Golf legend Jack Nicklaus has supported the golf ball rollback for many years. Now, he believes Rory McIlroy, one of the longest hitters in golf, could actually benefit from the change.

Before the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village, Nicklaus spoke about the upcoming rollback and its possible impact on players. He was asked about golfers like World No. 3 Cameron Young, whose current golf ball already meets the new rules.

Nicklaus made it clear that he strongly supports the rollback and shared his thoughts on which players could benefit from it.

"To the pro maybe, to a Rory or maybe as long as there is, might have maybe 12 to 14 yards, it might pull him back," Nicklaus said. "It might be a benefit. Might keep him out of trouble. I don't know."

The rollback has already been pushed back multiple times. Nicklaus noted that it moved from 2026 to 2028 and now sits at 2030. Although supportive, he's skeptical that the change will be dramatic.

"It's going to amount to probably less than a yard," he said of the impact on Young. "It won't make any difference about a yard to you. Maybe two at the absolute most. And you'll never know that."

As per the rollback, golf balls must not travel beyond 317 yards when hit by a robot at 125 mph. Professionals must abide by the rule from 2028, with regular golfers following suit in 2030.

For Nicklaus, the bigger picture matters more than the yardage numbers. Modern players are hitting the ball so far that historic courses are running out of room, with Muirfield Village being one of them.

"If I want to lengthen this golf course anymore, I got to go buy Dublin Road," he said. "You can't make that happen."

He compared the rollback to "throwing a deck chair off the Titanic." Although meaningful, the move is not enough to solve the real problem; land, cost, water, and time are all running short at courses across the country.

Nicklaus believes the rollback is a step in the right direction. But he also thinks the resistance from players has less to do with the game and more to do with money.

Jack Nicklaus Calls Out Manufacturers for Driving Player Opposition to Rollback

Nicklaus said manufacturers are quietly pressuring players to speak out against the change.

"Most of the reason why the guys will complain about the golf ball being brought back is because of the manufacturers," he said. "The manufacturer complains to a player and says, 'No, no, don't you tell 'em that you want that golf ball rolled back, otherwise you aren't going to be working for us.'"

Nicklaus believes the issue is simple. He said that if a company makes the best golf ball, a small change in distance should not hurt its business. 

"If you make the best golf ball, you're going to continue to make the golf ball whether it goes five yards further or five yards shorter," he said. "It's not a big deal."

Nicklaus also said that, without the rollback, fewer than 25 to 30 golf courses in the United States can host a major championship without changes. He believes the rollback would allow more courses to host big tournaments.

Do you think the golf ball rollback will make a real difference to the game? Tell us in the comments!

Read more at Club Golf.

Written by

Sneha Abraham

Edited by

Sijo Paul