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surface again – do we need to dial back the golf ball?

Both the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient, which governs the sport in the rest of the world, announced last month that, starting in 2026, their signature events, the U.S. Open and the Open Championship, will feature a standard ball that every player must use.

As part of the local rules, each competitor in these majors will use balls designed specifically not to travel as far as they do now, maybe 15 or 20 yards shorter on average.

This followed years of research by golf’s governing bodies and coin - cided with an explosion in how far top players hit drives, forcing many older courses, including Augusta, to add length in an attempt to combat all of it.

Making a difference

Many local communities are served, especially at times when they are needed most, by those who give their time to their community as volunteer firefighters.

This is a service that is anything but a nine to five situation and volunteers give their time at all hours of the day and night, responding to all kind of calls from medical situations to accidents to, of course, fires.

According to the Firefighter Association of New York (FASNY), these volunteers save not only lives and property, but also billions in taxpayer dollars. According to an economic impact study released by FASNY these dedicated volunteers help New York taxpayers save $4.7 billion annually through their services.

FASNY goes on to report volunteers play a critical part in safeguarding New York’s communities and helping to save lives. The 80,000 volunteer firefighters in the state provide vital protection and services during emergencies and contribute significantly to their communities through continuous training, outreach, and fire safety education. They also play a critical role in the statewide response plans to major emergencies and natural disasters, according to FASNY.

On the economic side, the report, prepared by Resolution Economics (ResEcon), the “Economic Study of The Tax Savings Generated by New York’s Volunteer Fire Service” is the second study in the past decade to examine the economic impact of New York’s volunteer firefighters. Volunteer firefighters keep local taxes and expenses low by eliminating the need to pay career firefighters wages, benefits, and related costs. New York State relies heavily on volunteer fire departments, and a conversion to paid departments would cause a severe economic burden and require a massive increase in property taxes.

“This report underscores the importance and value of the volunteer firefighting service to New York,” said FASNY President Edward Tase, Jr. “Without the dedication and service of the brave volunteers throughout the state, local taxpayers would face a significant financial burden to fund the type of emergency response they are accustomed to. Our volunteer firefighters train extensively to be able to respond to their neighbors in a time of need, and we are proud to do our part to keep this great state safe and taxpayer costs for fire protection low.”

Among the findings in the report: Fully paid career departments would cost New York taxpayers $4.7 billion annually in pay, benefits, operating, maintenance, and capital costs; 31,058 full-time paid firefighters would need to be hired; Of New York State’s 1,640 fire departments, 93.2% are all-volunteer or mostly volunteer.

If NYS switched to an all-paid fire service: Local government property taxes would rise an average of 28.4% absent volunteer firefighters (taxes would increase between 5.8% and 133.8% depending on the county); and There would be a one-time cost of $8.17 billion to acquire existing structures, vehicles and equipment, according to FASNY.

As critical a service as they provide, volunteer fire departments are facing challenges with recruitment and retention.

Departments are comprised of older members and often find it difficult to find and retain younger members.

According to FASNY, the past several years have been challenging for volunteer fire departments throughout New York, and many are faced with decreased membership and increased call volume. It is estimated that there are 20,000 fewer volunteer firefighters than there were 20 years ago, and it has become increasingly challenging to recruit new firefighters and retain existing ones due to the turbulent economy, busy lives and schedules and other factors.

But departments across the state will be hosting events to try to inspire more people to consider volunteering.

Volunteer fire departments across New York State will open their doors to residents Saturday, April 22 and Sunday, April 23, as part of the 14th annual RecruitNY weekend.

RecruitNY is a major initiative of the Firefighters Association of New York (FASNY) designed to help increase volunteer membership in local fire departments, according to FASNY.

Individuals looking to find out if their fire department is participating in RecruitNY, visit recruitny.org/participation-area /

For more information, contact your local volunteer fire department via a non-emergency phone number or its website and if you have ever considered serving, this is a good opportunity to learn more about the volunteer fire service.