Harrington, now 52, is often used as the prime example of a player who has benefitted most from the modern golf ball going so far. The Irishman ranked first on the PGA Tour Champions last season with an average driving distance of 302.4 yards. Twenty years ago, in the prime of his career, Harrington averaged just 290.8.

While the ball, and modern clubs, certainly play a role in his incredible gains, Harrington has also worked tirelessly with Golf Digest 50 Best Teacher Michael Jacobs to gain maximum speed. I wondered if Harrington took offense to the narrative that he hits it so much farther now at 52 just because of the ball and not because of the hours he’s put in to get to where he is now. An opportunity arose on Wednesday at the PNC Championship to ask him that very question.

In the most on-brand move ever, Harrington then proceeded to rant for seven consecutive minutes, and I’m not sure if he ever answered the original question.

“The one thing about the rollback is it’s distinctly different—the attitude in the United States than the attitude, certainly in Ireland and the rest of Europe,” Harrington said. “You guys hate the USGA. We actually love the R&A. Golf isn’t an exclusive game in Europe. Some golf courses, we have the whole gambit. The majority of golf courses in Ireland are just regular member’s golfer courses. Yes, you need to be rich to play golf — rich in time. The people who play golf in Ireland are people who have time. Taxi drivers, policemen, anybody on shift work, and obviously people who are wealthy enough that they can make some spare time, but everybody plays in Ireland. And we all know a golf course that we grew up on that has had to change its golf holes, move part of the course, actually move the whole golf course at times because the ball is just going too far.

“And it’s not 98 percent of golfers. It’s the one percent of amateurs, the young adults that we want to play the game, they can hit it,” he continued. “And when they miss, they miss big. It goes off the golf course, it pitches in the middle of other fairways. It’s dangerous. They can’t get insurance, they have to change the holes. So, I know there is a bit of pain involved for the majority, but it’s for the greater good of the game. And to be honest, five percent was soft. Ten percent would have been a fair hit, but five percent is really drawing a line in the sand. It’s just saying, in five year’s time, we’ll have eaten that five percent up anyway. It’s a line in the sand that says if it starts creeping again, we’re going to roll it back again.”

Harrington then proceeded to make the sustainability argument, saying that in the U.S. we have far more land to work with than in countries like Ireland. His local course in Dublin, Grange Golf Club, opens with a par 3 that once took a 3-wood to find the green. Now, Harrington says, it’s a sand wedge.

“That’s a constant theme, so it’s very important for the rest of the world to roll it back. I’m sorry you guys in the U.S. feel that way. There is that attitude in the U.S. that the USGA is representing the very exclusive, old school courses. That’s not the case,” he said. “They are representing everybody, and I guarantee you the R&A, people have a much better view of them. They’re just trying to make the game grow for everyone.”

As for taking offense to folks saying Harrington hits it so long at 52 now because of the golf ball, he believes they are wrong to use him as an example.

“I don’t worry about me,” Harrington said. “I’m actually in the same place — I was a long hitter, but not as long as the biggest hitters. The biggest hitters didn’t play when I played. Now they do, and I’m still in the same place, I’m a long hitter but I’m not quite as long as the really long guys. Some of those really long guys are better players now, and I think there’s more of them too.

“The problem the game has is what’s coming. Everyone says, ‘oh, look at Cameron Champ, it’s amazing.’ There’s loads of these guys, and faster, in college. They’re all over, and I’m not saying they’re players, but eventually we’re going to get a guy with 210-mph ball speed who is able to play. Up to now anybody who has got to that speed just can’t play golf, but that doesn’t mean we’re not going to get one. Like Tiger, he came out and he was a 190-mph ball speed guy — not that we hadn’t seen 190 ball speed before, we just hadn’t seen a 190 ball speed who could play golf.”

As another example, Harrington used Hank Kuehne, who averaged 321 yards off the tee all the way back in 2003. Harrington believes the world convinced Kuehne that he was wrong, that if he hit it in trouble as a long hitter it was because he hit driver. Then, Harrington says, a player named Rory McIlroy came along and changed everyone’s way of thinking.

“He [McIlroy] just hit driver, and all of a sudden the other long hitters, I’m talking DJ [Dustin Johnson], I’m talking Bubba [Bubba Watson], J.B. Holmes, they were big hitters at the time, Gary Woodland. They all changed their style of golf once they saw Rory change. I played with DJ his first ever [Players Championship] at TPC Sawgrass. He got in as a late alternate, and we’re on the tee and this kid, I had no idea who he was and he had an iron in his hand and we’re kind of like ‘oh, look at this lad, he’s nervous isn’t he.’ And then you see this iron coming out and you go, woah, that’s a bit different. There’s not a chance in the world that DJ would tee it up with an iron at TPC Sawgrass now, he’s hitting driver. That’s how much the game has changed.”

