To rollback or not to rollback?

By Rob Willis

Where is it all headed? 

I wake up to Cristbal Del Solar, a relatively unknown US Korn Ferry Tour player shooting 57. They say the course was short. But 57!! And he parred the last three holes and had a 10-footer on the 18th for a 56. 

At that same event there was a 59 a couple of days later. 

Then Wyndam Clark shoots 60 at Pebble Beach. Yes, it was preferred lies however Pebble was playing to its full length with no run, drivers landing and stopping in their pitch marks. Almost everybody in the field who drove the ball into the 18th fairway was capable of hitting the par five green in two. From days gone by, watching previous tournaments and the great players of years past, only the longest of the long could get anywhere near the green with their second shot.

Earlier that week on LIV, Australian Open champ Joaquin Niemann signs for a 59 at Mayakoba in Mexico. It’s only a month or two ago he hit a wedge into the par five finishing hole at the Australian for his second shot, twice, while winning in a playoff. 

Elite players today are fitter and stronger, technology is enabling them to be better in tune with their swings than ever before, however the debate will continue to rage about modern equipment, most specifically how far the ball is travelling. 

The golf ball goes too far they say, roll it back many argue to ensure the great courses remain relevant when played by the world’s best. 

Rory McIlroy was recently quoted as saying the new model of ball he has put into play goes seven or eight yards longer than his previous one. As if he needed to hit it further.  

But what about the other 99.9 per cent of golfers, most of whom wouldn’t drive the ball 300 metres with a cement fairway and the wind at their back? Our panel wrote about the topic in the February issue with varying responses.  

Depending on which side of the industry you reside the opinions greatly differ. 

Most have strong views one way or the other, with Michael Clayton a former Tour player, now a respected course designer, one of the most outspoken in support of a rollback. 

He makes perfect sense when arguing that tour players and elite amateurs driving the ball over 300-metres is the norm these days rather than the exception, while a number of the longest LPGA Tour players now hit the ball further than Greg Norman did in his prime. Clayton reasons that not only is there no more land to extend the great golf courses, he doesn’t believe it solves anything by designing the new ones to cater for the ever-increasing distances the ball is flying.  

On the other hand, our esteemed colleague Michael Court rationally argued a 172-metre par three at his home course is right on his driver limit, and with every metre important, why make that hole out of reach to not only him but to the senior golfers appreciating a little bit of extra distance the current golf balls provide. 

Do we require the pros to play one type of ball, your club and social golfers another? That opens a whole new can of worms. Who produces it, do all the pro tours in the world adopt the same ball? More questions, more complications. 

Golf ball manufacturers have designed and produced the modern ball under the rules and regulations currently in place, is it fair and reasonable to require them to roll it back to perform as it might have in days gone by? 

Clayton does say if you make a quality ball and have strong market share, chances are your rolled back ball will continue to be popular if they all play by the same rules, therefore nothing lost, nothing gained. Only difference then being a few metres here and there by the golfers who play them. 

But is it just about the ball? Drivers are bigger, better, more forgiving, as manufacturers pour millions of dollars into their design, irons are no different. 

A trip to the PGA Golf Show in Orlando was an eye opener and when talking to various club and ball companies, the science and technology that goes into the design is mind blowing. The industry leaders are working years ahead, pouring millions into research and design in an effort to make golf, we wont say easier, but potentially at least more enjoyable for the masses. 

Supporters of the rollback will say golf was never meant to be easy. We adapted when the game switched from the smaller British ball to the larger sized US ball we currently use, and we’ll figure it out if the rollback is brought into play.

Golf’s governing bodies seem intent on implementing the rollback, but there will certainly be opposition before it gets over the line. Watch this space, the outcome will be interesting. 

Get in touch – If you have an opinion on this or any other topic in the magazine, send your letter to the editor to rob@insidegolf.com.au and you’ll be in the running to win a gripping prize.