DUBAI — Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm are in agreement that golf has a problem with distance, but they have different ideas on how to solve it.

The sport's governing bodies have gone back to the drawing board on how to tackle the ever-increasing distances that players can hit after shelving plans to implement distance-limiting regulations on golf balls in 2028.

There is a wide consensus across the sport that advancements in technology have given players an excessive amount of power and forgiveness, rendering many revered courses redundant and reducing the level of artistry in the game. There is a financial consideration, too. By increasing the length of courses to ensure players are properly tested, course maintenance costs have skyrocketed.

McIlroy was a strong advocate for the rollback, but with the idea of distance-limiting the golf ball seemingly off the table, he believes the attention should turn to reducing the maximum size of the driver head.

The six-time major winner, one of the longest hitters in the sport's history, accepts that changes to equipment could hinder his strengths, but he believes it should be done for the good of the game.

"I'm in favor of doing anything and everything to sort of curb where we are at. Ball or club, I think the equipment at the top level needs to be regulated better than where it is right now," he said in Dubai this week.

"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 the 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."

Two-time major champion Rahm, however, believes the answer is through course design. He cited short yet tricky courses like Harbour Town, which has stood the test of time due to its danger-fraught layout.

"It's a tricky question because there's obviously been an incredible advancement with the technology of the golf ball and the club that's undeniable," the Spaniard said.

"Last time I heard, they were saying that the driving distance leaders in 2004 and nowadays aren't that different. The biggest difference would probably be the average of the top 20, right? It's made our misses a lot longer.

"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 use the example of Valderrama. Valderrama hasn't really changed much since I remember watching it, and it's just difficult every time you play it. Colonial before they redesigned it; Harbour Town — this past year it showed how difficult it was.

"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."