Ultimately, Harrington says, we’re going to see a player who is cruising between 135 and 140-mph clubhead speed who will be able to play. The rollback should be able to hold everything in place as is, but it won’t be able to stop the young guys coming. Harrington believes we haven’t even come close to the maximum physical capability, hence why the rollback is necessary.

He then closed with an unbelievably bold prediction.

“You know what the biggest change is going to be?” he asked. “I’m going to say it here — it’s going to be the ladies game. They hit too many fairways now, so there is a huge advantage going forward for somebody who comes out there with 175-mph ball speed. There is going to be a lady coming out with 175 ball speed who can be a real competitor, and guess what? She’s going to be able to play with the men, and compete.”

To hear Harrington’s full take, watch the video below:

I asked @padraig_h for his ‘quick’ rollback take. He then spoke for 7 consecutive minutes without coming up for air.

I promise it’s worth your time, especially if you stick around for the very end when he makes an incredibly bold prediction for the future of golf pic.twitter.com/czH17T6i85

— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) December 14, 2023

Main Image: Sam Greenwood

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As Golf Digest reported last week, there is a golf ball rollback, in some form, coming.

“We have been very clear, as has [CEO] Mike Whan at the USGA,” R&A head Martin Slumbers told Golf Digest last month. “There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”

The golf ball rollback, if you’re unfamiliar, is a proposed rule change by the USGA and R&A, golf’s rule-making bodies, to address the continued increase in the distance professional golfers are hitting the ball. Proponents of the rollback say it protects historic golf courses from becoming obsolete, among other things. Opponents of the rollback say these are golf’s old-school elitists trying to hamper progress.

Personally, I’m a sceptic on the rollback, but wherever you land, it’s increasingly clear that something is going to happen, and probably soon with a rule that will apply eventually to all golfers, not just elite players. So let’s do a quick runthrough of a few potential outcomes, ranked from least to most severe.

Rollback fails, status quo remains

Given all the efforts in recent years to study the issue, then take a stance that distance is a matter that needs to be addressed, and with the pending rule set to be announced, it’s hard to see the governing bodies announcing a full-on retreat anytime soon. However, there’s a potential case they may be forced into one. Perhaps it’s via a lawsuit from equipment manufacturers, or blowback from the public that’s so heated they get spooked. Or maybe the game’s other power players, like the various tours, simply refuse to abide by the new rule, which pulls the governing bodies back from their plans.

Again, it’s unclear how or if the governing bodies could land in a “let’s just forget about it” position, but the result would be the least drastic of all: Golf takes the scenic route to everything staying the same.

Forty years ago, in the December 1983 edition of the magazine, Golf Digest was exploring the possibility that the distance golf balls were travelling might require action from golf’s governing bodies.

Tournament-specific golf balls

Of course, everything above would require the powers that be to back away from their own idea of a rollback. But if the response to impacting average golfers with a rollback is harsh enough, it could be that the governing bodies return to their original proposal of a model local rule. The fight to get here though might be so heated that potentially they only enact that rule sparingly, on specific courses. The Open Championship at the Old Course, for instance, or the U.S. Open at Merion, etc.

Week in, week out, things will basically stay the same. But when the championship goes to a legacy course that can’t or won’t be changed, then the rolled back ball comes out.

Competitive-recreational golfer split

Turn the temperature one notch further up, and you’ve got something similar to the previous proposal being adopted (aka, a local rule that can be enacted at-will by tournaments), but one that isn’t used sparingly. Rather, it’s adopted on a wider scale as a new normal.

Every USGA or R&A tournament adopts the rolled-back ball, for instance, or every NCAA tournament. This would, I would guess, end up dividing down competitive-recreational golfer lines. If you’re playing in non-handicap stroke play tournaments, there’s a good chance you’re using the rolled back ball.

Of course, this gets messy if the major tours, like the PGA Tour, doesn’t adopt the rule (which officials have said is their current stance), but we’ll get to that …

Rollback for everyone

Perhaps it’s posturing, perhaps it’s hinting at what’s ahead. But there were inklings in Slumbers’ comments that it may be cleaner to adopt a rollback across all of golf. And that is what sources tell Golf Digest is coming soon from the USGA and R&A.

