Controversial plans to roll back the ball at all levels of golf have finally been ratified, sparking further division within golf's fragmented landscape.
The sport's regulators confirmed on Wednesday that the balls currently in use will be banned for professional players from 2028 and for recreational golfers from 2030 as a way to shorten shot distances and protect courses.
It is a hugely contentious issue at Tour level, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy among those in favor of this intervention from the R&A and the United States Golf Association.
However, the proposals were recently branded 'stupid' by Keegan Bradley, the former US PGA champion, and their ratification was greeted with criticism from the PGA Tour and leading manufacturers Titleist and TaylorMade.
Under the new rules, balls must meet certain test conditions, meaning a ball hit with a clubhead speed of 125 mph cannot travel further than 1,000 feet.
Controversial plans to roll back the ball at all levels of golf have finally been ratified
Rory McIlroy said on social media that he “didn't understand the anger” over the decision
Lawmakers believe this will curb top professionals by 15 yards and amateurs by less than five yards.
The fear among the R&A and USGA was that classic courses, such as the Old Course at St. Andrews, were in danger of becoming outdated.
While this measure is considered a step too far in the opposite direction, McIlroy has supported the change. He said: 'Golf courses are getting longer, they need more and more acreage and is that sustainable?
American Bryson DeChambeau has led a wave of big-hitting golfers to dominate the courses
'But also as a professional playing the game, I think it will bring back some skills to the professional game that may have been lost, and I actually think it will be more fun to watch. It won't just be this bomb and gush that we mainly see now.
“And it will bring some of the great classical courses back into consideration (for organizing majors). That's why I'm a big fan of just letting the ball go a little shorter.'
The PGA Tour, which is fighting for its future amid the growing possibility of world No. 3 Jon Rahm joining LIV, said the move is “disproportionate.”