A week after the USGA and R&A announced a proposed Model Local Rule (MLR) that could mandate elite players to use a reduced-distance golf ball, TaylorMade joined other equipment makers in voicing skepticism and worry about what it might do to the sport. The second sentence of the statement said, “This will introduce bifurcation into our sport, meaning that you – the golfer – will play with different equipment than the professionals.”
Thursday morning, the equipment company based in Carlsbad, California, released the results of a survey it conducted to gauge recreational golfers’ ideas on the proposed Model Local Rule. More than 45,000 people took part, according to TaylorMade, and the overwhelming response was recreational golfers are not in favor of the USGA and R&A’s plans.
When asked, “To the best of your knowledge, do you agree with the proposed golf ball rule,” 81 percent responded ‘No’ in the survey, while 77 percent said that the average hitting distances in professional golf do not need to be reduced.
“The goal of our survey was to give golfers the opportunity to voice their opinion on this proposed ruling as we absorb the MLR and its potential effects on the everyday golfer,” said David Abeles, TaylorMade’s president and CEO. “We are grateful that nearly 45,000 golfers across the world felt the need for their voices to be heard. The overwhelming amount of responses show the passion, knowledge and care for the game our audience possesses. Each response and data point is being reviewed as we will utilize this feedback in our preparation to provide a response to the USGA and R&A.”
TaylorMade’s survey consisted of 14 questions, including the respondent’s handicap level. 85 percent of people who took the survey said the MLR would not have any impact on how much golf they played when TaylorMade asked for three words to describe the proposed MLR, the most common words used were “Unnecessary,” “Stupid” and “Dumb.”
After announcing the proposed MLR, the USGA and R&A stated that a comment period would take place until Aug. 14. During the comment period, stakeholders like equipment companies, players, golf course operators, professional tours and others can weigh in and provide feedback to the game’s governing bodies. After the comment period concludes, the USGA and R&A will likely go over reports and new input, and it is anticipated that they will announce a decision regarding the proposed MLR by the end of 2023. If it passes, that would give equipment makers like TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, Bridgestone and Srixon two years to create balls that could pass the modified testing procedures and conform with the Model Local Rule.
The TaylorMade study does not claim to be a scientifically-created, cross-section of all golfers, it can safely be assumed that golfers who opted to take the survey after seeing it promoted on TaylorMade’s social media channels and website think positively of the brand and its viewpoints.
While some people will see the survey as biased, it represents a clear challenge to the USGA and R&A’s position that distance is a problem at the elite level and needs to be reduced. The game’s governing bodies were well aware of how polarizing an issue distance has become before they announced the proposed MLR, and a key for its acceptance in the golf community is winning over weekend golfers and recreational players who will not be affected by it. While the USGA and R&A staunchly oppose bifurcation, many golfers feel the adoption of the MLR would amount to precisely that, creating different sets of rules to govern players of different abilities.