This is one of the scenarios in which the proposed rule would likely affect you, the golfer. The rolled back ball is designed to chop 20 yards off the drives of golf’s best players. What would it mean for you? Without knowing the ball, it’s hard to know. Probably something slightly less but similar.

Some golfers would say they would simply refuse to adopt the rolled back ball, as they’ve indicated in a recent Golf Digest poll in which more than 60 per cent of respondents said they wouldn’t honour a new rule that restricted distance.

Breakaway chaos

And then there’s the most severe outcome of them all: Some kind of standoff that doesn’t get resolved, and instead escalates the divide.

What do I mean? Let’s say the USGA and R&A announce a rollback of some sort, whether for some or all. But then, the PGA Tour and LIV refuse to adopt it, and many of the major equipment manufacturers simply refuse to make a new golf ball model. Perhaps there’s even a threat to form a breakaway governing body to compete with the others.

Who knows how it’ll all turn out, all that’s clear is that in this scenario, it gets messy. Very messy.

Main image: Eóin Noonan

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The rollback would be implemented for golfers of all levels in 2030—different than the bifurcated proposal those governing bodies put forward earlier this year. The USGA and R&A predict a 10-15 yards decrease for golf’s longest hitters, down to 1-5 yards for amateurs.

We have finalized the next step in our years-long effort to address consistent increases in hitting distance and golf’s sustainability.

These changes to the Overall Distance Standard will take effect in January 2028.

— USGA (@USGA) December 6, 2023

Naturally, the rule change caused an eruption from golfers on all sides. Let’s break down some of the most noteworthy reactions.

Bridgestone Golf

Golf ball maker Bridgestone Golf issued a statement effectively saying they don’t like it, but they accept it and are moving on.

Bridgestone Golf statement regarding USGA/R&A distance roll back announcement: pic.twitter.com/L290S6nJtX

— Bridgestone Golf (@bridgestonegolf) December 6, 2023

Rory McIlroy

McIlroy has been outspoken in support of his rollback. After a tweet over the weekend, McIlroy joined Sky Sports on Wednesday morning to support the official proposal, saying that it’ll lead to a more “skilled” game.

"I think this change will make the game more skilful again" ?

World number two golfer Rory McIlroy has backed the new changes to rules regarding golf ball specifications which will see a reduce in distance they travel ?️? pic.twitter.com/XamHvgVhBA

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) December 6, 2023

TaylorMade Golf

McIlroy’s sponsor, TaylorMade Golf, released a statement on the rollback, expressing opposition but acceptance. On Golf Channel, the company’s CEO David Abeles said: “This decision has been made, and we will move forward.”

PGA Tour

The PGA Tour, with a vast majority of players being against the decision, released a statement questioning the specifics of the new testing protocols, saying they aren’t representative of on-course speeds.

Callaway Golf

Callaway Golf carved out a unique position, expressing disappointment that the USGA moved away from a bifurcated proposal.

PGA of America

The PGA of America released a statement praising the delayed timeline of implementing the new rule, but expressing concerns over a “greater reduction of distance than we would advise” for recreational players.

We appreciate that the USGA and R&A ran a collaborative and patient process over the past several years. We are particularly gratified that they heard our concerns regarding the significant operational challenges bifurcation would have presented and are no longer considering a local rule regarding the ball for elite players. We are also pleased that the proposed change to the ball has been delayed until 2028 for elite players and 2030 for recreational golfers. Given the important role our nearly 30,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals play in the recreational game, having more time to adjust to the new rule is helpful. We remain opposed to any change that may potentially lessen the enjoyment of the game for recreational golfers or diminish the unprecedented momentum the game is enjoying. It appears recreational golfers will see a greater reduction in distance than we would advise. While this decrease has been lessened, we continue to recommend being more moderate on the swing speed change for the golf ball conformance test. At this time, we continue to have concerns and look forward to continuing this important conversation and finding resolution with all of our golf industry partners.

USGA and R&A CEOs Mike Whan and Martin Slumbers

Defending their own proposal on Golf Channel, Slumbers said that the move was designed to “protect the long-term health and sustainability of the game…with the environmental concerns,” while Whan punched back against some of the proposal’s critics:

“There’s gonna be a lot of ambulance chasers and alarmists that are gonna make this thing seem so much worse than it really is. … I don’t want a few loud voices that are trying to get more clicks and more viewers and more phone calls to drive a frenzy that quite frankly isn’t based in fact.”

.@RandA and @USGA CEOs Martin Slumbers and Mike Whan detail what the universal golf ball rollback announcement means for players of all levels.

