Welcome back to Kaitlyn’s Corner. This week, I decided to break down the oh-so-controversial “rollback” situation that recently took over the golf world. As I said in my previous blog, I grew up playing golf, but never super seriously—and in terms of what golf balls I use, I really just use whatever is put in front of me. Truth be told, I can’t tell a difference. Is that bad? Oh well, I still manage to hit the ball 175 yards or so off the tee, and we go from there.
Anyway, let’s get into this, shall we? So, the question (in question): what is the new rollback situation, and why does it have everyone’s attention? Well, the USGA and R&A—otherwise known as golf’s governing bodies—worked together to propose a new way for golf pros to essentially not hit the ball as far as they have been. In layman’s terms, the pros—or elites as many are calling them–are simply too good for the current layout and setup of most golf courses they play on.
These days, golf technology has gotten a lot better, which in turn helps the pros hit a lot farther than they ever have before. Farther drives mean a lot more golf course maintenance… which means a lot more money. So, basically, the head golf associations don’t want to have to keep expanding the courses, thus implementing this new rule.
So, why is this so controversial? I was thinking the same thing until I watched the interview with Justin Thomas and saw his thoughts. One kind of cool thing about golf is that everyone can use the same equipment. The same golf ball that the pros use, you or I could go out and buy them too. If this rollback rule is implemented, that would change and really change that principle.
In all of the interviews I’ve read and watched, I don’t think anyone is in favor of this ruling. The good thing, however, is that the PGA doesn’t necessarily have to listen to the USGA. It’s more of a “hey, you should do this” instead of a “hey, you have to do this.” Granted, this wouldn’t be implemented until 2026, so a solid three years away, but it’s still an interesting concept to consider now. I don’t really think anyone has a firm grasp on the concept quite yet, so I guess we’ll see how it plays out in the next few years.
Ok regular rick’s, what are your thoughts? Let me know!