The modern game of golf is all about power.
This is best summed up by the term most associated with this philosophy of golf – “Bomb and gouge.”
“Bomb and gouge” refers to the fact that it doesn’t matter if you hit the fairway off the tee as long as you have hit it a long way. Accuracy doesn’t matter as you’ve hit it so far down the hole that you’ll only have a short iron at most for your approach.
But the power game is not to everyone’s liking.
There are dissenting voices that lament the fact that the precision and shot-making capabilities of previous generations of professionals have been lost.
There are several elements we must consider when assessing the current state of the game.
We’ll briefly look at these, but our main focus is on the golf ball.
New rules are being proposed concerning golf ball rollback via the governing bodies of the game, which could alter the game drastically if they go ahead.
So to give you the fullest insight, we’ll look at the following:
- What Goes Into The Modern Bomb And Gouge Game?
- Course Impact – Some Of The Classics Are Becoming Obsolete
- What Makes The Modern Golf Ball Superior?
- Golf Ball Rollback Announcement – What Are The Governing Bodies Proposing?
- Final Thoughts – How Might Golf Ball Rollback Affect Us?
Let’s get to it!
What goes into the modern bomb and gouge game
The golf ball is a major factor in the modern bomb and gouge era of golf, and we’ll cover that in more detail shortly.
But there are two other areas that we can pinpoint that make a big contribution:
- Driver development
- Player development
#1: Driver development
Drivers have evolved rapidly in the past 30 years.
Long gone are the days of the persimmon head and steel shaft combinations that were in every player’s bags.
Whilst some players could still hit the ball a long way with persimmon, they were more beneficial for the shot-shaping skills professionals yielded to navigate their way around the course.
Persimmon also was notoriously unforgiving.
New materials came along in the shape of steel and titanium, and now we are seeing more carbon in driver developments.
These materials are light and strong, which meant the heads became bigger and the weight spread further to the perimeters.
This had the effect of making the driver’s heads much bigger and more forgiving on off-center hits.
Coupled with new advanced graphite shafts, drivers all of a sudden became much easier to hit, and as they were lighter overall, they could be swung faster, creating more power.
The modern driver is the pinnacle of design and engineering and certainly helps every level of golfer get more out of the game.
#2: Player development
At the elite level, golfers are becoming fantastic athletes.
Modern professionals will dedicate a large percentage of their time to tailored programs that help build strength and flexibility into their games.
Gary Player was one of the first golfers to be vocal about being physically in shape to play golf well, and his record bears this out to an extent.
When Tiger Woods came on the scene, players really started to change their habits, with gym work becoming an important part for any player looking to challenge one of the greatest of all time.
Earlier in his career, Woods noted that golfers would become more athletic in their appearance and abilities.
Course impact – some of the classics are Becoming Obsolete
Golf courses have become a victim of the modern game.
Two courses that demonstrate well the radical changes they’ve had to make to stay relevant are the Old Course, St Andrews, and Augusta National.
In 1995 the measurements for both golf courses were:
- Old Course, St Andrews – 6,933 yards
- Augusta National – 6,925 yards
For the 2023 Masters Tournament, Augusta National measured 7,545 yards
When the Old Course hosted the British Open in 2022, it measured 7,297 yards
Both courses have had to use additional land or buy it in order for them to remain a challenge for modern championship purposes.
Other courses haven’t been as lucky.
Fairway bunkers that once could never be carried were getting bypassed completely. Par 5s that were around the 500-yard mark became drive and short irons.
What makes the modern golf ball superior
Up until 2000, the premium golf ball of choice was the balata ball.
Balata golf balls featured either a solid or liquid-filled core, rubber thread was wrapped around the core with a balata cover encasing everything.
These balls provided exceptional feel and higher spin rates than the modern ball, which helped the best in the game shape the ball more effectively.
The main problem with balata was that they didn’t last.
The cover would easily be torn, knocking the ball out of shape and affecting its flight and roll on the greens.
Balata balls were expensive to buy, but there were cheaper, harder-wearing golf balls available in the amateur market. These balls didn’t offer the same level of feel and focused more on distance performance and durability.
