Opinion & Analysis
Elliott: The “distance debate” – Why course setup, not ball rollback, is golf’s answer
In the ongoing saga of golf’s “distance problem,” the powers that be have decided that rolling back the golf ball is the solution. New regulations will limit how far the ball can travel in 2028 for professionals and 2030 for recreational players. But this broad-sweeping approach misses a simpler, more elegant solution that’s been hiding in plain sight: strategic course setup.
The obsession with lengthening courses to combat technology has created a one-dimensional arms race. Yet, history shows us that length alone doesn’t determine a championship test. Look no further than the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, where Justin Rose claimed victory with a 72-hole total of one-over-par. The tenth-place finisher was seven-over-par. The remarkable part? Merion played under 7,000 yards.
This wasn’t some anomaly from the distant past. In 2013, PGA Tour players averaged 288 yards off the tee, compared to today’s approximately 300 yards—a mere 12-yard difference. I’m confident that Merion’s 2013 setup would still thoroughly challenge today’s power players.
What made Merion so formidable wasn’t excessive length but thoughtful course management. The USGA employed several tactical elements: narrow fairways that demanded precision off the tee, punishing rough that extracted a severe penalty for wayward drives, smaller greens that rewarded accurate approach shots, and strategic pin placements that required both skill and patience.
These setup choices created a championship test that rewarded complete players, not just long hitters. The course didn’t need to be 7,500 yards to identify the best golfer that week. It needed to challenge every aspect of the game—driving accuracy, iron play, short game, putting, and perhaps most importantly, course management and mental fortitude.
The current rollback solution feels like using a sledgehammer when a scalpel would do. It’s particularly puzzling when you consider who this rule actually affects. According to recent data, the average amateur male golfer drives the ball about 216 yards, while the average female golfer manages around 148 yards. These recreational players—the vast majority of golfers worldwide—aren’t creating a “distance problem” that needs solving.
Instead of fundamentally altering equipment for everyone, why not embrace the tools already at our disposal? Tournament committees have tremendous flexibility in how they prepare courses. Growing the rough an extra inch, narrowing fairways by five yards in landing areas, reducing green sizes, adjusting green speeds, and placing pins in challenging locations can collectively create a robust test without adding a single yard to the scorecard.
This approach offers several advantages. First, it’s adaptable—the setup can be tailored to each venue’s unique characteristics. Second, it preserves the game’s traditions while acknowledging modern capabilities. Third, it creates more interesting strategic decisions for players rather than simply rewarding those who hit it farthest.
The beauty of golf has always been its variety. Some courses reward length, others precision. Some test your iron play, others your short game. By focusing exclusively on containing distance through equipment rollbacks, we risk homogenizing the game and diminishing what makes it unique.
The 2013 Merion championship reminds us that a great golf course doesn’t need excessive length to challenge the world’s best. It requires a thoughtful setup that examines every aspect of a player’s game. As we debate golf’s future, perhaps we should look to its past for wisdom. The answer to the distance debate might not be in changing the ball but in how we set up the battlefield.
Reader, please support me by checking out my three weekly columns on RG.org. On Mondays, I present “The Starter,” which recaps the week gone by in golf. On Thursdays, I give you “Fairway Focus,” which previews the week to come in golf. And on Saturdays, I dish up the “Weekend Fore-cast,” a look at what’s on tap for the upcoming weekend.
Editor’s note: “My Take” will be an ongoing weekly series where Brendon shares his thoughts and opinions on various aspects of the game and industry. These are Brendon’s opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of GolfWRX, its staff, and its affiliates.
Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.
Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.
First, meet Min Woo Lee
Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.
Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter
The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.
Third, meet Martin Kaymer
Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.
Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler
Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.
Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger
Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!
On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.
I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.
To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.
Follow Club Junkie everywhere:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clubjunkiepod/
X: https://x.com/ClubJunkiePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clubjunkiepod
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@clubjunkiepod
Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.
Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s
3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s
5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s
Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff
Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto
Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour
Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag
Justin Rose WITB 2026 (April): Full WITB breakdown with new McLaren irons
RBC Heritage Tour Report: More minis, course-specific setups, Spider & GTS launches
What’s the story behind Webb Simpson’s custom-stamped irons?
Cadillac Championship Tour Report: Spieth’s sizable changes, McLaren Golf launches, and more
Kristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2026 Cadillac Championship
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Nelly Korda WITB 2026 (April)
Justin Rose on the switch to McLaren Golf, learnings from previous equipment moves
Photos from the 2026 PGA Championship
Patrick Reed WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Titleist GT3 (9 degrees) Buy here. Shaft: Aldila Rogue Silver 130 M.S.I. 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi35 (15 degrees)...
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
Driver: TaylorMade M6 (9 degrees) Shaft: Aldilda Synergy Blue 70 TX 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue...
Michael Block WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black VeloCore+ 5 X 3-wood: TaylorMade Qi4D (15 degrees @14.25) Shaft: Mitsubishi...
