The ball testing change: what was decided, what was paused, what is proposed.

What the test measures

Part 4 of the Equipment Rules says a ball's combined carry and roll must not exceed the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) on file with the R&A and USGA. The limit is 317 yards, with a 3-yard tolerance. The R&A says the ODS was introduced in 1976 and updated in 1980, 2002 and 2004, and the speeds used in the test had not changed since 2004. The December 2023 decision concerned those test conditions, not the 317-yard limit itself.

The R&A traces the work to its Distance Insights project, which began in 2018, and to the annual driving distance reports the two bodies have published since 2015.

March 2023: an elite-only proposal, dropped

On 14 March 2023 the R&A and USGA proposed a Model Local Rule that elite competitions could adopt. Balls would have been tested at 127 mph clubhead speed and still had to stay within 317 yards plus tolerance, while every other ball kept the existing set-up. If adopted it would have taken effect in January 2026, and comments were taken until 14 August 2023. ESPN reported that it would have created two sets of rules, and that it was dropped after opposition from the PGA Tour and the PGA of America.

6 December 2023: the decision

Instead, on 6 December 2023 the R&A and USGA announced new ODS test conditions for every ball:

The R&A is the primary source for the spin figure; we give ESPN's figure because the two differ.

The original dates

Under the December 2023 plan, the new conditions would apply to elite play from January 2028. Balls approved in 2027 could remain in use by recreational golfers until January 2030. The R&A said manufacturers had asked for the timeline to be extended to 2028 to allow time for product development.

The R&A's estimates

The R&A estimated that the change would reduce driving distance by up to 13 to 15 yards for the longest hitters, 9 to 11 yards for average male tour and elite players, 5 to 7 yards for average LPGA and LET players, and 5 yards or less for recreational golfers. It said more than 30 percent of ball models submitted for conformance were expected to remain conforming under the new conditions. At the same time, it said driver testing would change to catch "driver creep" earlier; see drivers.

Reactions

ESPN reported that the PGA Tour called the 125 mph test speed disproportionate to its own radar data. The PGA of America said recreational golfers would see a bigger reduction than it would have advised, but welcomed the decision not to create two sets of rules.

2026: a single date proposed, then no change until 2030

• January 2026. Golf Business News reported on 21 January 2026 that the bodies had issued an Area of Interest notice considering a single implementation date of January 2030 for all golfers, in place of the two-phase plan, with comments due by 15 February 2026.
• March 2026. According to the 17 June notice, the bodies issued a formal Notice and Comment on a single 2030 date in March, and the feedback showed majority support for one date.
• 17 June 2026. The R&A and USGA's Notice to Manufacturers said there will be no change to the ODS until January 2030.

The June notice also reported talks with PGA Tour leadership, its Player Advisory Council and DP World Tour leadership. In the notice's account these produced three shared points: that elite driving distance keeps increasing; a concern from the tours that the updated ODS test may not achieve what was intended; and a willingness to consider alternatives that would affect elite distance more while limiting disruption to the wider market. The bodies said they would assess a range of alternatives, including possible Model Local Rules, and report back when practicable.

ESPN described the 17 June statement by the USGA, R&A, PGA Tour and DP World Tour as the first joint statement of its kind on distance, and noted that Augusta National and the PGA of America were not part of it. It reported USGA chief executive Mike Whan describing the ODS change as a small step that is probably not enough on its own.

Is 2030 a firm date or a pause?

Sources read the June 2026 statement differently:

• ESPN describes the change as now having a single implementation date of January 2030.
• Golf Today reads it as a pause: the ODS will not change before January 2030, and what follows is an open question.
• The notice itself says only that there will be no ODS change until January 2030 and that alternatives are under review. It does not, in the text we read, commit to the December 2023 conditions taking effect in 2030.

We follow the notice's wording: no change before January 2030, with the longer-term plan undecided.

September 2026: three elite-only proposals (press-reported)

Golf.com reported on 23 September 2026 that the USGA and R&A had sent their fourth notice of the year to manufacturers, proposing three Model Local Rules that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour suggested after the consultations that began in June. We could not read the notice itself, so the details below are as reported and unconfirmed.

1. Ball. Require a ball model on the List of Conforming Golf Balls with an overall distance of 317.0 yards or less when tested, removing the 3-yard tolerance.
2. Driver. Require a driver head model and loft on the List of Conforming Driver Heads with a maximum CT of 239 microseconds when tested before competition, removing the 18-microsecond tolerance that currently lets heads up to 257 microseconds conform.
3. Length. Limit all clubs other than putters to a maximum length below the 46 inches in Model Local Rule G-10. No figure was reported.

Golf.com reported that the earliest effective date would be January 2028, only for the highest professional levels and not for recreational golf, and that comments were due by 21 October 2026. Like every Model Local Rule, any of these would apply only where a Committee adopts it. On 20 October 2026 they were proposals under consultation, not rules.

For the ball rules that apply today, see golf balls and conforming equipment. Nothing on this page says a particular ball conforms, now or under any future test; check the R&A's Conforming Ball List.