“That's the biggest evolutionary change” - Adam Scott shares his opinion on ‘controversial’ golf rule debate
Adam Scott recently spoke out about debate surrounding the introduction of the golfball rollback rule into pro golf. The USGA and R&A are allegedly looking at making changes to golf balls for the 2026 to limit the amount of distance that they will travel after being hit by elite golfers.
However, this controversial rule has been up for debate amongst the golf community and several golfers have expressed their opinion regarding the same.
Adam Scott had a rather unconventional solution to the golf ball rollback rule. For Scott, it is the driver that needs to be changed, not the golf ball. Speaking via Golf Magic, Scott said:
"The biggest fundamental change in the game since I've been a pro, is traditionally the driver has been the hardest club to hit in the bag, and now it's the most forgiving. And that's the biggest evolutionary change in the golf bag to me out of the equipment."
Adam Scott's comments came after Martin Slumbers' recent comments that the golf ball rule will be discussed heavily amongst the governing bodies on golf. he added:
"The ball is the ball, but the driver went from the hardest club to hit to now the most forgiving and the go-to club for guys if they are nervous. The penalty for missing a driver just isn't high enough anymore, in my opinion, at the top level. I'd like to address that first and see what knock on effects that has. If guys wanna swing at it 130 with a tiny driver head then good luck."
How the golf ball rollback rule will affect all golfers, including Adam Scott
The golf ball rollback rule is expected to curb the distance of those golfers that are traditionally long hitters like Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. However, the decision is not one that is welcome by golfers or manufacturers.
The rule would have repercussions for golf equipment manufacturers as well. If the rule were to be implemented, golf equipment manufacturers would have to spend quite a lot of money replacing their exisiting equipment, not to mention the added costs of R&D.
Martin Slumbers also previously spoke about the rule's potential impact on the current state of the PGA tour, saying:
"There was a view that it would create a bifurcated game at the elite level. It was a very strong pushback against that. The PGA Tour was very public about it. So was the PGA of America. A number of players spoke out. And our job is to listen."
With talks about the rule change still underway, the final verdict will be out by the end of the year.