The golf ball rollback issue is back in the news and LIV Golf player Lee Westwood has offered his thoughts on the debate, suggesting it's not just the ball the ought to be looked at.
In March, governing bodies The R&A and USGA announced golf ball bifurcation plans to reduce hitting distances, which would have seen elite golfers use different balls to recreational golfers.
However, that was met with a significant backlash from the PGA Tour, pros and equipment manufacturers alike. As a result, Golf Digest reports that the USGA and The R&A and now considering a full golf ball rollback for both professional and amateur players, with confirmation expected in the coming days.
In Westwood’s opinion, though, rather the issue being exclusively because of the golf ball, the development of drivers is another big reason for ever-increasing modern driving distances.
The 50-year-old wrote on X: “This distance issue has been a ball and Driver combination. It’s not just the ball. The driver heads got too big and they developed a ball to maximise this and vice versa. Who knows, we might get back to a place where hitting the driver out the middle is rewarded again.”
This distance issue has been a ball and Driver combination. It’s not just the ball. The driver heads got too big and they developed a ball to maximise this and vice versa. Who knows, we might get back to a place where hitting the driver out the middle is rewarded again.December 4, 2023
Westwood’s comments are similar to those voiced by another former World No.1, Adam Scott. The Australian said on The Smylie Show: “The ball is the ball. The biggest fundamental change in the game since I've been a pro is traditionally the driver has been the hardest club to hit in the bag, and now it's the most forgiving. That's the biggest evolutionary change in the golf bag to me, out of the equipment."
One player who doesn’t have an issue with the rollback plans is Rory McIlroy. After quitting Twitter (now X) six years ago, the four-time Major winner has returned to the platform to offer support for the plans, writing: “It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability.”
Tiger Woods also reiterated his long-standing view on the golf ball rollback plans, saying at the Hero World Challenge: "I've always been for bifurcation. I've always said that. Just like wood bats and metal bats."
Nevertheless, according to Westwood and Scott, the focus on only changing the ball is flawed, with advances in the technology of drivers at least part of the reason why increasing hitting distances are making some courses unfit for purpose.
