President Donald Trump has weighed in on the game’s biggest equipment debate after the governing bodies delayed the controversial golf ball rollback.
President Donald Trump has become the latest high-profile figure to weigh in on golf’s most controversial equipment debate, branding the golf ball rollback “ridiculous” after the USGA and R&A agreed to delay the changes until at least 2030.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump celebrated what he described as a “BIG VICTORY” for PGA Tour players and golfers around the world after the governing bodies announced they would rethink their approach to distance.
“Congratulations to commissioner Brian Rolapp, the PGA Tour, and the governing bodies, and also, the great US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, for a BIG VICTORY,” Trump wrote.
Trump claimed the USGA had wanted to reduce how far golf balls travel but said the governing bodies were now “precluded” from doing so “for a long number of years”.
“It was a ridiculous idea, that nobody wanted, especially PGA Tour Players, and people that don’t want to go to a course to be told that their drives will be going 20 yards shorter,” he wrote.
“What the USGA should do is agree that, far into the future, they will not allow the current ball to go further. In other words, they will keep the ball the same!”
The president added: “The game of golf is ‘hot as a pistol’. The last thing we should do is tell people that, for no reason whatsoever, you will not be able to hit a ball as far as you used to.”
And in trademark style, he concluded: “Has anyone ever heard of anything so ridiculous?”
Trump’s comments carry more weight in golf than those of most world leaders.
An avid player who regularly talks about the game in public and political settings, the 80-year-old owns golf properties around the world, including Trump Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links Scotland, two of the most celebrated resorts in the game.
His courses have hosted PGA Tour, LPGA and LIV Golf events, with Trump National Doral becoming one of LIV Golf’s flagship venues.
Trump has also become increasingly visible within the professional game. He attended the Ryder Cup at Bethpage, has repeatedly spoken about the future of golf during his presidency and famously debated Joe Biden’s handicap during the pair’s televised election debate.
Last year, he teamed up with LIV Golf star Bryson Dechambeau for a hugely successful episode of the former US Open champion’s Break 50 YouTube series. DeChambeau has since been appointed Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition.
Trump, who frequently claims club championship victories, has also found himself at the center of long-running accusations from critics and former playing partners over his conduct on the golf course — allegations he has consistently dismissed.
His rollback comments came just hours after the USGA, R&A, PGA Tour and DP World Tour issued a joint statement confirming there will be no change to golf ball testing standards until January 2030.
Under the original plan announced in 2023, elite players were due to switch to a reduced-distance ball in 2028, with recreational golfers following two years later.
However, after discussions with the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and players, the governing bodies agreed to revisit their approach amid concerns the proposed changes might not go far enough to meaningfully curb distances increases.
Speaking at Shinnecock Hills ahead of this week’s US Open, USGA CEO Mike Whan revealed that players and tour officials had questioned whether the rollback would actually achieve enough.
“It’s fair to critique whether or not it’s enough,” Whan said. “It probably isn’t enough.”
Whan also revealed that the rethink was prompted not by new testing data, but by discussions with elite players.
“It was dialogue with some of the best players in the world,” he said.
Despite Trump’s suggestion that the rollback has effectively been killed, golf’s governing bodies insist they remain committed to addressing distance at the elite level and are now exploring alternative solutions alongside the tours and players.
So while the biggest equipment change in modern golf has been pushed back, the distance debate itself is far from over.