Aaron Rai believes Nick Faldo’s theory to tackle golf’s distance problem by limiting tee heights is not feasible.
The game’s governing bodies have gone back to the drawing board after announcing that plans to roll back the golf ball by limiting its distance potential had been put on hold until 2030 amid concerns from players, tours and manufacturers.
Distance gains by players across the board are a significant concern within the sport, with some shorter courses becoming obsolete and artistry being outweighed by sheer power. Gary Player labeled the issue a “tragedy” that threatens to change the game beyond recognition if shot distance increases unchecked.
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Faldo believes the solution is capping tee heights at one inch, limiting players’ ability to launch the ball. He told Golf Monthly: “What is the goal of the rollback? To make the golf ball go shorter.
“It’s pretty harsh to say ‘Off you go, you’ve got to go retool,’ which I assume costs hundreds of thousands, and how do they market this ball that goes 15 percent shorter than last year? Good luck with that one. So as I said, it’s right under our noses, give them a short tee.”
The six-time major champion is confident the change would “bring the skill back into the game” in a cheaper and more effective way than changing equipment rules, but reigning PGA champion Rai believes it is not the answer.
Faldo believes using shorter tees would require more skill and reduce distances off the tee. -Credit:Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
“There are a lot of things that are very much up in the air at the moment, and no one quite knows which way it’s going to go,” he said at his press conference ahead of The Open Championship.
“I think whatever changes are made, it’s going to be a big adjustment, whether it’s golf ball, whether it’s tee heights.
“I think, in particular, with tee heights, that’s probably not something that many golfers have really practiced over a period of time. So I think to impose that and also to govern that might be quite challenging. I’m not sure how good that may be in the grand scheme of things.
“But obviously something will be done. We’re not sure what that looks like. I’m sure as time goes on it will be for the betterment of the game over a period of time.”
Other ideas have been suggested, including reducing the maximum head size for drivers to try to make courses play longer, but Player emphasized the urgency of the issue at the Masters in April.
The nine-time major winner said: “I believe the ball should be cut back 60 yards, only for professional golf. Leave everyone to golf as it is. They’re the heart of the game, but professional golf is not. With regard to professional golf, cut the ball back 60 yards.
“It’s a tragedy. We got away from the concept of golf when it started originally, a par-five, a par-four, and a par-three. There is no such thing as a par-five in the world today. We saw Rory [McIlroy] with a 7-iron last year when he won the Masters, they’re hitting 8-irons and 7-irons to par-fives.”