AUGUSTA, Ga. — Three-time Masters winner Gary Player called the issue of increased driving distance in the game a “tragedy” and said the professional game should roll back the ball 60 yards.
“We got away from the concept of golf when it started originally, a par-5, a par-4, and a par-3. There is no such thing as a par-5 in the world today,” Player said. “We saw Rory with a 7-iron last year when he won the Masters, they’re hitting 8-irons and 7-irons to par-5s.”
Player, 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus and two-time Masters winner Tom Watson all voiced their strong stances on the topic of rolling back the golf ball shortly after their ceremonial opening-round tee shots Thursday.
“The golf ball needs to be reined in. What they’re doing right now is throwing a deck chair off the Titanic, and it’s not getting enough done,” Nicklaus said. “It needs to really come back. I know a lot of people don’t like that, but I think Gary is absolutely right.”
The honorary starters echoed Augusta chairman Fred Ridley’s comments Wednesday, which once again outlined Augusta National’s strong position that a rollback of some sort is necessary in order to protect golf’s “integrity.”
“Regulation of the golf ball is not an attempt to turn back time or stifle progress,” Ridley said. “It is an effort to preserve the essence of what makes golf the great game that it is. … My feeling on this subject is [that] failure’s not an option.”
The United States Golf Association announced in March that it might not implement a new overall distance standard, which would reduce elite driving distances by 15 yards, until 2030. The USGA and R&A had previously stated the new testing rules would apply to elite players in 2028 before affecting all golfers in 2030.
“You add the equipment, the large-headed drivers, and you also have to add the fact that the players are stronger, and they work out, and they create more club head speed,” Watson said. “Where do you draw the line on the distance is the real question. But I do believe it should be drawn back.”
While Ridley emphasized the fact that historic courses, not just Augusta National, can’t keep expanding or changing in the face of a game that continues to get longer, Player noted that the amount of money being spent to make these changes and maintain them is also a reason why a rollback should be implemented.
“Whatever the figure is, it’s exorbitant,” Player said. “We’re running out of water in the world, fertilization, machinery is so expensive, labor, oil, whatever cost you want to put in there. Where are we going? That money is being wasted, or if they cut the ball back, we don’t have to make these changes.”
Player also opined that the rollback should only affect the professional game and not the recreational. At the moment, the changes are set to affect both parts of the game, though Ridley argued Wednesday that the proposed equipment changes would be “immaterial” to recreational golfers.
The USGA and R&A announced in January that they were seeking additional input on whether it would be more efficient to implement the rollback for all golfers on a single date instead of a staggered start. The input period ends April 16.
“The program that they have, as I understand it, will amount to about 12 yards for maybe a Rory McIlroy. It will amount to you all out there less than a yard. It really isn’t going to affect you very much, but it will affect the pros a little bit,” Nicklaus said. “My feeling is that they’re never going to bring it back to the level they need to bring it back to.”
