The rolled-back balls that stars on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will be using on the professional circuit are not to Bryson DeChambeau’s taste.
Proposals for a global golf ball rollback that would enable players, amateur and professional, to regulate the distance a ball can be hit were made public by the R&A and USGA back in December. The goal of the officials was to prevent the game’s ever-expanding hitting distance from taking over the courses.
At first, the modification was solely intended to apply to professional golfers; nevertheless, amateur players are also covered. DeChambeau made the decision to test out an early version of the ball on his YouTube channel, but the modification will go into force in January 2028 and allow for recreational use until 2030.
The major winner used a ball that was comparable to what the pros might have to play with in a few years, even though the best balls will probably be up to 15 yards shorter. He played nine holes with this ball. At Dallas National Golf Club, DeChambeau shot one-under for nine holes with a Nike One Tour ball, but he was not satisfied.
“Range balls extend beyond this,” remarked the 30-year-old. “That kind of compression is not there in them. I am aware that in the past, when I hit a range ball, it will miss to the left and right when I hit it off my heel and toe.
The ball does not respond to send it back straight because of something in its compression. In my opinion, I wouldn’t want anything that I seen today.
“They’re saying it’s like a ten to eleven-yard difference, but it’s like fifteen to twenty,” he continued. It doesn’t appeal to me.
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Legendary for his force while striking the golf ball is Bryson DeChambeau.
Legendary for his force when striking the golf ball is Bryson DeChambeau (Image: Cliff Hawkins/Getty Images)
DeChambeau, who was infuriated by the ball’s lack of movement in the air, also noted that the ball’s speed had dropped by about 6 mph, from 188 mph to 182 mph. “It’s just not curving as much because the ball is going shorter,” he continued. It simply curves less when it gets shorter. That ball should normally be curving more and traveling farther.
It curves entirely differently from how I’m used to it. Thank goodness I’m not playing it at the moment. Simply because of the golf ball, I would have to alter my entire approach.
Following the rejection of ideas for bifurcation—professionals and amateurs utilizing distinct equipment—the regulation was decided to be enforced at all levels. When the PGA Tour revealed its decision, four-time major champion Rory McIlroy supported the proposals, arguing that bifurcation was the “logical answer for everyone.”
McIlroy wrote on X, “I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball roll back.” The average player won’t notice a difference at all, and it returns golf to a sustainable course. Additionally, it will aid in the resurgence of several pro game skills that have been lost during the last 20 years.
