USGA, R&A Propose Three New Rules to Limit Tour Driving Distance

The USGA and R&A this week issued a fourth 2026 manufacturer notice detailing three Model Local Rules (MLRs) that could apply at the professional level as soon as January 2028. The PGA Tour and DP World Tour proposed the options after consulting with the governing bodies since June, when a delayed rollout of a broader ball rollback was jointly announced.

What are the three proposed rules?

Each MLR would apply only at golf's highest levels, not to recreational equipment. The first requires a ball with an overall distance of 317.0 yards or less on the List of Conforming Golf Balls. The second caps driver heads at a maximum Characteristic Time (CT) of 239 microseconds. The third restricts club length below the existing 46-inch limit under MLR G-10. The ball and driver rules keep today's thresholds intact but drop the current testing tolerances.

The proposals mostly tighten the tolerances built into today's tests, not the numbers on the conforming lists themselves.

Would this change what pros already carry?

Drivers were first capped at 46 inches in 2022, after pros tried builds as long as 48 inches; Phil Mickelson won that year's PGA Championship with a 47.9-inch driver. Most tour players already use drivers under 45.5 inches, though Jordan Spieth favors a 46-inch build for its more stable head.

Why now?

PGA Tour driving distance rose again in 2026, averaging 306 yards, up over three yards from 2025 and 16 yards over the decade. Potgieter and McIlroy became the first to average over 330 yards for a season, topping McIlroy's 2023 mark of 326.3. The bodies are still weighing other options and take comments on these three through October 21.