2000 was a watershed year for the golf ball market when Titleist launched its first generation of the Pro V1 golf ball.
This golf ball offered the best of both worlds – the feel of the balata but the distance and durability of a harder golf ball.
Overnight, professionals saw an increase in how far they were hitting shots.
The design of the ball also offered exceptional performance in the wind, where its trajectory was much less affected.
The Pro V1 was joined by a higher-spinning model in 2003 – the Pro V1 X.
These two balls pioneered a market that is now highly competitive, with most of the major manufacturers having high-performance golf balls in their range.
The combination of these high-performance golf balls coupled with modern driver technology and golfer’s fitness levels is how we have ended up with a game that is more dominated by power than ever before.
It’s something that the governing bodies of golf are no longer prepared to tolerate, and changes in the form of golf ball rollback are the result.
Golf ball rollback Announcement- what are the governing bodies proposing?
So, what are the new golf ball rollback rules?
In recent years, legends of the game, such as Jack Nicklaus, have pin-pointed the modern golf ball as the main reason that classic golf courses are becoming obsolete.
As the argument has developed, the game’s authorities have now stepped in and are proposing radical changes to limit the performance of the golf ball.
On 14th March 2023, the governing bodies of the sport, the USGA and the R&A, issued a joint statement setting out a new Model Local Rule for golf ball rollback and a timeframe for doing this.
What is a Model Local Rule (MLR)?
In layman’s terms, the MLR is a local rule that gives the major tours the option to vote for or against the proposals approved by the governing bodies.
So, as things stand at the moment, the major tours are likely to vote against accepting the changes, and they will be backed up by the manufacturers.
However, the USGA golf ball rollback and R&A have said that the new golf ball will be in play for the tournaments they organize – the U.S. Open and the British Open.
The MLR falls under the existing Overall Distance Standard protocols, which recently limited the maximum driver length to 46 inches.
What is Golf Ball Rollback Meaning?
The USGA golf ball rollback proposals are:
- 2200 RPM maximum spin rate
- 127 MPH maximum club head speed
- 11-degree maximum launch angle
- 320-yard maximum distance the ball can travel
The proposed changes would come into effect in January 2026.
The current rules allow for a 10-degree launch angle and a maximum speed of 120 MPH.
The 320-yard maximum distance would be carried over to the new rules.
Now the science lesson is completed, let’s explain this in plain English.
What is Golf Ball Rollback Meaning?
What all this means is that under robot-tested conditions, the golf ball can’t travel over 320 yards from a club head speed of 127MPH.
This all sounds very technical, and in some regards, it is, but you have to remember who these rules are aimed at.
How might golf ball rollback affect us?
The golf ball rollback proposals are aimed at the professional game and elite amateur level.
The elite amateur level is classified as amateurs who are good enough to play in regional, national, and open qualifying championships.
There would be no impact on the performance of the golf ball for any other amateur golfers.
An additional advantage for the amateur game is to relax the rules around golf ball performance for amateurs, which could have the effect of adding distance.
Final Thoughts – So, where could this leave the game?
If the governing bodies prevail, there will be effectively a two-tier system that will come into effect – a ball for the professionals and a ball for the amateurs.
As you can imagine, the response from the major manufacturers has not been positive.
It’s easy to see why the manufacturers would push back on the proposals.
The golf ball market in 2022 was worth $1046 million and is projected to grow further going forward. Manufacturers are spending millions of dollars in research and development to create better golf balls that they want to protect.
The manufacturers also have a powerful ally in the USPGA Tour who has also stepped in and will not support the proposal for golf ball rollback
The proposals for golf ball rollback are a direct response to the game’s continuing trend of power, which is making the old classic courses obsolete and new golf courses monstrously long.
The golf ball rollback is aimed squarely at the professional and elite amateur levels. Every other golfer will have access to the same golf balls that are available on the market now.
Time will tell if the proposals set out by the USGA and R&A will be fully implemented.
The proposed January 2026 date for the new golf ball rollback rules to come into effect is a long way off.
With other developments in professional golf taking the spotlight, it could be argued there are more pressing issues to deal with than the golf ball.
