In June, the R&A, USGA, PGA Tour and DP World Tour announced a plan to review the proposed Model Local Rule to roll back the golf ball and reduce driving distances.
In that announcement, the rule makers and tours said they intended to “review, test and implement options that have a meaningful impact on distance at the elite level.”
On Monday, the PGA Tour and European circuit revealed in a memo a revised proposal that will alter the testing conditions for golf balls with an “Overall Distance Standard” of 317 yards “plus a 3-yard tolerance.” That tolerance is not included in the new proposal.
The new proposal also includes a possible limit of shaft lengths to “less than the 46-inch limit.”
“The R&A and USGA, in consultation with key stakeholders, including the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, are in the process of considering a range of other approaches that may more materially impact the pace of future distance increases at the elite level,” the memo read.
This notion dovetails with the resistance the original proposed rule received from some Tour players who argued the rule wouldn’t significantly impact how far elite players hit the golf ball. That resistance grew louder when Cameron Young won The Players Championship, and the 2025 Wyndham Championship, using a golf ball that would likely be deemed conforming under the previously proposed testing protocols.
The new proposal takes a more comprehensive approach to driving distances at the elite level.
Players also argued that the original proposal would not impact players equally.
“Since June’s joint statement, the USGA and the R&A have engaged in ongoing conversations with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour to investigate what options might have a more significant and lasting impact on distance increases, to ensure the game doesn’t become too one-dimensional and to encourage shot making at the elite men’s professional level,” a statement from the USGA read. “That dialogue has been valuable and is ongoing. As part of these discussions, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have asked the governing bodies to explore and research several potential Model Local Rules and the notice provides details of those Model Local Rules for manufacturers to comment on.”
The USGA and R&A have opened a comment period on the new proposal until Oct. 21 and the earliest any new rule could be implemented is 2030.