PGA of America denounces proposed golf ball rollback by USGA and R&A

Seth Waugh, PGA of America CEO, authored a memo to golf’s largest governing bodies, the USGA and the R&A, denouncing the proposed rollback.

In a memo obtained by Rex Hoggard of the Golf Channel, PGA of America CEO Seth Waugh penned a letter to the USGA and R&A denouncing the proposed golf ball rollback.

Earlier this year, the USGA and the R&A, golf’s largest governing bodies, announced that they planned to alter the golf ball for professional circuits beginning in 2026.

“We fear that the proposed changes could seriously interrupt the current momentum in the game and be fundamentally damaging and detrimental in the long run,” Waugh wrote in late July.

“It is something that we feel could lead to division and cause us to lose a very precarious characteristic of golf; the fact that we all play on the same course with the same clubs and balls. In our view, this dynamic should be preserved as a fundamental tenet.”

Waugh continued to slam the proposal, citing a myriad of concerns that he and other World Alliance PGA affiliations have.

“There are a number of operational issues related to the two-ball scenario including, but not limited to: policing of players to ensure they are playing the right ball, retailers having to stock two different specifications of balls, certain players playing different balls for different events and ranges (and coaches) having to provide both balls for different golfers,” Waugh argues.

“We believe that any changes to the golf ball will have the consequence of also leading to changes to virtually all golf clubs which are built to perform best around the characteristics of the golf ball. Handicap course ratings across will also need to be revisited and revised.”

“Lastly and importantly, the suggestion that elite women should play the ‘recreational ball’ could be viewed very negatively at a time when we are all trying to promote and champion women’s golf and participation.”

The USGA and R&A’s proposed rollback aims to curb the superior distances achieved among the men’s professional ranks. The golf ball has never traveled farther, thanks to equipment becoming more advanced over the past few decades.

In 2023, the average driving distance of a PGA Tour professional is 291.6 yards. Twenty years ago, that number was 277.9 yards.

Only two individuals in 2003 averaged more than 300 yards off the tee, with one of those being John Daly. This year, 22 players hit their tee shots more than 300 yards on average.

Many individuals, including Jack Nicklaus, have expressed concern over how far players can hit the golf ball. Nicklaus has pointed to golf courses becoming longer to help curb this reality, as bigger courses require more maintenance, labor, and natural resources.

Yet, Waugh “respectfully asked” golf’s governing bodies to reconsider this proposal. Whether the USGA and R&A do so remains to be seen.

The debate on whether or not to alter the golf ball comes at a time when professional golf is quite divided between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf, despite their announcement on Jun. 6 that the two entities will move forward together.

Like the PGA-LIV situation, this discussion is not going away soon.

In fact, it is only getting started.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.