Bryson DeChambeau WITB 2026 (May)
Driver: Krank Formula Fire Pro (6 degrees) Shaft: Project X Prototype 3-wood: Krank Formula Fire (10 degrees) Shaft: LA Golf BAD...
-
Whats in the Bag3 weeks agoKristoffer Reitan’s winning WITB: 2026 Truist Championship
-
Whats in the Bag2 weeks ago
Aaron Rai’s winning WITB: 2026 PGA Championship
-
Tour Photo Galleries3 weeks agoPhotos from the 2026 PGA Championship
-
Equipment2 weeks agoGolfWRX Launch Report: 2026 Titleist GTS drivers
-
Equipment2 weeks agoPGA Championship Tour Report: Fitzpatrick, Koepka among big-name putter switches for Aronimink
-
News2 weeks agoWITB Time Machine: Phil Mickelson’s winning WITB, 2021 PGA Championship
-
Equipment2 weeks agoWhich of Tiger’s major winning irons are your favorite? – GolfWRXers discuss
-
Equipment2 weeks agoLead Tape Report: Adjusting the swingweight of the Wanamaker Trophy
Jim Rebey
Apr 4, 2025 at 1:14 pm
It’s not just about score, it’s about sustainability. Longer, thicker rough requires more water which is getting scarcer and costlier. Longer, thicker rough slows play, what i believe is the biggest problem in golf. Keeping golf affordable for everyone is what grows the game. Making all skills important for scoring not just bombing and gouging makes golf fun, just my two cents worth.
Jim Rebey
Apr 4, 2025 at 1:49 pm
They need to roll back driver size for the pros also, no more than 300cc. There have always been big hitters but they had to be judicious when to go for it. Most sports tighten their rules for pros.
joeconn
Mar 11, 2025 at 9:14 am
Rollback or no rollback, the longer hitters are still going to be the longer hitters, on the pro tour or in my group at home. If I normally hit a wedge into a certain hole and my partner normally hits an 8 iron in, the rollback just means I’m now going to hit 8 or 9 iron and he’ll hit 6 or 7 iron.
Evan
Mar 11, 2025 at 5:31 am
Good article Brendon! Having been in the game for many years, distance absolutely isn’t the big issue – it’s accuracy. The current ball flies further for sure (but not really any further than the original Prov1 20 years ago), BUT it also goes much, much STRAIGHTER! At the same time, when I play courses I remember from decades ago, they’re much easier off the tee – rough cut back (and what rough there is is maintained) and generally wider fairways- I know largely for pace of play/commercial reasons. So young players now are consistently presented with longer courses, but they’re more open AND they’re using a ball that doesn’t want to curve! So the game has become SMASH IT as harder as you can and then play from there.
Nick
Mar 10, 2025 at 4:32 pm
I opened this article with skepticism, thinking “there’s no way this argument could convince me the roll back is bad” and you know what? I was right. Good work me.
mike
Mar 10, 2025 at 3:21 pm
the lets just have all championship golf courses redesigned and changed instead of just updating the ball to reflect better players and equipment.
as well the USGA and R&A reviewed all these alternative options, there is a literal report where they talk about all this, maybe Brendon should give it a read.
how about golf courses have a challenge for the best players in the world that isnt knee high hack it out rough, as that tight fairways and long rough have continued to just favour the longest hitters. been studied already, if fairways are smaller then more players will miss, the shorter hitter will now havea longer appraoch just from rough. the most accurate players on tour hits 72% of fairways, the average is 60%. rory was over 326 average last year vs average of almost 300 yds. much bigger dispersion between distance vs accuracy.
Old Joe
Mar 10, 2025 at 3:02 pm
Cutting fairways from green to tee at tour events will do far more than ball rollback. Seeing PGA Tour drives get 40-50 yards of roll out (like at last week’s Arnold Palmer), sometimes into the wind, is ridiculous. Water the damn fairways, like at the courses we mere mortals play, since they are already watering the rough.
I know for a fact that LPGA and PGA Champions mow in the direction of the green to increase yardage off tee (to sell sponsors’ drivers?).
AND deepen the dimples to increase drag and spin, bringing back shot shaping and making.
And roll back pros’ driver size. Ball striking should be a skill for the elite. This would offset the bomb and gouge strategery.
There is no question launch monitors, nutrition, strength and conditioning, not to mention evolution or the attraction of gifted athletes to the money and lifestyle of professional golf. So yes, freeze the ball at current specs. The PGA guys are already hitting wedges 160 yards and 6 irons 220. They don’t need anymore distance.
Send it!
Mar 10, 2025 at 2:23 pm
I agree. I’d add: the sand in the bunkers could be more inconsistent. I find most all televised tournaments to be too perfect and not resembling what the masses have to contend with. Watching a pro hit out of 5 inch rough – especially close to the green is much more interesting than perfect lies. Keeping the status quo with golf balls so that further distance improvements are negated.
