Professional golf might be approaching a dead-ball era of its own.
The U.S. Golf Association and the R&A announced Monday a proposed Model Local Rule (MLR) centered around manufacturing golf balls. The goal is to "reduce hitting distance by 14-15 yards on average for the longest hitters with the highest clubhead speeds."
USGA CEO Mike Whan explained the thinking behind the decision:
"Hitting distances at the elite level of the game have consistently increased over the past 20, 40, and 60 years. It's been two decades since we last revisited our testing standards for ball distances.