Acushnet Company Responses to R&A and USGA Distance Insights Project

Acushnet’s ongoing testing and development work further affirms our view that the announced golf ball rollback will yield results that are meaningfully different from the linear impact anticipated by the Governing Bodies.

Acushnet supports elimination of a bifurcation period. As informed by our prototype testing, we remain concerned that the proposed rollback will have an inequitable impact on both elite and recreational golfers.

Acushnet maintains that golf is healthy and well-positioned for the future. Existing golf ball regulation is highly effective, and a golf ball rollback is not in the best interest of golfers or the sport.

Acushnet has received numerous inquiries from golfers on the R&A and USGA golf ball rollback announcement. Here is a list of our responses to those Frequently Asked Questions and what we currently understand about this proposal.

Acushnet is concerned that a golf ball rollback overly impacts golfers and does not fully reflect the input of those closest to the game.

It has been suggested that driving distance, golf course sustainability and the level of skills required to achieve competitive success are reasons to take action to curtail distance at the elite level. Our response provides data and important insights into these topics.

We firmly believe that the sport of golf is healthy and well-positioned for the future, the many skills required for elite level success are in balance and there is no evidence that driving distance has harmed or is likely to harm the game.

Unification is a powerfully positive force in the game. We believe that equipment bifurcation would divide golf between elite and recreational play, add confusion and break the linkage that is part of the game’s enduring fabric.

Acushnet believes the game is in balance and thriving, and that equipment rollbacks are a solution in search of a problem.

The adoption of any new equipment regulations or Local Rules to reduce hitting distance, we believe, will disrupt an increasingly healthy game while rolling back performance that will negatively impact all levels of play.

We strongly believe there should be an opportunity for all stakeholders to convene together to have a meaningful examination and dialogue around the Distance Insights Project and issues raised in the Notice and Comments and Areas of Interest.

Acushnet reviewed the USGA and R&A's published Distance Insights Report, and concluded there was no foundation for the Governing Bodies to issue Notice and Comments or Areas of Interest.

We appreciate that the Distance Insights Project was fueled by the best intentions of the R&A and USGA acting in what they believe to be the game’s best interests. We also recognize that golf is best served when its stakeholders advance and advocate what they understand to be in the best interests of the game.