Will the USGA and R&A's proposed golf ball rollback actually change the game when it hits the fairways in 2030? That's the question causing a stir among PGA Tour pros, who worry the new rules may be little more than a swing and a miss.
At the center of the debate? Cameron Young's golf ball. The two-time Tour winner and world No. 4 has been using a Titleist Pro V1x Double Dot, and here's the kicker: that very ball would still conform under the planned rollback. Young unleashed a jaw-dropping 375-yard drive at the 18th hole during the final round of the Players Championship in March, cruising to victory. While Young might be an outlier, his monster bomb with a rollback-approved ball has pros wondering if the regulation change could be an epic fail.
Word is spreading, too. Golfweek has learned that Vince Whaley, Kris Ventura, and Neal Shipley have all teed up the Double Dot, with Rico Hoey giving it a spin in New Orleans and Jhonattan Vegas taking it for a test drive before. (Bryson DeChambeau even tried it, though he didn't stick with it.)
So, what exactly is changing? The proposed rules won't touch the Overall Distance Standard but will bump the test driver's clubhead speed from 120 mph to 125 mph. Starting in 2030, ball makers must design for faster speeds and higher launch conditions. But here's the worry: could this backfire, giving some players an even bigger advantage?
Let's rewind to 2024. Young walked into Titleist's Manchester Lane testing center looking for a ball that would spin less off his irons and driver. Titleist's designers got to work, and by summer 2025, they handed him the Pro V1x Double Dot—a low-spinning, low-launching prototype. It delivered: cutting spin off the tee and long irons while keeping it tight on wedge and short iron shots. Pair that with some driver loft adjustments from Titleist's PGA Tour reps, and Young had the perfect recipe for low-spin, high-launch bombs. And the Double Dot? Already on the USGA's conforming list.
For the pros, the question isn't just about one ball—it's about whether the rollback will actually roll back anything at all.