?: @GolfCentral breaking news coverage live now on Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/remf2OX3Q2

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) December 6, 2023

Main image: Mike Ehrmann

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The USGA and the R&A formally announced Wednesday their intention to roll back the distance golf balls can travel. The rollback goes into effect January 2028 for elite competitions and for everybody come January 2030. The decision, part of the governing bodies’ Distance Insights Project, comes after some three years of “Notice and Comment” in which the USGA and R&A accepted feedback from golf’s stakeholders.

“Governance is hard. And while thousands will claim that we did too much, there will be just as many who said we didn’t do enough to protect the game long-term,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “But from the very beginning, we’ve been driven to do what is right for the game, without bias. As we’ve said, doing nothing is not an option—and we would be failing in our responsibility to protect the game’s future if we didn’t take appropriate action now.”

The specifics, first reported by Golf Digest, involve the test for the Overall Distance Standard. The governing bodies are increasing the swing speed at which golf balls are tested from the current standard of 120 mph to 125 mph without changing the distance limit of 317 yards (plus a three-yard tolerance) with a launch angle of 11 degrees and 2,200 rpm of spin. In layman’s terms, according to the USGA and R&A, the effect could be a distance loss of nine to 11 yards at the PGA Tour or DP World Tour level, five to seven yards for the LPGA/LET and between five yards or less for everyday players.

All golf balls submitted to the USGA for conformance during or after October 2027 will be evaluated using the new protocol. In other words, if everyday golfers want to continue using longer golf balls in 2028 and 2029, they will be older-model balls. There was no mention in the Notice of Decision how one would be able to tell what is an old conforming ball and what is a new conforming ball other than comparing it to the conforming list. However, John Spitzer, the USGA’s managing director of equipment standards, said approximately one-third of balls currently on the conforming list would still be conforming under the new protocol, primarily two- and-three-piece balls with ionomer covers.

The change in speed and the fact it affects all golfers are significant departures from the governing bodies previous stance. In 2022, the speed being looked at was 125 mph but that was amended in March 2023 to 127. However, also at that time the proposal was stated as a Model Local Rule impacting elite professional golfers only. Said Whan at the time, “We don’t see recreational golf obsoleting golf courses any time soon.”

So why the change to include everybody? The governing bodies say the move to a universal rollback was the result of feedback during the Notice and Comment period triggered in March after the announcement of the proposed MLR. In a note to all industry stakeholders, the USGA and R&A conveyed that, “While we previously proposed a targeted change to only elite golf, we have incorporated feedback from a broad range of stakeholders/players who stressed the importance of unification in the game of golf, mainly the importance of maintaining a single set of playing rules and a single set of equipment standards. This feedback clearly indicated that an across-the-game solution with deferred implementation is the preferred solution.”

Exactly how much distance regular golfers will lose, however, remains a bit grey since the one to five yards mention on Wednesday by the governing bodies doesn’t quite jibe with a USGA published report in June 2022. Although they stated similar numbers, there also was this on the testing of a shorter ball.

“In testing with the NP-500 … participants reported a perceived distance reduction of about 4.9 percent (210 yards compared to a 221-yard self-reported average). This is consistent with expectations based on laboratory testing.” In other words, not quite one to five yards. Still, Thomas Pagel, the USGA’s chief governance officer, told Golf Digest everyday golfers should rest easy.

“It’s five yards at most and likely limited to your driver,” Pagel said. “I don’t want to minimize people’s feelings or concerns about losing even a yard. We all have those concerns. We all want that extra yard or two. But just put this in the practical senses of this would mean, you know, 222 yards instead of 225. And you do have the ability to move tees up. You do have the ability to play forward tees. I would just say trust in the process. Over the next six years, I think we’ll find that the sky hasn’t fallen, the game is still going to be healthy.”

Perhaps just as important as the decision on golf balls, it appears the governing bodies are not quite done putting a governor on distance. Included in the note to stakeholders were two additional areas being looked at. The first is expanding testing of submitted drivers to keep tabs on “CT Creep,” which is drivers getting springier over time due to use, leading to the possibility of a conforming club becoming non-conforming. This is not a change, per se, and does not impact everyday players.

The next item, however, is to continue its research into the forgiveness of drivers at the elite level, which could lead to reductions in moment of inertia (which mitigates distance loss on mis-hits), driver-head size or both. Although the language was aimed solely at elite players, as we have seen with the ball rollback decision, things have a way of changing.

Image: Supplied

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So the six-time PGA Tour winner already has some practical experience with what the USGA and R&A might be getting ready to do. Citing industry sources, Golf Digest reported Friday that golf’s governing bodies are expected to announce next week a rule change that would universally roll back golf ball distances. The expected rule change comes after a three-year “Notice and Comment” period with equipment manufacturers and other golf organisations, including the PGA Tour.

