In summary

  • Rory McIlroy says he's the "poster child" for golf's distance problem but still backs equipment changes to curb it.
  • Jon Rahm favours redesigning golf courses to be "anti-distance" rather than limiting clubs or balls.
  • New rules due as soon as 2028 would limit ball distance and alter driver loft levels under the "Conforming Driver Heads" list.

Rory McIlroy would be more than happy with changes to golf clubs and balls to curb the distance problem he conceded he’s the “poster child” for.

But Jon Rahm went the other way, pointing to the endless possibilities in golf course design, which could make them “anti-distance”.

Australian star Adam Scott stirred the pot over the distance issue, which remains a source of contention, in Abu Dhabi last week, declaring it was “fundamentally wrong” that drivers had become “the most forgiving” club in anyone’s bag.

New rules slated to come into force at the professional level as soon as 2028 include limiting the distance golf balls can travel and changes to the loft levels on drivers, which must all be on the “Conforming Driver Heads” list.

The current PGA Tour driving distance average is 280.7m, up nearly 10m since the start of this decade.

McIlroy’s average was beyond that, hitting 300m in 2026, but despite any changes that limit how far players could hit the ball being “not advantageous” to him, the two-time Masters champion is an advocate for change.

The former world No.1 is a fan of skill over distance, evidenced by his love of Kingston Heath on the Melbourne Sandbelt, host of this year’s Australian Open, which McIlroy will play in. The course demands decisions that go beyond reaching for the driver.

“I’m in favour of doing anything and everything to sort of curb where we are at,” he said ahead of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai.

“Ball, club - I think the equipment at the top level needs to be regulated better than where it is right now.

“Just for the overall, like, skill, like there’s a disproportionate -- I guess distance is a big issue in the game at the top level because it maybe negates other skills that were more prevalent in golf 20 or 30 years ago.

“I’m sort of the poster child for this, right. I drove it on a couple of greens last week. You could argue that rolling it back for me is not beneficial or not advantageous, but the longest guys are still going to be longest guys.

“And I think if we can just get a little bit more skill and shot making back into the game, I think that would be better for everyone. I think it would separate the best players from each other, and I think it would make the game more entertaining to watch.”

Rahm, who returned to the DP World Tour winner’s list last week, his first win since leaving LIV, labelled the situation a “tricky one” and, while he wasn’t against equipment changes, pointed to the design of courses as a better opportunity for change.

“Last time I heard, they were saying that the driving distance leaders in 2004 and nowadays aren’t that different. The biggest difference would be probably the average of the top 20, right,” he said, referencing the likes of McIlroy as big-hitters who blow out the average.

“But the way players work at their physical abilities and get stronger in the gym and how much faster we swing overall should also be looked at.

“I do think a lot of the golf course design nowadays is aided to that. And we go to a major, this year we played a 450-yard (411m) par 4, right, and Aaron Rai won, not the longest hitter. But you think, okay, this is what I need to do: 260-yard (237m) par 3, 200-yard (188m) par 3s, everything just keeps getting longer.

“When I think a lot of the courses that stand the test of time are narrow short golf courses where you need to place the golf ball.

“I think there’s a discussion to be had in both cases, right. I think there’s something that can be done with golf course design and golf course setup. And it could also be something to entertain to change or limit clubs or the golf ball, but I’m not a proponent of that.

“I think there’s so much freedom in design in golf that you could make golf courses that are anti-distance.”

Despite being one of the oldest players on tour at 46, Scott’s own driving distance average in 2026 on the PGA Tour was above average at 286m, ranking him 32nd.

But the 2013 Masters champion was adamant change was needed and that players couldn’t continue to “keep hitting it exponentially further”, demanding “bigger golf courses” be built.

“They lose a lot of character and it’s not that much fun to play. We want all courses to be relevant for everyone,” he said.

“The biggest problem I have with the driver is it’s gone from the most difficult club to hit in the bag to the most forgiving. That’s fundamentally wrong in the evolution of the game. If we could correct that, I think that would be a good thing.”

Scott advocated for a smaller head and a bit more loft on drivers, which, he said, would only help amateurs in particular drive the ball better.