Rory McIlroy believes new rule changes on golf ball distances will help make professional game more exciting

​The R&A and USGA had previously proposed a Model Local Rule (MLR) to give elite tournaments the option to require the use of balls which would travel around 15 yards less, but are now revising the speed at which balls are tested, which will effectively make current versions non-conforming.

It will apply at the elite level from 2028, but also for recreational players from 2030.

R&A chief executive Martin Slumbers said on the potential impact: “For the fastest swing speeds it will be 13-15 yards, for the average Tour speed nine to 11 yards and for the average recreational player less than five yards.”

McIlroy, who is ranked number two in the world and is one of the longest drivers on tour, fully supports the move and is confident that it will help improve the product for fans while providing professionals with more unique challenges.

"For the last couple of decades we’ve been talking about what to do, especially as golf courses are getting longer, needing more acreage to build courses – is that sustainable?” he told Sky Sports. “Because they are building more acreage, they need more water to maintain them, so there are all these environmental factors that come into it.

"I think that’s the biggest reason we should do this, but also from a professional that plays the game, I said on my Twitter post a couple of days ago that it will bring back some skills into the pro game that have maybe been lost.

"I actually think it will make the pro game more exciting to watch and you’ll see a variety of games succeed – it won’t be the bomb and gouge that we see predominantly now at the top level of golf.

"It will bring some of the great classic courses back into consideration for major championships and that’s why I’m a big proponent of making the ball go a little shorter.

"Maybe it will spin a little more, shot shaping comes back into it and long irons get played a bit more – I just think the game at the top level will become a little bit more skilful again.”