Major champ urges action from golf chiefs: "Something's gonna have to give"

Multiple major champion Ernie Els has urged the sport's rulemakers to step in and finally do something about how far the golf ball travels.

The distance debate has rumbled on for years, but the R&A and USGA believed they had solved the issue when they announced plans to roll back the golf ball.

Under the original plan, new testing standards were due to take effect for elite competition from 2028 before being extended to recreational golfers two years later.

But the governing bodies announced in June, before the U.S. Open, that the plans have been put on hold after discussions with tour officials, players and industry stakeholders.

Els told Golfweek that distance has changed the way the game has been played, and not for the better.

"When's the last time you’ve seen pros hit a 6-iron into a par 4?" he told the publication.

"That's how golf courses were designed. For 4-irons and 2-irons. You remember those iconic shots of Ben Hogan at Merion. He hit a 2-iron.

"When was the last time you saw a player hit a 2-iron into a par 4? Jack Nicklaus a 1-iron at Pebble hitting the flag at the par-3 17th.

"To hit a long iron at a par-3 they have to make it 302 yards at No. 8 at Oakmont and everyone loses their mind at the length. But the hole was designed to run it in, not fly it in.

"It's gone out the window now because the designs are out of date. We need to bring the game back and it’s going to take balls. The USGA and R&A, they need to do something."

Els is particularly concerned about the scoring at next year's men's majors. The U.S. Open is heading to Pebble Beach, whilst golf's oldest major, the Open, returns to the Old Course at St Andrews.

"I spoke to somebody at Pebble Beach," said Els.

"They're going to have to grow rough this high and [have] 20-yard wide fairways to make a guy think if the ball isn’t going to be rolled back. Something's gonna have to give.

"Seriously, we're going to have to have marshals down the fairways to find golf balls. Otherwise, guys are going to keep ripping it up."

Why has the rollback been put on hold?

Quite simply, because there remains a lack of consensus among the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, their players, manufacturers and governing bodies. 

The R&A and USGA have been examining ways to counter the massive length in the modern era for nearly a decade. 

They thought they had found an answer by introducing new rules that meant from 2028 professional players would be forced to use balls manufactured to new distance-curbing specifications. 

Estimates suggested they would see a reduction of around 15 yards as a result. 

In 2026 alone, some players have confirmed that the golf balls they have used in elite competition would've passed the proposed testing. 

USGA chief executive, Mike Whan, said the new deadline of 2030 will be adhered to. 

Other options are back on the table, he said, such as bifurcation.