Have you heard about the U.S. Golf Association ruling regarding the change in the standard groove used in irons and wedges? These changes will reduce the sharpness on the groove edges on clubs with less than 25 degree loft. The reasoning behind this change is to limit the spin of the ball reducing the clubs’ effectiveness on shots out of the rough. Below are diagrams of the changes from the USGA.
All clubs manufactured after January 1, 2010 must conform to the new specifications. But before you make the decision to buy new clubs, keep in mind that the ruling goes into effect only for pros in 2010 and for top ranked amateurs in 2014. For the rest of us today’s clubs can be used until 2024.
Reactions to the ruling have been mixed. Pros Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk are both in favor of the change. Furyk was quoted as saying “They can’t keep making courses longer, because not every course has a $20 million budget. And they can’t keep us from hitting the ball far, because there’s enough engineers and R&D and technology that keeps us getting longer. If you can limit the amount of spin on the ball and make the guy play from the fairway and hit a more crisp and better golf shot it’s probably a good avenue. I think it’s a positive move.”
Phil Mickelson says ” I like it. I feel like it’s a challenging thing for a player to judge shots out of the first cut of rough or out of the rough. Is the ball going to spin? How is it going to come out?”
Not all are in favor of the ruling however. Masters champion, Trevor Immelman said “You can change the grooves, but then they’re going to have to scale the golf courses back. As soon as we change the grooves, we’re probably going to have to alter the golf ball we use, because if you’re not getting as much spin, you’re probably going to have to start using a softer golf ball.”
John Solheim, Chariman of Ping is disappointed in the ruling. “I intend to study this more closely. However, I already know it moves the rulebook backwards. How does this help the average golfer enjoy the game more?”
So…the jury is still out on this one. What are your thoughts? How will this affect your game?
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