Almost everyone involved in the sport has had their two cents on the golf ball rollback. And now a Masters champion and Ryder Cup legend has thrown his idea into the pot…
The golf world has been divided on the golf ball rollback debate for almost three years now – and now an idea from Jose Maria Olazabal has been added to the list of alternative solutions.
The R&A and USGA announced in December 2023 that new Overall Distance Standard testing procedures would be introduced in a bid to rein in how far the golf ball travels at elite level. Originally, professional players were expected to make the change from January 2028, with amateurs following two years later.
But that particular boat was rocked by Cameron Young who, ahead of the PGA Championship in May, revealed that he has been playing a prototype Titleist Pro V1x that already conforms to the proposed new standards. Even more surprisingly, he was actually averaging almost a yard longer since making the switch. The following month, the governing bodies announced plans that there would be no changes at all until January 2030 at the earliest.
Elite coach Butch Harmon is among the many who would rather see a reduction in the size of the driver head – “a smaller head, the length of the club could only be so far, and the velocity the ball comes off the club face can only be so fast” – though he admits that “unfortunately, we’ve passed the time for that to happen”.
Speaking as a guest on Smylie Kaufman’s podcast, The Smylie Show, Harmon said: “I don’t know what the solution is. I don’t know what the answer is.
“The manufacturers have spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing these clubs. The downside is the average guy that’s a 15- or 16-handicap doesn’t have the club head speed to take advantage of it. They think they do, and they’re going to buy them.”
However, Harmon did put forward a “most interesting idea” from his close friend and two-time Masters champion Olazabal.
“Jose is the best,” Harmon said. “I’ve never met a guy that’s got such a passion for golf. ‘Butch, I’ll tell you something. Leave the clubs the same. Don’t touch the driver, don’t touch the ball. We go from 14 clubs to nine clubs. Then we’ll find out who can play.’ I’m thinking to myself, ‘That’s brilliant!’ I don’t know how we got to 14 anyway.
“Wouldn’t it be great to see a tournament where you could only use nine clubs? If you’ve got a putter, you’ve only got eight clubs.”
Outspoken tour pro player Michael Kim is on board with the Spaniard’s idea.
In a post on X following June’s announcement, Kim, a winner on both the PGA and DP World Tours, said that “bifurcation is the only way to create the effect the USGA and the roll back crowd wants” and that “the line is way too thin for them to try and get the best of both worlds”.
He added: “If they truly want ‘shot-making’ to be more important, then going to 10 clubs will make that happen instantly. I think the USGA want less bomb-and-gouge, yet the rollback will only make driver and distance even MORE important.”
Why Olazabal’s 9-club plan can’t work
TG‘s equipment editor Lewis Daff is in the driver rollback camp – and while he likes Olazabal’s idea, it’s not something that can realistically be implemented.
“Olazabal’s solution is one I’ve not seen before, but I like the thought behind it,” he explains. “I’ve had my own opinion on why the driver is the right solution to the distance debate, but, most importantly, both of our ideas put emphasis back on the ability of the golfer.
“The only concerns I have are with the impact this will have on the growth of the game, with a bigger learning curve for new players, and what current players are meant to do with nearly half their bag now.”
The biggest issue that concerns Lewis, though, is the reaction of the manufacturers.
“If we get pushback from brands about the golf ball already, you aren’t prepared for the drama induced by reducing their club sales,” he adds. “Iron sets, for example, would likely need to pivot to lofts instead of the current labelling to make blending easier, which will almost immediately end most manufacturers’ abilities to claim increased distances from stronger lofts.
“That’s not actually a drawback for the golfer – more honest conversations around clubs are always better – but good luck trying to get a multi-billion industry to lose out on those sales.”
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