LAS VEGAS — As if there wasn’t enough to discuss this week at the annual college golf coaches clinic, the golf ball rollback proposal, announced Wednesday by the USGA and R&A, has sparked plenty of conversation in the golf community.
And college golf coaches are among those talking about the changes.
Starting in 2028, for a golf ball to be deemed conforming and legal for play, it will be tested using a robot that swings a titanium club at 125 mph and hits the ball on an 11-degree launch angle with 2,200 rpm of spin. The shot can not exceed the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) of 317 yards of combined carry distance and roll (with a 3-yard tolerance).
The change will affect all levels of golf, meaning the top amateurs and college players will also have to conform to the new golf balls down the road.
Golfweek spoke with numerous college coaches at an annual convention for the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Women Golf Coaches Association to get some thoughts on the golf ball rollback. Here’s what some of them had to say.
“I love how they rolled it out where they just didn’t drop a bomb and it’s happening tomorrow. It’s going to take until 2028 or 2030. It gives us a grace period where we can all figure this out exactly how it’s going to affect everybody. I think there’s positive values attached to it and probably some negative values attached. But at the same time, we’ll adjust to it. I think all of the people in two different camps and two different views, that will all go away.
“As far as affecting amateur golf, I don’t really think there’s going to be an affect at all. Not thinking about the best players in the world or the best amateurs in the world, but just thinking about amateur golf. The bottom line is you need to choose the right tees when you go out to any particular golf course. And if you choose the right tees, you’re gonna have fun because the golf course is designed for you to have fun.”
“It’s interesting because playing at altitude in Denver, there’s so many golf courses that our men’s team can’t play. If there are irons into every par 5, and the course is 7,500 yards, I understand it for the men. For the women, this is one of those where I would’ve loved to have the men try it first and then have us watch. But, I don’t know. It will be interesting. I don’t feel like with any of the women’s game, we’ve gotten too long. I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet. We’re obviously longer than ever before. It’s one of those things where we’ll have to wait and see, and I’ll be curious to see how it affects things.”
“In the long run, I don’t think it’s going to affect (the ball) that much, but I don’t particularly care for it. If this was going to happen, it probably should’ve happened way before now. I know a lot of people in the golf industry, and this is going to affect so many people and seems too late. What’s the point?”
“I’m not a fan of it at all. What’s the point of even doing it now?”
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