ON THE RECORD
POWER OUTAGE Would a driver that’s less forgiving slow down Rory McIlroy’s 130 mile-per-hour swing?
Could a Driver Rollback be Next? The R&A’s chief of technology says it’s ‘a topic of interest’ BY MIKE STACHURA
Steve Otto, the R&A’s chief technology officer and one of the keepers of the 100-
year study of driving distance, says the plan to roll back distance through a shorter golf ball, formally announced late in 2023 and scheduled to be implemented in 2028-’30, has been a deliberate, scientifically rigorous process. In turn, any potential decision to roll back the driver would be just as robust and one that’s still on the ruling body’s mind. (The USGA is the governing body for the United States and Mexico, and the Royal & Ancient
100 GOLF DIGEST SOUTH AFRICA
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2025
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator