Welcome again to a different version of #AskMyGolfSpy the place readers such as you submit your prime inquiries to our consultants right here at MGS. You possibly can move alongside your inquiries to the staff on Twitter, Fb, Instagram or proper right here within the feedback part under!
For essentially the most half, we don’t have any specific theme to those posts. You ask questions on mainly something, and we reply them. This week is a bit of totally different. With the USGA and R&A saying a plan to rollback the golf ball, we’re focusing completely in your USGA Rollback questions.
Q: Tony, you deliver up a very good level concerning the LIV Tour. What guidelines govern their play? USGA and R&A? They’ve their very own rulebook? – Kilted Golfer
A: I get known as an fool so much, so that you had me at “you deliver up a very good level.” Like different skilled excursions, LIV presently performs beneath the USGA/R&A rulebook however like these different skilled excursions, they’re beneath no obligation to take action.
Given the USGA/R&A’s place as a unifying drive, it merely made sense for everybody to play by a single algorithm.
With that individual horse able to bust out of the barn, it’s not out of the realm of chance that LIV (assuming it’s nonetheless round in 2026) would possibly go in one other course, particularly if taking part in by its personal guidelines has the potential to spice up rankings.
To throw a bit extra gasoline on the fireplace, it’s removed from a on condition that the PGA TOUR will undertake the mannequin native rule. We might find yourself with a state of affairs the place USGA and R&A occasions are the one ones mandating a brand new ball, by which case it’s doable the governing our bodies might scrap this complete thought and return to the drafting board.
Q: What concerning the LPGA/girls’s recreation? – A number of readers
A: The USGA and R&A have indicated they haven’t any plans to implement the mannequin native rule on the U.S. Ladies’s Open or Ladies’s Open Championship. The pondering is that distance isn’t an issue within the girls’s recreation. With that, the chance is the LPGA Tour would select to not play beneath the proposed rule.
In the end, that implies that, on the skilled degree, women and men will play by totally different guidelines (because it pertains to the ball).
Q: Now that the proposed standards are out, it might be fascinating to see how far again you must go in expertise to “discover” a historic Tour-level ball that will conform? -Frakk
A: Technically not a query however, as we famous in our story on the rollback announcement, there are balls available on the market at the moment that will seemingly conform to the proposed mannequin native rule. We’re speaking Pinnacle Comfortable, Callaway REVA and Supersoft MAX. I’d count on others of comparable spec (Wilson DUO, possibly) would conform as effectively. Spit-balling a bit, however I believe we’re wanting sub-50 compression, maybe a bit decrease.
So far as the how far again we’d need to go to discover a ball that will conform to the brand new rule and was truly performed on Tour …
Wanting over the info within the 2020 Distance Insights Report, it’s cheap to attribute about 15 yards price of common distance gained to the time between the total the adoption of the stable core ball and the 2004 implementation of the present ODS (Total Distance Customary) used for testing.
The emergence of the stable core ball resulted in massive beneficial properties, however successfully, ball distance has been capped since 2004 and, not like the entire COR/CT factor for driver faces, there isn’t actually any grey space. It’s a tough cease.
For what it’s price due to issues like really feel preferences and trajectory and spin wants, it’s not like each ball is on the restrict anyway, although many are shut.
As to your unique query, you would possibly be capable to discover an early-generation solid-core ball that will conform to the brand new guidelines (particularly if there’s one thing on the market with notably poor aerodynamics) but it surely’s definitely doable you’d have to return to balata.
Anticipating the follow-up … No, we’re not going again to balata. Whereas we’re instructed there could also be a machine or two nonetheless round, no one has produced a wound ball in fairly a while.
Q: What’s fallacious with simply having one ball accessible for everybody? All producers producing one ball of comparable specs—that will result in gamers solely having a producer to select from, not a mess of balls from one producer. – Mark
A: What’s fallacious with simply having one driver accessible for everybody? What about one iron specification? How about all people makes use of the identical wedges (no grind choices) and putter? Whereas we’re at it, why not have everybody put on the identical mannequin (and dimension) of footwear?
What I’m driving at is that “comparable” isn’t “similar” and, in some unspecified time in the future, now we have to acknowledge that launch and trajectory and spin—even with a golf ball—are becoming variables.
For instance the purpose, I pulled knowledge from our 2021 Ball Check. Wanting solely at balls with true Tour-level specs (urethane covers, compression within the mid-80s or larger), there’s 500-rpm distinction between the highest- and lowest-spinning balls (that’s pushing twice what we’d count on to see if we modified driver loft by one diploma).
Utilizing peak peak as our main trajectory metric, it’s a distinction of 20 ft. That won’t sound like so much however Tour execs are infamous for desirous to flight the ball by way of particular “home windows.” On this case, we’re speaking about home windows two tales aside.
Off irons, the spin delta is roughly 1,100 rpm with 12 ft between our home windows.
My level in all of that is that, identical to mandating a single driver spec or perhaps a single shoe mannequin, you’re finally offering a bonus to the fellows the singular piece of mandated gear, by luck, simply occurs to suit higher.
That’s inherently unfair.
