Ian Woosnam: The golf ball roll back won’t make any difference
Augusta National is a course many think will benefit from the golf ball roll back. But the 1991 Masters champ doesn’t think the governing bodies plans go far enough
Ian Woosnam believes golf needs to crack down on distance – but says the current plans to rollback the ball won’t make any difference.
Speaking on The NCG Golf Podcast ahead of the Masters, the 1991 champ said he hits the ball further now than when he won the green jacket 33 years ago.
Augusta National is often cited as a course that would benefit from the R&A and USGA’s decision, with the club having frequently lengthened holes and tees over the last 20 years to ward off the threat of golf’s mighty bombers.
The two governing bodies decided at the end of last year to universally roll the ball back for all players, with the biggest hitting professionals expected to lose up to 15 yards off the tee and the majority of amateurs to lose no more than five.
But Woosnam doesn’t think the changes, which will be implemented in the elite game in 2028 and in the amateur ranks two years later, will get to the root of the problem.
Ian Woosnam on roll back: ‘I would have had the ball spin more’
“The trouble with it is the little rollback they’re going to do is not going to make any difference,” he said. “And, for the amateurs, if they can’t get a club head speed of 100, it’s not going to make any difference at all.
“My opinion is: why can’t we have clubs for the pros and golf balls for the pros, and have clubs for amateurs? But I guess that’s the manufacturers. Where is there a middle line for it?
“If I would have gone anywhere, it would have been for the ball to spin more. If you made the ball spin and move offline more, then you would change the game.
“There is nothing wrong with hitting it 350 yards but can you hit it in the middle of the club and add the right spin on it? You know, it’s got to be absolutely smack on.
“If you’ve got that face one degree open, it’s going to be 100 yards offline. And then when you’re going into greens, if you’ve got too much spin on it, it’s going to come off the green.
“Then the game would become that you can fade and draw it again if the ball went more like the old balata used to do.”
Now listen to The NCG Golf Podcast
Ian Woosnam breaks down his famous 1991 victory, talks rollback, and gives his prediction for who is going to win the green jacket on Sunday. You can listen to the full episode here.
Now have your say
What do you think? Does the golf ball roll back as envisioned by the R&A and USGA go far enough, or do you think Ian Woosnam has got it spot on? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