It is expected that a new standard for testing the conformity of golf balls would be introduced for elite players and competitions in 2028 and then for recreational players in 2030.

“Srixon made whatever the USGA was saying, and it was 40, 50 yards [shorter] with my driver,” Bradley, 37, said Saturday at the Hero World Challenge. “I was a club or two shorter. I think that the USGA … everything that they do is reactionary. They don’t think of a solution. They just think we’re going to affect a hundred percent of the population that plays golf. For the amateur world to hit the ball shorter is monstrous. I can’t think of anything more stupid than that. I don’t think it’s very smart at all, especially when golf’s growing in popularity literally coming out of COVID.”

Among players who were asked about the potential rule change at the Hero World Challenge, no one thought a universal roll back was a good idea. And only tournament host Tiger Woods thinks it would be the right thing to do in the professional game. He and World No. 2 Rory McIlroy have been the biggest proponents of reigning in the ball at the elite level.

“We’ve been hammering the ball needs to slow down,” Woods, 47, said after a third-round one-under 71 at Albany, “but it has kept speeding up my entire time on tour and here we are. I’ve always been for bifurcation. I’ve always said that. Just like wood bats and metal bats [in baseball].”

On Sunday morning, Rory McIlroy took to X (formerly Twitter) with a passionate case for the rollback and against its critics.

I don’t understand the anger about the golf ball roll back. It will make no difference whatsoever to the average golfer and puts golf back on a path of sustainability. It will also help bring back certain skills in the pro game that have been eradicated over the past 2 decades.…

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) December 3, 2023

Former U.S. Open champion Justin Rose was surprised to hear that the governing bodies were considering an across-the-board change for amateurs as well as professionals.

“I think the way I saw it going was the tour doing one thing [with a model local rule] and maybe major championships doing another. And that puts a lot of pressure on the tour,” Rose, 43, of England, said. “Now if recreational golf is rolling back, too, it doesn’t make sense for the tour to stay where we were. Because I think if the amateurs were going to continue to stay where they were, the tour, were going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to stay where we are because we want the fan to be able to relate to the tour player.’ That made sense to me. And then obviously if there was a ball for a major championship then so be it, we’d have to learn how to adapt. So that’s the way I would’ve hedged it going. Now it’s even a weirder situation. The amateurs are playing the ball that’s slower than what we’re playing on tour. That doesn’t feel right either.”

Rickie Fowler is not a fan of the ruling bodies making any change to the ball at any level. “There are other ways of going about this,” he said, adding that they are “20 years too late” on the issue.

But he is especially opposed to a shorter ball for recreational players. “To take the game and knock it back when it’s in the best position it’s ever been in, I don’t want to see it as the golf ball being necessarily the right move,” Fowler added. “I don’t see how when we’re at the best place the game has ever been. ‘Oh, you love the game? Yeah. Hey, thanks for joining us over COVID. Now we’re going to make you hit it 20 yards shorter. Have fun.’ I understand both sides. But looking at it as far as the game and everyone talks about growing the game, I think it’s going to be a huge step back.”

Bradley, who already had to adjust his game to a change in equipment rules several years ago when the governing bodies prohibiting an anchored putting stroke, wonders how he and his peers will be forced to adjust their games further.

“I don’t know what the ramifications are going to be with the ball—what they’re going to do, what direction they going to go,” he said. “It would have to be a complete overhaul of the equipment that I use, the shafts that I use. Yeah, I mean the amount of change that’s happened just in the course of my career is insane.

“I think we constantly get penalised for mistakes they [USGA and R&A] make. Whether if they let the ball go too far, that’s not our problem. They [are doing this] to punish not only the professional golfers, but the world of golf for something that they screwed up on. I really think it’s one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard of.”

Image: David Cannon

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The change involves a revision to the way golf balls are tested to see if they conform to the rules. Specifically, it is expected to be announced that the test for the Overall Distance Standard would increase the swing speed at which golf balls are tested from the current standard of 120 mph to 125 mph. While increasing the swing speed, the test would not change the distance limit of 317 yards.

In simple terms, if a golf ball is currently close to the Overall Distance Standard, as a high majority of golf balls used in elite competition (and popular in the marketplace) are, then raising the speed by 5 mph would make them fly 15 yards farther, or well past the current distance limit. Balls would then have to be made to stay within that 317-yard standard.

