At Oakmont, Mike Whan doubles down on golf ball rollback: 'We're full-speed ahead'

USA Today

a day ago

At Oakmont, Mike Whan doubles down on golf ball rollback: 'We're full-speed ahead' Mike Whan made it clear that despite resistance from the PGA Tour and equipment manufacturers, the governing body is moving forward.
With the U.S. Open returning to Oakmont Country Club this week, USGA CEO Mike Whan made it clear that despite resistance from the PGA Tour and equipment manufacturers, the governing body is moving forward with its plans to roll back golf ball performance beginning in 2028.
Speaking Wednesday during a pre-tournament press conference, Whan acknowledged the anxiety and controversy surrounding the USGA and R&A's distance-reducing protocols — but he also emphasized the industry needs to take a long-term view.
'We're full-speed ahead on what we've announced,' Whan said. 'Those decisions have been made.'
The goal, Whan reiterated, is not to take anything away from the game now but to slow the pace of distance gains that have steadily reshaped men's professional and elite amateur golf over the past decades.
'I get this isn't easy, and everybody has got their own constituents.' What said. 'As an industry, we have to be able to make small adjustments that are in the best interest of the game long-term, that we all know would be better 40 years from now if we were smart enough to make them today.'
What's actually changing — and why it matters
Starting in January 2028, golf ball manufacturers will have to design their balls to comply with new testing parameters under the Overall Distance Standard (ODS). Instead of testing at a clubhead speed of 120 mph, with a launch angle of 10 degrees and spin rate around 2,520 rpm, the new protocol, the test robot will swing a titanium test club at 125 mph, create an 11-degree launch angle and 2,200 rpm of spin.
Under the 2028 testing guidelines, nearly all of today's premium golf balls would be non-conforming, so manufacturers will need to create new balls before 2028 that are slower or produce less distance in order to be deemed conforming and legal for play.
To ease the transition, amateur golfers won't be held to the new rules until January 2030, allowing manufacturers and retailers time to adjust stock.
Pushback from the pros
Since the plan was announced in December, 2023, the idea of changing how golf balls are tested and mandating the use of reduced-distance golf balls has drawn criticism from several corners of the golf world.
The PGA Tour, which initially supported a previous version of the rollback under a Model Local Rule, has seemed to reverse course and has not publicly endorsed the finalized rule. Golfweek's Adam Schupak spoke in March with PGA Tour player Brian Harman, who is a member of the tour's Player Advisory Board, and he said, 'I think it's a bad idea. I can't get on board. There are so many more steps we can take to mitigate distance with golf course setup, driver set up before you force companies to R&D a bunch of things.'
Whan, who previously served as commissioner of the LPGA Tour and who was an executive vice president with TaylorMade, didn't downplay the tensions involved. But he said discussions between governing bodies and stakeholders have been productive.
'I'm encouraged by the collaborative nature of the discussions,' he said. 'Not everybody will like it. It'll be high anxiety until we get there. But nobody is going to die. The game is going to be great.'
A move for the future
Whan was asked directly whether the USGA would move ahead with the rollback even if professional tours and ball manufacturers don't support it.
His answer left little room for ambiguity.
'This is our job as governance,' Whan said. 'We don't have the same conflicts and contracts and biases. And it's not a fun one.'
Whan referenced conversations he's had with Jack Nicklaus, a longtime proponent of rolling back distance in golf. While Nicklaus recently said he'd be willing to 'freeze' current performance levels rather than roll them back, Whan suggested the USGA's plan essentially accomplishes that — just over a longer time frame.
'If you want to keep the distance where it is today, this action that we're talking about is essentially that,' Whan said. 'Maybe in 10 or 15 years, it will feel like the growth of that curve is pretty slow as opposed to the pace we're dealing with today.'
Holding the line
At its core, Whan said, the USGA's motivation isn't about nostalgia or pleasing any one constituency. It's about taking the long view, even if the benefits won't be obvious for a decade or more.
'We'll be handing [future generations] something we could have made small adjustments on,' Whan said. 'And we will.'
The first U.S. Open where the rollback would take effect is expected to be in 2028 — at Pebble Beach, one of the shortest courses on the current major championship rotation.
For Whan, the message is clear: The rollback is coming, and the USGA isn't waiting for everyone to agree.