Any time a rule change is being mentioned, one of many issues I take a look at is whether or not the governing our bodies try to mandate what quantities to a becoming variable. Any rule that does ought to be a non-starter.
Q: I don’t perceive why the golf ball producers are up in arms. They’ve been supplying limited-flight apply balls to ranges for many years. Is it not the identical precept? – Ian W
A: It’s not precisely the identical.
A limited-flight ball doesn’t fly like a Tour ball. Building is essentially totally different, as are flight and spin properties. It’s not a simple factor to create a ball that feels, flies and spins like a Tour ball off each membership within the bag however flies 15 to twenty yards shorter.
Q: Wouldn’t it not be a lot less complicated to cut back shaft size? – Ben Tidy
A: There’s been loads of questions round, “Couldn’t they (fill within the clean)?” Every little thing has been floated from lowering driver CT, shrinking driver heads and limiting tee peak to faces that collapse at extreme pace (Peter Kostis) and as Ben introduced up, lowering shaft size.
Whereas a few of these could also be a bit extra farfetched than others, any or the entire above would have an effect.
Two issues to contemplate right here.
First, from the preliminary remark interval, I believe the governing our bodies realized fairly shortly that the results of any try to limit the motive force would seemingly be quicker/longer fairway woods.
After which what? You then go after these and really shortly it begins to appear like you’re chasing your tail with no specific course (extra so than some would say it already does).
The second factor is that each one these proposals are restricted to the motive force.
The golf ball is the one piece of apparatus you utilize on each shot so whereas we’ve largely talked about distance within the context of the motive force, the proposed rule has the potential to steal distance from each membership within the bag.
Q: Is it REALLY going to make ANY distinction if the professionals drive it 15 yards shorter? Do some extrapolation and so they’ll hit a 7-iron, say, six yards shorter? Typical USGA fool response. Been to any PGA occasions currently? Gone are the Tim Herrons of the Tour. Most of those guys at the moment are athletes! – Mike
A: See above.
The pondering is the rollback will outcome within the lack of fifteen or 20 yards (it’s early however the guys on the ball corporations I’ve spoken with assume 15 yards is underestimating the loss) off the motive force. Lose extra nonetheless off fairway woods and irons (which is feasible with a brand new ball rule) and now you’re within the ballpark of with the ability to future-proof towards distance beneficial properties and maybe play skilled golf in a smaller ballpark.
Q: Wouldn’t it realistically be doable for producers to develop a core that “collapses” when being impacted by a certain quantity of drive? This could preserve efficiency as-is for slower guys however if you happen to hit the pores and skin off it it’s not gonna go as far. – Steven S
A: They have already got. They’re known as low-compression or “delicate” golf balls.
I’m kidding—however solely a bit of. When a low-compression ball is hit at larger pace than it may assist, the core suffers from extreme deformation which leads to decrease pace and fewer distance.
Q: Would the USGA Rollback have an effect on handicap calculations? Two totally different ones?! – Stephane G
A: Good query. I’ll get again to you when the USGA and R&A handle the problem and give you a stable workable answer. I believe we’re solidly within the “we’ll determine it out” stage of that individual dialogue.
Q: My predominant problem with the USGA and R&A is that they appear to be principally interested by setting guidelines targeted on the “elite” golfer. They hardly ever spend a lot time and vitality setting guidelines that make golf extra pleasant for the “leisure“ golfer who signify the overwhelming majority of golfers. – Chris C
A: For all of the discuss of preservation of the sport, I’m not satisfied it has a lot to do with golfers in any respect. I believe that is all about preservation of the established order because it pertains to championship venues.
I consider what the governing our bodies are finally interested by is guaranteeing that the professional excursions will at all times have the option to have the ability to compete at what are sometimes thought-about the sport’s premier venues equivalent to St Andrews and Augusta and mainly anyplace else they view as golf’s hallowed floor.
You recognize … your fundamental “temples of the sport” nonsense.
Whereas there’s a sensible restrict to distance, I do assume an affordable argument may be made that some programs are susceptible to not with the ability to assist a play model the governing our bodies deem worthy of their standing. That complete “everyone seems to be hitting driver-wedge on each gap” mythology.
Whether or not or not that’s actual, I truly don’t care. This gained’t be a universally widespread opinion however Augusta has confirmed that it may handle and, ought to the day come the governing our bodies determine {that a} venue like St Andrews can’t match the muscle of the trendy tour professional, that’s effective.
Once more, I don’t care.
None of that diminishes its standing as one of many world’s nice programs, neither does it imply it can shut its doorways.
Let the professionals play elsewhere. These programs are nonetheless there for the remainder of us.
Q: What would occur if the ball producers refused to adjust to the USGA Rollback? – Robin C
A: I don’t see that taking place. It could take a degree of cooperation (or maybe collusion) that appears unlikely the place being the one man keen to make a Tour ball—the unofficial official ball—would seemingly show advantageous.
If the entire main manufacturers refused to provide a conforming ball, someone else would step in.
Q: Are you able to think about totally different occasions having totally different guidelines? That might be a shit present. – Mark (The Golf Addict).
A: The (shit) present hasn’t began but but it surely certain seems to be like tickets might be accessible quickly.
Extra Questions?
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