LAS VEGAS — As if there wasn’t enough to discuss this week at the annual college golf coaches clinic, the golf ball rollback proposal, announced Wednesday by the USGA and R&A, has sparked plenty of conversation in the golf community.
And college golf coaches are among those talking about the changes.
Starting in 2028, for a golf ball to be deemed conforming and legal for play, it will be tested using a robot that swings a titanium club at 125 mph and hits the ball on an 11-degree launch angle with 2,200 rpm of spin. The shot can not exceed the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) of 317 yards of combined carry distance and roll (with a 3-yard tolerance).
The change will affect all levels of golf, meaning the top amateurs and college players will also have to conform to the new golf balls down the road.
Golfweek spoke with numerous college coaches at an annual convention for the Golf Coaches Association of America and the Women Golf Coaches Association to get some thoughts on the golf ball rollback. Here’s what some of them had to say.