Brandel Chamblee says he would get behind the golf ball rollback if it became clear that strong wedge play had overtaken long iron play in importance.
The golf ball rollback is certainly one of the more contentious issues in the current game. Professionals will use a golf ball that does not travel quite as far from 2028, while amateurs will have until 2030 to comply.
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Some believe that amateur players will bear the brunt of a rule meant to address sustainability concerns, as course lengths continue to increase in response to how far pros are hitting it these days.
But Chamblee doesn’t think those are the right reasons for such a significant change.
Brandel Chamblee explains why he’s against the golf ball rollback
Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Chamblee spoke with Dan on Golf about what would need to happen for him to reconsider his position on the golf ball rollback. He was clear about what would change his mind.
“If I saw that the game disproportionally rewarded wedges over long irons, if I saw that it was no longer important to hit it long and straight [I would change my mind]. It’s still very important to hit it long and straight, and the most important aspect of the game are the longest irons, the longest approach shots. Those are still the most important aspects of the game,” Chamblee said.
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He then went on to explain how he thinks it all came down to one particular hole at Augusta National.
“If Augusta National just had a golf ball for Augusta National, that would be fine. I don’t know how difficult that will be to do. ‘You’ve got to play this particular golf ball’. Maybe the players would be in an uproar over it because they’re all tailor-made specific to their game.”
Brandel Chamblee raises concern about bifurcation in golf
Some support the idea of bifurcation in golf, where professionals would use different equipment than amateurs.
Most casual players aren’t going to overpower the courses they play, so it’s understandable why there’s some worry about how these changes will affect them.
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Chamblee actually backs the idea of bifurcation but pointed out a major issue with it.
“I used to be, and I still am by the way, would be for bifurcation. Bifurcation makes the most sense. Here’s the thing with bifurcation, the problem with it, tour pros don’t pay for equipment. So the only people that would play this shorter hitting equipment would be tour pros, so all of the manufacturers would have to take those costs and pass them on to everybody else. So we would all be paying for professional golf equipment,” he said.
Jim Furyk has backed reducing driver head sizes for professionals, arguing that it would put more emphasis on skill.
There seems to be growing doubt that rolling back the golf ball will effectively tackle the issues it was meant to address.
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