Gary Player vividly remembers Jack Nicklaus as the longest hitter of his era. Records show the 18-time major champion averaged 276 yards off the tee. But that figure pales in comparison to the PGA Tour’s current average driving distance of about 303 yards. The significant increase in ball distance has made several classic courses obsolete, leading Player to question the existence of golf.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“The concept of golf is non-existent,” Player told The Golfer’s Journal, sounding the alarm over increasing ball distance. “There used to be a par five, a par four, and a par three. There’s no such thing as a par five anymore. It’s eliminated… They can drive at least one par four every golf course they go to. So par is now 67. They’re hitting drives and eight irons and nine irons and seven irons to par fives.”
The 91-year-old argued that golf has yet to see some of the world’s most physically imposing athletes take up the sport. Citing Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal as examples, Player suggested that if athletes of their stature entered golf, driving distances could increase as high as “500 yards.”
Of course, advancements in golf equipment technology have played a significant role in the steady increase in driving distances. However, Player believes the solution does not lie in constantly modifying golf courses to make things harder for longer hitters.
“What perturbs me is that almost every golf course on the planet today is changing its golf course,” he added. “They’re spending probably a trillion dollars or more hypothetically on changing the golf course.”
The USGA and R&A plan to introduce a golf ball rollback in January 2030 for all golfers, both professional and recreational. The rollback is projected to reduce driving distance by 13 to 15 yards for the longest hitters on tour, 9 to 11 yards for average male tour professionals, and 5 yards or less for recreational golfers.
“If you stop the ball going this far, they wouldn’t do it,” he said. “They’re doing it because the golf courses are becoming like mashy golf courses. So now if you stick and cut the ball back, the money that is spent unnecessarily could go into poor areas, build schools, build golf courses, public golf courses. More people would be playing golf.”
The nine-time major champion also argued that continually extending golf courses is an unnecessary drain on resources, including water, fertilizers, labor and machinery. Pointing to Augusta National’s 13th hole, Player highlighted how even the sport’s most prestigious venues are spending millions acquiring additional land and lengthening their layouts to keep up with professionals’ ever-increasing driving distances.
“Augusta, which we all love so much, the 13th hole, they spent between 20 and 30 million buying the hole next door,” he said. “My grandson goes to the very back of the tee. It’s a drive and a five or a six iron. That’s after spending all that amount of money.”
As a result, Gary Player believes the USGA and R&A should go further with the golf ball rollback to rein in driving distances and prevent courses from continually having to extend their layouts.
“We [are] really going the wrong way because I can promise you they will have to change the golf ball for the pros in the future,” he added. “Not 10, 15 yards. That’s like giving a donkey a strawberry.”
While Gary Player appears to favor a golf ball rollback quite aggressively, not everyone thinks that way.
Jon Rahm believes golf courses could be redesigned to address the growing distance issue. The Spaniard shared his thoughts ahead of the DP World Tour Championship, suggesting that course setups could play a significant role in reducing the advantage longer hitters currently enjoy.
Rahm pointed to Valderrama as an example of a course that still demands accuracy and strategic shot-making. He explained that hitting the ball farther does not always help if players end up in the wrong position on the fairway.
“I think there’s so much freedom in design in golf that you could make golf courses that are anti-distance,” Rahm said.
Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, believes equipment regulations need to be tightened. The Northern Irishman was asked whether smaller driver heads would be a better solution than shorter golf balls and said he was open to either change.
“Ball, club, I think the equipment at the top level needs to be regulated better than where it is right now,” he said.
McIlroy also acknowledged that power has become such a significant advantage that other aspects of the game matter less. He believes, though, that the longest hitters would retain their advantage even with equipment changes.
“The longest guys are still going to be longest guys,” he added.
It appears opinions are split on how to fix the distance problem. The USGA and R&A’s rollback is still scheduled for January 2030, but in June 2026 the USGA, R&A, PGA Tour and DP World Tour said they would reevaluate the approach, so the final outcome remains open.