The decision by golf’s ruling bodies comes after nearly three years of “Notice and Comment” with equipment manufacturers and other industry stakeholders over several proposals involving clubs, balls and a distance rollback. While the USGA and R&A had originally proposed the change to 125 mph in the spring of 2022 in announcing some preliminary “areas of interest,” they revised that speed upward to 127 mph in an announcement in March. At that time, however, the proposal was to only change the rules for elite professional golfers, instituting what is known as a Model Local Rule.

“The USGA and the R&A were not considering changes that would result in substantial reductions in hitting distances at all levels of the game,” read a statement from the ruling bodies at the time. It was echoed by USGA CEO Mike Whan, who said the then-proposed MLR that would not apply to all golfers. “We don’t see recreational golf obsoleting golf courses any time soon,” he said.

Clearly, the idea of a permanent but separate set of rules for elite golfers didn’t resonate with the industry, as not only manufacturers but the PGA Tour and PGA of America voiced their opposition to the proposed change. The message was clear, R&A CEO Martin Slumbers explained last week to Golf Digest.

“It was a very strong pushback against that,” Slumbers said. “… And our job is to listen. But our responsibility is to the long-term future of the game. …We’re responsible for our period of time, something that has gone on for hundreds of years and will go on for hundreds more. So, we are listening. And we have made a decision about what we are going to do.”

That decision apparently will mean a period of bifurcated rules starting in 2028, when the elite professionals use a shorter golf ball than recreational players. But starting two years later, all balls that conform to the Rules of Golf will apparently be 15 or more yards shorter at the elite level. The effect on distance for recreational players will likely be less, but could be proportional. So that if a tour player loses five percent (or 15 yards on a 300-yard drive), then a recreational player might lose that same five percent on a 225-yard drive (or roughly 11 yards). And the same golfer likely would lose a similar percentage on his or her approach shots.

In a Golf Digest internet survey this week that was open to all golfers, with more than 600 people responding, a significant majority (64.6 percent) said they would not abide by rules that reduce ball distance. They felt nearly the same about distance limitations at the elite level, with 60.4 percent not wanting to see pros and top amateurs have their length pushed back.

Officials from both the USGA and the R&A declined to comment.

Image: Angel Martinez

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As first reported by Golf Channel’s Todd Lewis, the 15-time major champ has a new 1-wood in the bag in the Bahamas. And it’s one the golfing public knows little about.

Lewis shared a photo of Woods’ TaylorMade Qi10 LS driver, which was just added to the USGA and R&A conforming lists earlier this month. Have a look:

New equipment this week for @TigerWoods at the @HWC2016. He will use this @TaylorMadeGolf Qi10 LS driver that recently made the conforming list. pic.twitter.com/z2p9cEdQWp

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) November 28, 2023

Here’s what Golf Digest senior editor of equipment Mike Stachura wrote about the club:

Finally, there’s a completely new TaylorMade driver making the rounds. The Qi10 LS features some of the similar looks of the company’s recent drivers, including the angled rear weight port, the face flex-enhancing slot in the sole (known as the “speed pocket”), and some kind of sliding weight at the front part of the sole. Given the sliding weight’s forward position, it doesn’t seem much of a stretch to suggest that the “LS” might refer to “low spin.” Like the Stealth and Stealth 2 before it, this driver includes the word “carbonwood,” a likely reference to the company’s flagship technology of a carbon composite face insert, first seen in the Stealth in 2022 and updated with this year’s Stealth 2 drivers.

And here’s a better look at this new model:

TaylorMade Qi10 LS – Supplied

It might be tough to properly evaluate Woods’ performance with the club this week based on the fact he hasn’t played in a tournament since withdrawing during the third round of the Masters in April. Shortly after, Woods underwent a subtalar fusion surgery on his ankle, and the 47-year-old admitted his “game is rusty” in Tuesday’s press conference.

“I’m just as curious as all of you are to see what happens because I haven’t done it in a while,” Woods said.

But here’s a sneak peak:

New equipment this week for @TigerWoods at the @HWC2016. He will use this @TaylorMadeGolf Qi10 LS driver that recently made the conforming list. pic.twitter.com/z2p9cEdQWp

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) November 28, 2023

Not too shabby.

Main Image: Andrew Redington

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“Unequivocally, the ball is going further than it did 15 years ago,” says R&A CEO Martin Slumbers in an exclusive interview with Golf Digest. “And I see no reason to doubt it will not continue to do so. I’ve long been of this view. And for a long time, I had to keep it private. But once we published our distance report at the start of this process, I was very clear that, for the good of the game, we need to address this issue.

