Golf bodies set 2030 target date for ball rollback...
Key takeaways
- In March, the USGA announced it might not implement a new Overall Distance Standard, which would reduce elite driving distances by 15 yards, until 2030.
- Now, the governing bodies, along with PGA Tour leadership, DP World Tour leadership and the PGA Tour Player Advisory Council, had "constructive discussions" that yielded three outcomes.
- The first is an agreement among the governing bodies -- including a first formal acknowledgement by the PGA Tour and DP World Tour -- that golf faces a distance issue.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
SOUTHAMPTON, N.Y. -- The proposed golf ball rollback spearheaded by the United States Golf Association and R&A will now take place as a single-date implementation in January 2030, the two governing bodies announced in a first-ever joint statement about the issue with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour on Wednesday.
"Through a series of formal feedback processes and numerous individual stakeholder meetings, the governing bodies agreed on an across-the-game change in how golf balls are tested via the Overall Distance Standard (ODS)," the joint news release read.
In March, the USGA announced it might not implement a new Overall Distance Standard, which would reduce elite driving distances by 15 yards, until 2030. The USGA and R&A had previously stated the new testing rules would apply to elite players in 2028 before affecting all golfers in 2030.