The NEW Golf Ball Rule Could KILL GOLF AS WE KNOW IT! – for years and years and years golf has been played on a set level between abilities, which means the best players win the world such as Rory Mcilroy, Tiger Woods and the rest have played the same legal golf equipment as mid handicap golfers and high handicap golfers Alike, however the R&A and USGA have just filed a motion to Crete a new rule for elite level golf to have to play a golf ball which is reigned back from the one we use as mere mortals… so no longer will we see the best high handicap golf ball, the best mid handicap golf ball and the best selling golf ball on your screens being played by the best golfers in the world as well as every day casual golfers. In this video I share my opinions on the new rule and try to share as many facts as possible about the new golf ball rule potentially incoming in January 2026…
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Limiting how far the ball goes needs addressing. I am a 65 year old 4 handicapper who had an eagle on Monday by hitting a par 5 with a drive and 3 wood. Does it not loose something when pros have eagles with a drive and 9 iron? Think this ball should be limited to pro golf.
100% agree.
There are plenty of ways to make tour venues more challenging without faffing about with the ball. Narrower fairways, longer rough, tighter corners, more strategically placed hazards, firmer greens…….etc……etc. Like you said, they're creating a problem where none exists presently. Distance is not the answer to all things golf.
I agree with every point that you make here.
2 observations.
1/ who will be the arbitors of the definition of "elite"? What would be the criteria,would there be a "cut off" point,say scratch handicap? So a -1 handicap player would be penalised by the ball, whilst a +1 handicap would have carte blanche ,seems unworkable.
2/Stealth driver vs Rory,seems as if the problem was to do with borderline legality, pertaining to wear and tear on the clubface……Will we now see Stealth owners taking a hammer to the carbon face of a £500 club in an attempt to reforge it and gain more distance illegally?😊
You make a very interesting point about the PGA/R&A,in the future,possibly licensing a specific "elite" golf ball,that's a bit clandestine.
In my opinion, I agree with Jack Nicklaus, he has been a fan of limiting the golf ball for years. The problem is the players are overpowering the older courses. Some of these can’t expand anymore. So they either drop out of the tour schedule or become a driver gap wedge course. On these courses what use to be a hazard in the fairway is blow over by these players totally changing the way the course was meant to be played. What used to be a Driver 7 iron is now a Driver wedge, big difference. I, for one, couldn't care less who plays what ball, it does have any bearing on what ball I play.
Spot on James. I'll be flicking over to watch LIV golf if they do, can't see them conforming to this "shorter" ball rule! Generally the bigger hitter's are not in the fairway all the time so just make the rough rougher!
Surely it's a case of club manufacturers scaling down the sweet spot on club faces! Therefore any slightly off centre strikes will be punished according to the degree of miss hit? I definitely agree with the view that the top echelon of golfer's work extremely hard to forward their game. Even some of the top big hitters struggle at times ! Rory 😉 . Basically at the end of the day, the ball has to be struck correctly to get the optimum performance from it! It's not a ball issue, it's a club issue.
Put limits on compression for pros problem solved for distance
I remember when the track&fielders changed the weight-balance in javelin, because of safety. A world record throw could’ve killed the high-jumpers on the other end of the arena. It took some years before javelin was taken serious again.
Golf has become an absolute clusterfook of pointless info for the club golfer. Yes, fittings are good but people at home analysing their swing, speed, spin numbers…..smash factor FFS…..WHAT!!!!!!!!
Things need to be more accessible, cheaper and simpler.
If they want to make the current courses usable for elite players narrow the fairways grow the rough easy
foolish idea! Leave the balls as they are and as you suggested work on pace of play and knowledge golf etiquette. This is a good way to ruin golf for everyone!…<><…:)
If it only going to effect a small minority of golfers, perhaps a vote amongest them should be arranged ! I would bet most would want no change – if its not broke dont try to mend it.
Whatever they do with the ball, the players will find.a way to get it in the hole. The best invention in golf in the past 2 to 3 years for me is the shot tracer on TV. I love that thing.
Just do it all at once and give everyone a trophy (woke).
Leave the ball alone. Every course is different. “Long hitters” aren’t dominating any tour that I’m aware of.
Golf is in a fantastic place and there’s no reason to make any changes what so ever.
It’s too late to make an adjustment. The governing bodies didn’t get ahead of this problem.
7800 yard courses are ridiculous but necessary for this equipment.
I’m 67 and I hit it as far today as I did 40 years ago with persimmon and balata.
One of the beauties of the game is we can all play the ball, club and courses the pros do…in theory. I am all for reigning the ball in, but it should be for all.
How can I say Golf is gotten too easy for the pros they started out just like your average golfer and then worked and worked and worked their tails off to get to where they’re at and now let’s take it away
All intents and purposes…
If you can't chip and putt,everything else,ball,flight,smash factor,gear snobbery,£600 driver etc etc means zero,zilch..I love playing so called big hitters,you are more than likely to be a shot up before you tee off..I really don't care..what ball does what..100 yards in,dance floor,is all that matters in golf..oh and the 6 inches between your ears..it's golf..Man! Stick! Ball!!!