M. Coz
Mar 10, 2025 at 2:21 pm
This Rollback is not helpful in growing the game. I believe in narrowing the fairways and smaller greens. I grew up with little greens and it made one learn the short game or fail. Accuracy was the most important part of golf. With the professionals spending more time on their bodies, does anyone think that will change? In ten years or less the strengthening will continue, and they will gain back the yardage while the rest of us stay the same. What will they do then? Roll it back more??? Change something else? Many of us good amateurs have developed “feel” and that is a big part of the game. What do we then do, have to relearn the feel all over again? We can’t just look at a play making shot anymore? we have to then spend a lot of time relearning how to make a “play”? That doesn’t take a day, it could take years!!!
Nick
Mar 10, 2025 at 4:34 pm
Quit and play tennis.
Vas
Mar 10, 2025 at 1:32 pm
Disagree completely. I live 15 minutes from Merion, and what they played in 2013 was not Merion. Growing up when US Opens meant wedging the ball out of nightmarish rough, I can assure you that no one wants to watch that mess. The rollback is too little and too late. They should have capped ball tech with the Titleist Professionals, but now we’re WAY past that and grasping at straws. Only the golf powers that be would rather make million dollar changes to classic golf courses instead of changing a $5 golf ball.
84425
Mar 10, 2025 at 8:31 am
Great take: there is no reason to roll back the ball because i could find 1 (one) instance in the past 15 (fifteen) years where distance was not the issue. Really?
The Author of this article is an idiot
Mar 9, 2025 at 10:48 am
Horrible take. You should be banned from writing for 90 days.
Nick
Mar 10, 2025 at 4:34 pm
90 days isn’t long enough.
Square
Mar 8, 2025 at 1:06 pm
Rolling the golf ball back is stupid. Cap the distance on the current ball and move on. Simple. Why are we worried about the 1% of golfers who hit it that far and the rest of the 20 handicappers enjoy hitting it as far as they can?
Not
Mar 8, 2025 at 10:50 am
USGA is NOT the PGA Tour
Craig
Mar 7, 2025 at 11:53 pm
“narrow fairways that demanded precision off the tee, punishing rough that extracted a severe penalty for wayward drives”
No one wants to watch this kind of golf on TV every week, it’s boring golf. Haven’t you notice how terrible golf rates now?
Brent
Mar 10, 2025 at 11:21 am
Totally agree. Watching pros hack the ball out is boring.
Chuck
Mar 7, 2025 at 11:09 pm
Every single paragraph of this short essay is defective.
Brendon, I’d be happy to debate you on a public forum on all of this. For the record.
Are you game?
Anthony
Mar 7, 2025 at 2:09 pm
This article makes no sense. 2013 Merion was a great golf course. Therefore we should not roll the ball back.
In 2013, 13 players average over 300 yards per drive. The longest being 306. In 2025, 116 players average over 300 yards per drive. The longest being 326.
The logical conclusion to this article should be: 2013 Merion was a great golf course. Therefore we SHOULD roll the ball back.
BD57
Mar 7, 2025 at 11:46 am
I agree.
The only time of the year I really care about “course setup” is at majors. Regular tour events, it’s not so important (IMO).
The game’s going to get appreciably harder for the masses when the new ball regs kick in. USGA and R&A will need to adjust their course rating / slope regimen entirely or courses will have to become shorter for “the rest of us.”
It will be dispiriting for a lot of folks when they see how much shorter they are – not exactly what you want when you’re trying to grow the game.
Anthony
Mar 7, 2025 at 3:01 pm
The new ball will have essentially no impact on the masses. The USGA expects less than 5 yard impact to <100 mph swing speeds.
On the PGA Tour they expect a 10 yard impact. The 2025 average drive is 303. You would have to go alllll the way back to 2019 to get to an average drive of 293. If the USGA is horribly wrong by 50% and the roll back actually has a 15 yard impact you would have to go alllll the way back to 2014 to get an average drive of 288.
The hyperbole around the rollback is completely detached from the intent and expectations of what is going to happen.
Chuck
Mar 9, 2025 at 3:23 pm
“The masses” don’t even play with premium urethane balls!
They are buying less-expensive ionomer, surlyn (and other) balls. And why not? They spin less and are easier for recreational players to keep them on the golf course. Most recreational players woud be wasting their money on premium balls. We could limit the ball rollback to urethane balls and most recreational golfers might never know.
geohogan
Mar 13, 2025 at 11:32 am
Snell offer low price, two piece balls with urethane covers . .. thank you very much.
hollabachgt
Mar 7, 2025 at 11:09 am
“The USGA employed several tactical elements: narrow fairways that demanded precision off the tee, punishing rough that extracted a severe penalty for wayward drives, smaller greens that rewarded accurate approach shots, and strategic pin placements that required both skill and patience.”
Couldn’t the same have been said about Winged Foot in 2020? A tournament in which 2 of the longest players in the game found a clear advantage over the rest of the field.
Eric
Mar 7, 2025 at 12:09 pm
Played over 7,400 yards though, so would tend to favor a longer hitter regardless of setup. Plus Zach Johnson and Webb Simpson finished top 10.
Nick
Mar 10, 2025 at 4:37 pm
*12 shots behind the winner*