“From that point of view and from an environmental point of view, we have to do something,” he continues. “We have been very clear, as has [CEO] Mike Whan at the USGA. There are only three options: We can bifurcate; you change the whole game; or you do nothing. And doing nothing is not an option. We stand by that.”

For those keeping score, the ruling bodies got together earlier this year and proposed a Model Local Rule (MLR) that gives competition organizers the option to require use of golf balls that are tested under modified launch conditions to address the impacts of hitting distance in golf. The MLR was intended for use only in elite competitions and, if adopted, would have no impact on recreational golf.

But it wasn’t well received in certain influential quarters, and there was much debate and documents filed during the official comment period that ended in August. 

“The game was not happy with the Model Local Rule,” admits Slumbers. “There was a view that it would create a bifurcated game at the elite level. It was a very strong pushback against that. The PGA Tour was very public about it. So was the PGA of America. A number of players spoke out. And our job is to listen.

“But our responsibility is to the long-term future of the game. Along with the USGA, the R&A is a custodian of the game. We’re responsible for our period of time, something that has gone on for hundreds of years and will go on for hundreds more. So, we are listening. And we have made a decision about what we are going to do. We’re working that through at the moment and will make it public before the end of the year.”

While we stay tuned on that one, the R&A recently released the Open Qualifying Series of events that will offer places in the game’s oldest championship at Royal Troon in July 2024. It is a system that has come under are scrutiny since the arrival of LIV Golf. Has the Saudi-backed circuit complicated the process?

“If you look at the qualifications for last year’s Open and the way we structured the field for the 2023 Open, I’m very comfortable we created the opportunities for what we want,” says Slumbers. “That’s the best global field we can get. I care about global. And we did that. There are enough spots between top-50 exemptions on the world rankings, plus our qualifying events in South Africa, Australia, Japan, on the Asian Tour and final qualifying. I am confident that we find the best players and get them into the field. We will do the same again next year.”

Mention of the Asian Tour does raise one other area of contention. Two years ago, the R&A removed the Open exemption granted to the winner of the Asian Tour.

“We feel like our Order of Merit winner is deserving of playing in a major,” said Asian Tour CEO Cho Min Thant. “All four of them.”

Indeed, given that Open places are allocated to players who qualify from relatively weak fields like the one in this week’s Joburg Open, it seems like an odd decision. But it is one Slumbers defends.

“The argument, which I have explained to the head of the Asian Tour a number of times, is to look at this in the round,” says the Englishman. “We give 19 spots available to players from the Asia-Pacific region into the Open Championship. There was 20 when we exempted the Order of Merit winner. But the 19 spots are available to any who plays on his tour, or in the other qualifying events in that region. That’s 19 out of a field of 156, which is something around 14 percent. That is absolutely reflective of the relative strength of the players in Asia-Pacific.

“I much prefer to see the qualifiers come from 72-hole stroke-play tournaments,” continues Slumbers. “In a whole series of events with a whole series of mixed-ability fields. So, it is better to focus on the Open Qualifying events which contain the strongest fields in Asia-Pacific region during that year. If we want the best players from that region, that is the best way to achieve it.”

On a happier Open-related note, the prospect of the championship being played outside the United Kingdom at Portmarnock, just outside Dublin in the Republic of Ireland, is not something Slumbers dismisses out-of-hand.

“The club has talked to us about it,” he says. “The course is a world-class links. But there are infrastructure challenges. We are going to play the Women’s Amateur there in 2024 and we had the Amateur Championship there a couple of years ago. They have had the Walker Cup there, too. The position at the moment, which we support, is that the club is working with the Irish government to ascertain if there would be support for them to make a credible proposition. We will wait and see what happens there.”

Image: Matthew Lewis/R&A

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McIlroy, competing in the DP World Tour’s season finale in Dubai this week, was seen using TaylorMade’s Qi10 LS driver at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Tuesday. In an interview with the DP World Tour, McIlroy—who already locked up the Old World circuit’s Race to Dubai title—explained that the club would probably be in his bag for the weekend.

“I still want to go out and try to win the golf tournament, but it could be a good time to test it out in competition,” McIlroy said in a video released on the DP World Tour’s social channels. “You’ll probably see a new driver in the bag this week.”

