USGA Solicits Scaled-Back Golf Balls

If I were Matt Drudge, this would get the siren treatment. Dave Seanor reports on Golfweek.com that a USGA letter dated April 11 invites companies “to design and make prototype golf balls that comply with modified rules that would reduce maximum ball distance by 15 or 25 yards.”

"We have identified multiple parameters that can be altered to affect ball distance," the USGA’s Dick Rugge said in the letter. "We believe that it is now appropriate to give golf ball manufacturers an opportunity to participate in the research project and thereby become involved in the rule change process if that becomes necessary. We believe that the best way to do that is to invite ball manufacturers to make prototype golf balls of their own design and construction that comply with modified Rules."

The story goes on to quote Bob Thurman of Wilson Golf, who believes the USGA is “setting themselves up to develop specifications for a tournament ball based on a condition of competition that could be adapted by any entity interested in doing so. I think it is probably a preemptive move to some degree, to make sure all the ball manufacturers are buying into this from the beginning, and to show that the USGA has been trying to work with manufacturers along the way."

Then there’s this interesting bit: "Rugge's letter stressed that ‘the USGA and the R&A continue to believe that no rule changes are needed under current conditions,’ thus adhering to their Joint Statement of Principles issued in May 2002. But it was clearly a warning to manufacturers that the ruling bodies are listening to the drumbeat of traditionalists who believe ball distance has gotten out of hand."

Seanor writes that “the letter noted that the ruling bodies had considered issuing specific design parameters for the prototypes, but decided ‘it is better to allow manufacturers to use designs of their own choosing. Therefore, we would like to evaluate balls at two different reduced distances: 15 and 25 yards.'"

He also says that "the prototype balls will be measured using modified Overall Distance Standard limits, not including the current three-yard test tolerance. Thus the current ODS limit of 317 yards would be reduced to 302 and 292 yards for prototype testing."