Whereas pro golf’s previous war was bold, brash and out in the open, its next battle is quieter — and being waged much more covertly. The topic at hand? A golf ball rollback. This week’s mechanism? A PGA Tour survey sent to players.
Discourse around the proposed golf ball rollback to curb the increasing dominance of distance in the sport is only bound to heat up over the summer as the golf world convenes at championships held by the USGA and R&A. Those two governing bodies are in lockstep on what they believe is tantamount for the sport, although they don’t have full support from all the other bodies that oversee the game.
That was made clear during last week’s PGA Championship and also this week by the PGA Tour, which sent a 13-question survey to its members and Korn Ferry Tour members. The purpose is clear: the Tour would like to formally gauge how its entire membership thinks about one of the most pressing debates in the sport’s recent history. It’s not rare for the Tour to send players surveys, but this one is particularly targeted.
“What skill should be tested more on the PGA Tour than it currently is?” the multiple-choice survey begins, with seven possible answers to choose from, ordered randomly:
1. Driving accuracy
2. Driving distance
3. Long approach shots
4. Putting
5. Scrambling
6. Short iron / wedge approach shots
7. Shot shaping
The survey continues in various directions, pondering if the Tour should have its own rule-making processes — rather than the USGA’s Rules of Golf — asking players if they’ve tested prototype golf balls expected to conform to proposed rules, and even asking them to guess how long it may take to transition comfortably into such conforming equipment. Lastly, it offers players the chance to share additional thoughts and even the option to attach their name to their responses. Check it out for yourself below.
For years, the debate on distance and the joint-decision from the USGA and R&A has hung ominously in the background and is a major point of contention. Numerous Tour players have publicly denounced it while the heads of some governing bodies have continually (and forcibly) demanded its importance. Look no further than Masters chairman Fred Ridley, who reiterated the views of the most famous club in the world last month.
“Until recent years golf has been a game of imagination, creativity and variety,” Ridley said. “The game has become much more one-dimensional. As players drive the ball prodigious distances and routinely hit short irons into par-4s and even some par-5s, this issue goes beyond competitive impacts. Increased course lengths results in more time, more cost, and more environmental concerns.”
While the PGA Tour’s newest leadership has been coy about the rollback, its outgoing leadership — see: Jay Monahan — has decried it, calling it “not warranted and is not in the best interest of the game.” That statement came via a July 2023 memo to players and followed a meeting with the 16-person Player Advisory Council. In other words, it came after conversations with PGA Tour players; it wasn’t just Monahan lashing out on his own.
But the statement was important nonetheless. It was a stake in the ground that acknowledged the proposals may not work for everyone, and that there was some important decisions to come. Monahan noted then the Tour had every intention of collaborating with the USGA and R&A, and that remains the case. But fast-forward to 2026, and a few important developments have taken place. First, in January, the USGA and R&A suggested an openness to a 2030 implementation of these standards for all players — professional or amateur — which differed from their original intent to have professionals make changes ahead of 2028. And then, at last week’s PGA Championship, it was reported Cameron Young was already playing a ball that would conform to proposed distance limits.
In effect, those reports would imply that one of the game’s longest hitters was not significantly impacted by the proposal, calling into question if the rollback is necessary at all. The reports came via anonymous sources and were barely commented on by anyone but Young himself, who said he started playing that ball because it was easier to control with his irons. Young added that he thinks all pros are sacrificing some element of distance in pursuit of control.
He ended that press conference in a curious way, stating that his opinion is irrelevant, since “it’s not going to be up to us, I don’t think.” The PGA Tour conducting a player survey on this exact topic would suggest something different.
