Gary Player once urged the USGA to ban two ‘illegal’ golf clubs forever and demanded rule change

Gary Player is certainly no shrinking violet when it comes to offering his opinions on the current state of the professional game.

Player has often been outspoken on various issues including certain rules and the lack of genuine winners in the modern game.

The 90-year-old is unquestionably one of the most successful golfers to have ever played the game and, as a result, his opinions are more often than not taken on board.

Player regularly calls for certain rules to be changed by golf’s governing bodies.

It was only a few years ago when Gary Player vented his anger at professionals leaving the flagstick in the hole when putting.

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

The man with 159 professional victories worldwide is of the belief that the game of golf was harder in his day, and there is undoubtedly some truth to that.

And 21 years ago, Player called upon the USGA and the R&A to ban two specific golf clubs due to the fact that they were ‘ruining the game’.

Gary Player once wanted two specific ‘illegal’ clubs to be banned

Back in 2005, the nine-time major champion was adamant that golf club technology had already gone too far.

“There’s not even a debate. There must be a premium on driving. New equipment is ruining the game of golf,” Player insisted.

“I play on the Champions Tour now, and there are guys on it who are shooting scores that they could never shoot when they were young men. It just doesn’t make sense, and it’s ruining golf.”

The diminutive South African then took aim at deep grooves on irons and driver faces with trampoline-face technology.

“I just hate to see what’s happening today with golf clubs that I consider to be illegal,“ Player exclaimed.

“I’d stop the grooves being so deep (on the ball), and I’d stop the trampoline effect in the wood.

“The way to solve all the problems is to quit making metal clubs and go back to wood, but I say that with tongue in cheek.

“If you gave Jack Nicklaus the conditions these guys play in now, none of them (modern-day players) could live with him. Also, there’s nobody on the tour today who could hit the ball as well as Lee Trevino or Ben Hogan.“

Player has previously criticized golfers who use 64 degree wedges due to his belief that much of the skill has been taken out of the game.

Interestingly, square grooves in wedges were actually banned by the USGA and the R&A back in 2010.

In order to conform to the rules and regulations nowadays, wedges require wider spacing between the grooves, narrower width in the grooves, and rounded edges.

However, driver technology has continued to progress with long hitters today now capable of flying the ball 330 yards plus through the air.

Gary Player wanted different rules for pros and amateurs

While Player was determined to see the game made more difficult for touring pros, he wanted the opposite effect for amateurs.

“We must not change the equipment for the average golfer,“ the South African insisted.

“But on the tour, we’ve got to change things. If an amateur hits a ball 50 yards further, usually that will also mean he is 50 yards further in the rough.

“But they will get enjoyment out of it, and we have to satisfy them.”

That is spot on from Player and it’s an issue that will soon become reality.

In 2028, the golf ball rollback will be brought into play for professional golfers, while the same rules will be applied to amateurs in 2030.

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