The USGA and the R&A introduced golf ball rollback in 2023. The aim was to address the increasing challenge of rising driving distances, and the organizations planned to implement it in two phases. Professional golfers were to abide by this rule starting in 2028, and recreational golfers in 2030. However, the organizations announced in January 2026 that they were reconsidering the two-phase implementation, and at Shinnecock Hills during the US Open 2026, they revealed a delay until years later.

As trust is becoming just as contentious as distance in golf’s rollback debate, golf analyst Brendan Porath opened up about the lingering uncertainty.

“Here’s my big thing about the rollback. For me, the analogy was, it’s like being a Cleveland Browns fan where every summer, like I’m told, this is the GM. This is the quarterback. This is the coach. We have the right thing. But they’re still the Browns. The party’s involved. They’re still the parties involved. And so I just need to see it. And I don’t have a lot of faith right now that like, oh, trust me, this is going to happen now. Like, this is good stuff. This is actually a good thing. Whereas what we had planned was a half measure. All we’ve seen is like delay and just spin the wheels like we’re like in Congress,” Porath said in a Fried Egg Golf podcast.

“What sucked was there weren’t like any real details about what’s going to be governed and how we’re going to govern it. Other than like we’re stepping back again.”

The Cleveland Browns have become a symbol of chronic instability. Its fans have endured years of coaching churn, quarterback turnover, and repeated false starts. Thus, Browns fans have now become unusually wary of new promises. Brendan Porath’s analogy makes sense because the USGA and the R&A are doing exactly the same thing now.

These organizations started by making promises to keep distance hitting from making golf too one-directional. As a result, they revised the Overall Distance Standard (ODS) so that the balls manufactured under the new standards would travel shorter distances under updated testing conditions, with the longest hitters expected to lose roughly 13 to 15 yards. The objective was to preserve the strategic challenge of classic golf courses while slowing the steady increase in driving distance at the elite level.

When they gave a statement about the delay, they didn’t make anything clear. The only thing mentioned was that the governing bodies wanted to speak to and work closely with key stakeholders. This includes the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and their respective members. However, the governing bodies did not reveal what they planned to discuss.

While Brendan Porath didn’t like the delay, some professionals are extremely happy about it. For instance, Justin Thomas commended the updated plan for integrating more collaboration with professionals. This was natural as JT was one of the most vocal critics of golf ball rollback.

“If anything, in my opinion, it was making problems worse,” he said when he was asked about the delay.

Bryson DeChambeau was another critic. He called it “the most atrocious thing that you could possibly do to the game of golf.” Golf veteran Adam Scott also said that golf ball rollback alone was not a sufficient solution to address the increasing driving distance problem.

USGA CEO Mike Whan, however, stressed that the delay should not be mistaken for inaction. “We’ve taken 2028 off the table. We’re leaving 2030 on the table,” he said during the U.S. Open, adding, “This isn’t another eight-year effort. We need to get at it and do it with a sense of urgency.” His comments underscored the governing bodies’ position that they remain committed to finding a solution, even if the path to get there has changed.

Brendan Porath questioned whether the governing bodies have done enough to earn the golf community’s trust. However, many top players welcomed the delay for their own reasons. This highlights the growing divide between those who support golf ball rollback and those who oppose it. For now, the debate has shifted beyond whether distance should be addressed to whether the USGA and the R&A can build enough consensus around how to do it.