IT’S all change for the professional game as golf’s governing bodies move to curb hitting distances. The decision has sparked a civil war between traditionalists and modern stars, with Sir Nick Faldo leading the charge against a move he claims penalises the wrong people.

Golf has broken with over a century of equipment consistency by confirming a global "ball rollback" rule change. From 2028, professionals will be required to use a modified ball designed to fly shorter distances, with the rule extending to all recreational players by 2030.

The move by the R&A and USGA aims to protect historic courses - many of them iconic British links - from being rendered obsolete by modern power-hitters. But while the authorities believe the change is "robust," the reaction from the game’s legends has been anything but supportive.

Six-time major winner Sir Nick Faldo has been the most vocal critic, claiming the rollback is a "bandage" that misses the real issue, the "forgiving" nature of modern club technology.

Speaking exclusively to the NCG Golf Podcast, Faldo argued that reducing distance by 15 yards will do little to deter the game’s elite.

"They’re going to lose 15 yards off a 360-yard drive. Whoop-de-do! They’re now at 345. What difference does that make?" Faldo said. He warned that the change would disproportionately hurt amateur club golfers with slower swing speeds. "It’s a bigger percentage at that end. If you’re hitting it 270 yards and you lose 15, that’s going to hurt a lot more."

The controversy stems from the "distance insights" project, which found that the average drive on the PGA Tour has increased significantly over the last two decades. While the rollback aims to restore strategic play, many players feel it kills the "fanfare" of the long ball.

Bryson DeChambeau, who famously transformed his physique to break the 400-yard barrier, has voiced his disgust, labeling the decision disappointing for the entertainment value of the game.

Conversely, Rory McIlroy remains one of the few high-profile stars to support the move. "I don’t understand the anger," McIlroy said. "It will make the professional game more entertaining to watch". He says it will change the focus to skill rather than just how hard you can swing.

It’s a view echoed by six-time Major winner Faldo, who said: “There’s a handful of guys who can hit it 340 yards through the air. That is frightening, to think a seriously good driver in my day was 260 yards.

“We need to try and bring back the skill in the game – we need that separation back to the old school. If you were in the top dozen guys who could really strike it well, you were a better player, week in week out, you were better than the average guy. Now, ball striking is simple. There are 100 or 200 really good ball strikers.

“[Today] you can miss the centre by a long way. In the old days, that would be a real clanker. If you were 12 millimetres off centre – that’s a big half inch. If you missed it by a half inch, you’d be giving it the ‘Ow!’ on your fingers. But now, you’re like, that didn’t feel great, and it’s gone four yards left.”

Rather than a costly redesign of the golf ball, Faldo believes the answer lies in simple, "zero-cost" rule changes that force players to rely on their hands rather than their gear.

“I keep saying, if we had a tee peg, seven-eighths of an inch – you lose 10 or 15 yards just by the length of the tee peg,” Faldo explained. “It doesn’t cost a dollar to write that in the [rule] book.” He suggested that for professional events on shorter venues, the governing bodies should consider banning the tee peg entirely to force a more demanding strike. “And if you’re good enough to place it and hit a driver off the deck, good for you.”

Faldo also proposed tackling the clubs themselves. By increasing the minimum loft on drivers and capping the loft on wedges, he believes the game would return to the "artistry" of his era, where shot-shaping was mandatory.

“If we’ve got length rules, what if we said nothing less than 10 degrees with a driver? That’s like a 2-wood, but it’s a different-shaped shot," he said.

He further advocated for a limit at the other end of the bag to eliminate the high-lofted "rescue" shots used by modern pros. "56 degrees is the max. That’s it, no more 60s and 62s (wedges). That’s a written rule change that’s not going to cost the manufacturers a penny."

As the 2028 deadline looms, the debate remains whether golf is a test of brute force or a test of skill? For Sir Nick Faldo, the answer isn't in the ball, it’s in the hands of the player holding the club.