McCARTHY: Rolling back the golf ball is pro golf’s latest war

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In case one civil war wasn’t enough in professional golf, now there are two.

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The reaction from players and industry leaders to the golf associations’ plan to roll back the golf ball in the elite men’s competition was quick and clear.

“Disappointed and not surprised to be honest,” Justin Thomas said on Wednesday. “I think the USGA has fought hard in my eyes over the years but made some pretty selfish decisions. In my opinion, they’ve definitely done a lot of things that aren’t to improve the game, although they claim they are.”

For a quick refresher, after years and years (and years) of remote projects, key findings and reports, the USGA and the R&A announced their long-awaited — or long-dreaded — plan to rein in the distance elite players hit the golf ball.

Their plan, which wouldn’t apply to recreational players, is to update golf ball testing parameters to slow them down. The old test said that a compliant ball shot with a swing speed of 120 mph could not travel more than 317 yards (plus or minus three yards to test tolerance). The new rule, if adopted, will state that a compliant ball strike cannot be traveled further than 317 yards (plus or minus three yards) with an updated swing speed of 127 mph. Most estimates say this change would cost about 15 yards of drives from the tour’s biggest hitters.

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The plan would go into effect as a model local rule in 2026, meaning a tournament or tour would have the option to implement it rather than be bound by it as it is the Rules of Golf. Clearly the USGA and R&A intend to use it at the US Open and Open Championship, but the PGA Tour has yet to show its cards.

“We will continue our own extensive independent analysis of the issue and will work with the USGA and The R&A, as well as our members and industry partners to evaluate and provide feedback on this proposal,” the PGA Tour said in a statement.

The rule is now set to enter what the governing bodies are calling the feedback process. And there has been plenty of that.

“I think it’s messy and not necessary,” Mackenzie Hughes told Postmedia via text message. “We are talking about less than 1% of the Gulf population. And in that group, only a select few players went “too far,” according to the R&A and USGA. I don’t think the game needs such a change for so few players.”

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Canada’s top-ranked golfer Corey Conners was equally critical, touching on the hot topic of branching, or separate rules for pros and amateurs, something modern golf seems to have tried to avoid but is willing to implement.

“When I was a junior golfer growing up and playing with my dad, I reveled in the fact that we played by the same rules as Mike Weir and other pros I wanted to be,” Conners told Postmedia. “As for the distance issue, I feel golf is at the peak of its popularity and I don’t think there’s a need to change things at this point. Golf is hard enough.”

Golf ball manufacturers don’t seem too keen on the idea, either. Titleist even issued its own statement on the announcement, saying it would essentially take the golf ball back to the 1990s.

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Would we be forced to wear oversized golf shirts again?

“Why would Titleist and these other ball manufacturers spend all that money on testing and research on a ball that nobody is going to buy?” said Hughes.

There’s no debate as to which side almost every top player is on, but perhaps the question is whether active PGA Tour players and manufacturers are the best places to ask. In general, both groups have nothing to gain from the change.

But who will benefit? That is the question we must try to understand before we choose sides.

The argument that has been going on for decades has been that professional sports are outgrowing their most popular venues; that gems like The Old Course at St. Andrews and even some Canadian classics like St. Georges now require extensive modifications or perfect good or bad weather to present a reasonable challenge.

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“If we just don’t do anything, we’re passing that along to the next generation and to every golf course around the world for them to just find out,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan.

Even if championship courses have the area to grow with the game, how does that align with 21st century aspirations to use less water and fewer resources? However, as Hughes says, 99% of golfers will not be affected by these changes, and besides, there aren’t many recreational golfers who overwhelm their favorite course.

The sport of golf is unique in that its history is much larger than the professional game and much longer than its greatest players. Some of golf’s richest characters are the famous golf courses that we can all see with our eyes closed.

Governing bodies have the difficult task of looking both backwards and forwards, which often leads to stagnation, but they have chosen this moment to take a stand. With no guarantee, the PGA Tour will adopt the rule, whatever happens next is sure to be historic.