking revelation and nothing was announced, but Rolapp once again did not come out to throw the PGA Tour’s support behind the rollback and USGA and R&A’s plans.
“I think we had a really good meeting at the Memorial with the R&A, USGA. I think they have a profound responsibility for the rules of the game, for amateurs and professionals,” he said. “And I think they heard our point of view, and they heard, more importantly, the point of view of our members, which resulted in the announcement last week, which I think is really helpful.”
If you put that diplomatic answer into Google Translate, you will get something like “We’re talking to the USGA and the R&A, and they are aware that the players on the PGA Tour are not too happy about the idea of a golf ball rollback, so we’re going to talk about it some more and see if there are other options that are more agreeable”
More: PGA Tour surveys players on golf ball rollback
Asked specifically whether ideas such as a Model Local Rule, bifurcation or different equipment standards for PGA Tour players and recreational golfers could now be part of the discussion, Rolapp did not endorse any specific solution. But he did not shut the door, either.
“I think dialogue is always really productive and beneficial,” Rolapp said. “Especially for rules that are going to impact people who are playing the game. So, I think that’s always good. I think everything is on the table. I mean, I think we’re working with the USGA for a solution. Obviously, nothing to announce.”
The key line was in that answer … “I think everything is on the table.”
In golf’s distance debate, that is not a throwaway line. That is the sentence that makes everyone sit up a little straighter, or at least stop pretending to check messages on their phone.
It does not mean the PGA Tour is supporting bifurcation, that the rollback is going away or that the Tour is thinking about persimmon drivers and wound balls. But it does mean the conversation about distance has changed.
For years, bifurcation was mentioned only in whispers around the USGA and R&A. No one wanted to be heard talking about it, and the governing bodies were emphatic their concept of a Model Local Rule that would mandate players in elite competitions use a distance-reducing ball was not bifurcation. That solution was rejected after feedback from stakeholders and golfers made it clear that “the game” feels it is important that there is just one set of rules and they cover everyone.
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Last week, Whan made it clear the governing bodies are willing to reconsider whether there is a better way.
“A simpler, more narrow solution is exactly what we’re going to spend time looking at,” Whan said at Shinnecock Hills. “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.”
A “simpler, more narrow solution” sounds a lot like something aimed exclusively at elite competitions rather than recreational golfers.
Rolapp’s comments on Tuesday are noteworthy because the PGA Tour is no longer simply being asked to react to a rule imposed by the USGA and R&A. The Tour, its Player Advisory Council and its members are now part of the process in a more public, and apparently more meaningful, way.
There could still be a golf ball rollback in 2030. But maybe there will be a Model Local Rule for elite competitions instead. Other equipment changes that once were locked in the attic with the balata balls and square drivers might be considered again.
Rolapp said everything is on the table, and when it comes to distance, that could literally mean anything, including ideas that we thought were left for dead.
David Dusek is a senior writer at Golfweek covering equipment.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: PGA Tour's Brian Rolapp says everything is on table in rollback debate
Continue reading...
