LONDON. – Golf’s longest hitters could be reeled in under new proposals to limit the distance balls struck by elite players can travel.
Average driving distances are around 300 meters on the PGA Tour, but many players are well more than that, meaning some courses are in danger of becoming obsolete.
While great attention is given to club technology, rules makers the Royal and Ancient and United States Golf Association (USGA) are now turning their attention to balls.
They are proposing the introduction of a Model Local Rule (MLR) which would give competition organizers the option to require players to use only balls tested under modified launch conditions and that meet maximum-distance criteria.
It would have no impact on recreational golf.
“Hitting distances at the elite level of the game have consistently increased over the past 20, 40, and 60 years,” Martin Slumbers, CEO of The R&A, said in a statement on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila).
“It’s been two decades since we last revisited our testing standards for ball distances.
Predictable, continued increases will become a significant issue for the next generation if not addressed soon.”
Notice of the proposal was sent to golf equipment manufacturers on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) and have been invited to provide feedback until August this year.
The PGA Tour issued a statement in response to the announcement, saying it would continue to ‘work closely’ with the R&A and USGA but would continue its own analysis. — Reuters
