Imago
Composition of silhouette of male golf player over landscape and blue sky with copy space. sport and competition concept digitally generated image. Copyright: xx 1451962
Imago
Composition of silhouette of male golf player over landscape and blue sky with copy space. sport and competition concept digitally generated image. Copyright: xx 1451962
Essentials Inside The Story
- Ian Baker-Finch feels that the golf ball rollback is "too little, too late". Read to find out why.
- What is the purpose of the rule?
- The rule might not really be effective for established players like Jordan Spieth and Tommy Fleetwood.
The USGA and the R&A confirmed that the golf ball rollback rule will come into effect from 2028 for the pros. Amateurs, meanwhile, will be affected by the changes from 2030 onward. Notably, it took them five years to conduct the tests before making it official. However, 1991 Open champion Ian Baker-Finch feels it’s already too late.
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Speaking to Golf Monthly, he said that golf has already been divided into two divisions.
“A lot of the bodies say they don’t want bifurcation, they don’t want a ball for the pro and not for the amateur, but the game is already bifurcated.”
When the rule was announced in 2023, everyone feared that it would nullify years of progress. R&A and USGA, however, believed it was necessary for the betterment of the game. But Finch, quite interestingly, makes a different point, touching upon slow play as well.
“Now the pros walk off the green and backwards 75 yards or more, so it slows the game down,” he told Kit Alexander. He also added, “The leading players are all walking an extra couple of hundred yards every hole. It’s two miles at the end of the day, which doesn’t help the speed of play. I think the rollback is too little, too late.”
Pros like Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau are hitting their drives very long consistently. The Irishman averaged 323 yards on the PGA Tour last season, while “The Scientist” averaged 328.8 yards in LIV Golf. And they aren’t even leading the table of average distance in their respective Tours.
To counter that, organizers are forced to lengthen the courses. As a result, Finch says players are walking more from the tee to the fairway, from the green to the next tee. Finch believes that the blame for this goes to the technology developed by golf brands, and he might just be right.
The PGA Tour’s average driving distance was 302 yards last year. While that might not be a 75-yard difference, the figure may vary depending on hole distance and driving accuracy. Considering all the issues pro golf is already facing with the slow pace of play, ball rollback should have already been implemented.
With the way golf courses are set up now, amateurs and pros already play from different tees. The ball rollback rule may bifurcate the pros and amateurs by making the former play with a different ball, but they might be able to find a middle ground where both categories of players can drive from. Finch gave an example of the same as he explained how he, his son-in-law, his friends, and his wife all play from different tee zones.
'Too little, too late' – Ian Baker-Finch questions golf ball rollback https://t.co/bIeTyI5UQj
— Golf Monthly (@GolfMonthly) January 9, 2026
That said, will the USGA and the R&A need to rework the ball rollback rule by the time it’s implemented in 2028? Let’s look at how the pros have risen recently.
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Rising stars might prove the ball rollback rule to be pointless
The only players who will really be affected by the ball rollback rule might be those who don’t hit long. The Jordan Spieths and Tommy Fleetwoods of the PGA Tour might further struggle to keep up with their peers during tournaments.
The 2025 season saw a lot of new names rise through the rankings. And what stood out among them is their ability to drive long. South African youngster Aldrich Potgieter led the average driving distance metrics last season. Kurt Kitayama won his second PGA Tour title after averaging 318 yards across 148 drives. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Michael Thorbjornsen nearly grabbed his first PGA Tour win with an average driving distance of 317.8 yards.
Considering the numbers they are generating already, changing the rule after two years will be a little too late. The short-hitters will only get hit even shorter, while the long hitters will learn to adapt. Manufacturers will also develop technology to counter the new rule. The only thing the USGA and the R&A did was give them time to prepare for it.
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