The biggest problem with the distance issue is about shorter, classic courses are becoming obsolete for the pros! St. Andrew’s was much harder not being a pitch and putt! Min woo lee is hitting a 2 iron almost 280 yards! That’s crazy
They’re not shooting 55 every week because the courses have responded by adding yardage and other physical changes. The Masters is a classic example. But that can’t continue indefinitely. Those costs have to get passed along which will make an already expensive game even worse and hurt future growth. As for using the same equipment as the tour pros, that’s already not the case. Sure it may say Scotty Cameron on my putter but it certainly doesn’t say Circle T. There are multiple versions of the ProV1 and adding another “slow” one won’t make a difference. You could still play it if you want to hit it shorter. Be my guest.
thats something i love about this game, we weekend hacks, amateurs, pros, all players can play the same equipment and it brings something special to the game. if companies have to start making different balls to "bring it back" then cost for everyone not just the companies will be paying more, golf is already an expensive sport to start and adding regulations to equipment in my opinion will raise cost all over the board.
The greatest problem I predict is the development of junior players. At what age do you label someone Elite and have them practice and play with the new ball? Will amateur tournament adopt this? College level? It's almost like the old RA small golf ball allowed in some tournament 50 years ago (it flew further) now its ban universal across all tournament play. If they make the change, maybe it should be universal across all play.
I think they should look at the layout/playability of the courses these elite players play on and change the par scores accordingly (if hole a plays driver and aything less than a 4 iron – par 4), have smaller greens with some undulations and better placed hazards. Like you said James, the lonest hitters aren't winning every week ( Bryson who?) and the game of golf means who should have a chance of 18 birdies a round anyway 😵💫
I’m with you James, to much more to work on with the game.
James, you keep mentioning clubs. But they are staying the same. The R&A/USPGA are not changing club rules. This is just the ball. One of the points they have made said that the courses cost a lot to maintain them, with watering etc. The ball only effects Pro's and top amateurs on courses that the rule would be implemented. Otherwise there is no change to your ordinary man or woman in the street. There is no reason for the ball manufacturers to change ball for the 'normal' players, so that market is still there. They have been in discussion with the ball manufacturers for the last few years. So for Titleist to complain, when they knew this was coming is ridiculous.
I don't like the bifurcation but something does need to be done. We want to compare ourselves to the "elite" Maybe they should find a way to cap the distance where it is now with the ball and also reel back the COR somehow. Require smaller clubheads.
Lower green fees are possible if people will accept less perfect conditions and less service but as long as they find enough people that will pay the high fees they aren't coming down. I'm in NC, USA and as a retired senior, I generally won't pay more than $50 for a special course, and here we can find places during the week that cost $18 to $28 to walk. Of course the conditions are lower but it's still golf. I am 68 years old and have played for 57 years so I've seen it all from wooden woods and blade irons and rubber band balls to where we are now. Golf was more difficult then because of the smaller clubheads and the curvature of the balls.
For we less skilled, more distance is overrated and doesn't really help us (and that is the point the USGA + R&A are making. It wouldn't bother me if they rolled the distance back for everyone, not just for "the elite". FYI I am a 2 handicap and an instructor for Kirk Junges' Setup 4 Impact.
Let the markets be.
Like others I agree with you more expensive green fees are making it impossible for some to play the same course they may have played 2 years ago. Changing the ball makes no sense to me 20 years ago players began to get more fit, equipment got better, choices for equipment by handicap and swing have made a difference.
They did the same thing in baseball and there were a lot less home runs which is bad for the game. Baseball went back to the ball that goes further. Good people learn from their mistakes. Great people learn from others mistakes.
Changing the golf ball for elite players is just creating a hiccup but will not charge the progress. Also during a tournament the majority of players do not break par
There has to be a limit to increased ball and club performance at the elite level rather than keep extending courses, less so for the amateur game. In athletics the javelin was redesigned in 1986 to reduce distances so that the event could be held relatively safely in athletics stadiums rather than making stadiums bigger or using a different venue for the event. If distances continued to increase and reach the same level it is likely that equipment rules would change to redesign again. Probably a ball redesign is the most likely solution if this really is a problem.
Okay, I hear what you are saying and it is all true. No one is shooting 54/55 every week and no doubt this is a tricking proposition for golf but, here is the counter point. 8000 yard golf courses are not sustainable given where we are regarding water and land usage. There needs to be a way for golf to thrive and have 7000 yard golf courses that reign in the top players. Remember when they changed the wedge grooves? The world was coming to an end, but what happened? Top golfers can still stop the ball on the green from anywhere. So, you will never reign in the top golfers until changes are made. I think this is a toe in the water for the USGA and R&A and may never come to pass. My thought is to reign in the club head for top golfers. No more than 430cc and see what happens. I believe this is the beginning of the discussion, not the end so please do not say the sky is falling until it does.
I don't feel like the ball is what needs to be attacked. And what is wrong with players scoring well in tournaments? It's not like everyone is doing it. If they put the work in to be that good, then appreciate it. It's not like the players before then put in the work that players do today. I feel epuipment changes should happen before ball changes as well….if change is actually necessary.
My opinion is that a change in equipment (balls/clubs) will produce the same results for tour professionals. They will still be among the best in the world. It won't close the gap between your average golfer and a great golfer. Either way, thank you for your dedication to the game, and to us fans of the game and your great content