New driver for Rory ? #DPWTC | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/lYHdc5kPSV

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) November 13, 2023

Earlier this week TaylorMade’s Qi10 LS driver made its way onto the USGA and R&A conforming lists, allowing for its introduction to competitive play. The Qi10 LS features some of the similar looks of the company’s recent drivers, including the angled rear weight port, the face flex-enhancing slot in the sole (known as the “speed pocket”) and a sliding weight at the front part of the sole. Like the Stealth and Stealth 2 before it, this driver includes the word “carbonwood,” a likely reference to the company’s flagship technology of a carbon-composite face insert first seen in the Stealth in 2022 and updated with this year’s Stealth 2 drivers.

McIlroy first signed with TaylorMade in 2017, and the two entities agreed to a multi-year extension in 2022. The four-time major winner led the PGA Tour this past season in driving distance at 326.3 yards, which set a new tour record, and was second on tour in strokes gained/off-the-tee.

Image: Andrew Redington

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Never one to shy away from taking the latest gear for a spin, ARN presenter and former Golf Digest Middle East editor Robbie Greenfield put the club through its paces in a review for eGolf TV at Trump International Dubai’s TaylorMade Performance Studio.

“The club I’m holding in my hand is one that’s creating a lot of buzz in the market for 2023,” he says. “I have to say, it’s a beautiful looking club. 

“Let’s start with an overview of the TaylorMade MG4 Wedge. It’s fourth generation, which means there were three preceding it. And the story really started with inspiration and insight from, for my money at least, the greatest short-game exponent of all time, the legendary Tiger Woods. 

“It was he who really inspired this ‘Milled Grind’ design and a lot of his input, a lot of his insight was instrumental in developing the quality wedge.

“It has been taken on by today’s great players: Collin Morikawa is one of the key testers for this wedge, Rory McIlroy has so much faith in it that it’s gone straight in his bag. 

“It’s packed full of great technology. It’s a serious wedge in this market.” 

Robbie is quick to point out that the familiar TaylorMade technology is present on the face of the MG4.

“The raw face technology which we found in the MG3 is back,” he adds. “It’s got that almost-rough, almost-sandpaper quality to it. It’s something you notice straight away with this club. When you remove the sticker brand new out of the shop, it begins to oxidise. And that raw face technology is extremely effective at getting spin rates up regardless of whether that’s around the green or with full shots as well. It’s a very noticeable aspect to this club and it’s going to appeal to a lot of players who are looking to generate spin. 

“What is new for the MG4 is laser-etching technology. Think of it, if you like to dumb it down a little bit, as a groove within a groove. It’s a channel which allows more water, more fluid, to escape when conditions are wet, when it’s wet underfoot. Now, you might be thinking: ‘We’re in the Middle East here. It barely ever rains. Surely this isn’t relevant.’ I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve teed off early in the morning. It’s very dewy. The clubs do get very wet and of course that’s going to affect spin rates. And what we’re trying to achieve is consistency across the board, no matter the conditions with our spin rates. 

“Now, sure, there will be a slight drop-off when it’s wet underfoot, but this laser-etching technology is very effective at bridging the gap between those spin rates from dry conditions to wet conditions.” 

Robbie also finds the MG4 very pleasing to the eye.

“The changes are subtle, but they’re there nonetheless,” he says. “And what you’re looking at really is a smoother profile, a slightly softer, more tour-inspired head shape here. And this works just for when you lay the club open flat to play one of those high, lofted flop shots or if you’re playing a standard shot with a nice square face at address, it looks great. And it comes in two different finishes, a satin chrome and a matte black. 

There are loads of different bounce and grind options. And of course, when you go for your fitting at eGolf Megastore, you can tailor specifically the wedges in your bag to best suit your game. That is important, but the key thing is you’ve got the options here with the TaylorMade MG4.

“Immediate things that I notice having hit a few shots down in the bay to a flag of around 80 yards, the spin is impressive. The ball is stopping, it’s grabbing, which is what we want to see when we’re hitting a wedge. I was getting over 10,000 rpm on the TrackMan, which are great numbers for me, very happy about that. And the other thing is the flight, obviously we want to keep the ball down. We want it to fly a little bit lower, a little bit more penetrating and consistent with a wedge. And I was really happy with what I was seeing here. Some really good trajectory on these wedges. Couple that with some good spin and that’s a winning combination. 

“So all in all, both off the mat of course, which is much easier and off the much more difficult turf. I’m getting a really nice response from the MG4 wedges. 

“It is another impressive launch by the company for 2023 and as with any club but specifically wedges, it’s really important for you to head down to the eGolf Megastore and get fitted when it is when it comes to choosing the different grind options, choosing the different bounce options. Everyone has different specifications that’s going to get the best out of their game. And a fitting is essential when it comes to purchasing a new wedge.”

Wise words, Robbie. Wise words.

Images: Supplied

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