New Groove Rules
What You Need to Know
The controversial new grooves rule administered by the United States Golf Association and the R&A, the two governing bodies of golf, has caused a stir at all levels of the game. From Phil Mickelson and “groovegate” to the general confusion among amateurs, the new rule has caused plenty of havoc in just the two months it has been in play.
Announced in 2008, the changes to the Rules of Golf governing groove size and shape on irons officially took effect Jan. 1, 2010, for all levels of major competitive golf … places like the PGA Tour, The European Tour, The Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour, as well as sectional qualifying for major USGA events (all other USGA events involving amateurs only will conform by 2014).
The regulations control the cross-sectional area of grooves on all clubs and limit groove edge sharpness on clubs with lofts equal to or greater than 25 degrees (generally a standard 5-iron and above).
The rule has impacted three different segments of the game: highly skilled pros, amateurs of all levels and equipment companies. Here’s a deeper look:
The Top Players
With top players assaulting the world’s great courses by booming drives with little regard for where they land, accuracy has taken a back seat to golf’s power game the last decade or so.
The ultimate goal for the grooves change is to force highly skilled players to once again emphasize the importance of driving accuracy over distance. The new grooves are designed to reduce spin on shots played from the rough.
In essence, the deeper “U-shaped” grooves that dominated club manufacturing in the 1990s are being rolled back to the shallower “V-shaped” grooves used in the 1980s (or even shallower U-grooves with rounded edges). In theory, players should have less control from questionable lies.
It’s too early in the process to see if the intent is really working, but there have been signs.
Australian Robert Allenby said earlier this year that the new rule potentially cost him two wins on The PGA Tour. He hit a flier 5-iron from the rough on the 18th hole of the Sony Open, and lost the tournament by a shot to Adam Palmer.
Two weeks later at Torrey Pines for the Farmer’s Insurance Open, Allenby overcooked another iron, this time a 7 iron, into a canyon beyond the 14th green. He tumbled from second place at the time to ultimately finish three shots back of winner Ben Crane.
Allenby still supports the changes despite his fate.
"You know what, I don't have a problem with it," he told ESPN.com. "Obviously, two shots have cost me two tournaments. But at least they're costing me tournaments."
Phil Mickelson is the most vocal opponent of the rule. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Lefty played a Ping Eye 2 wedge manufactured before 1990, a club exempt from the groove rules due to an earlier court settlement.
Scott McCarron criticized Mickelson, saying he was “cheating” and disregarding the intent of the rule. Mickelson, who has since pulled the wedge from his bag, said he was only proving a point that the grooves rule with such a loophole makes no sense.
"Groovegate" was finally resolved on March 8th when the PGA Tour and Ping reached an agreement that bans the wedges beginning March 29th at all PGA Tour, Champion's Tour and LPGA Tour events.
Mickelson’s disgust partially comes from an incident last summer, when a new conforming groove created by his equipment sponsor, Callaway, was rejected by the USGA. Lefty called out Dick Rugge, the USGA’s senior technical director, in interviews.
"I think it was a ridiculous rule change and even worse timing," Mickelson said at the Northern Trust Open. "It's cost manufacturers millions of dollars. ... It was unnecessary. It was an attempt to show power. And the arbitrary judgment of one man (who) can take a conforming club and rule it non-conforming based on his emotion, this type of transparency has got to change. It's killing the sport. It's killing the manufacturers, the player... It needs to be changed."
The Equipment Companies
There’s no doubt the equipment companies will suffer during this transitional period. Every iron created after January 2011 must conform to the new standard. The companies have spent untold amounts of research and development and production dollars to get up to speed with conforming irons. And all the old products become almost instantly obsolete in competition.
There is a bright side, however, for the manufacturers. Moving forward, just think how many competitive players must purchase new irons. Still, is it enough to cover the added costs?
A forum this fall will allow the companies to voice their concerns about the process of future rules changes. A statement released by the USGA said the event could cover a range of topics such as the timing and communication of research that could lead to rule changes; the implementation of rule changes; as well as the governing body's role in maintaining the proper balance between technology and skill in player performance.
The Hackers
All this technical talk doesn’t mean a whole lot to "Average Joe" golfers, especially those who don’t play tournament golf. The rule states that all clubs must conform by 2024. Chances are you will have purchased new irons by then.
USGA studies also show that most average golfers hit the green in regulation from the rough only 13 percent of the time with the old, deeper “U grooves.” Those pathetic figures prove the size of the grooves means little in helping high-handicappers succeed.
Conclusion
Although most high-handicap players will not see a significant difference with the new wedges, better players will notice. Golfweek equipment guru Jim Achenbach, a fine player, said he went out and stocked up on 20 wedges with the old U-shaped grooves before they disappear from the primary market.
If you’re looking for a good investment for the golf bag in 2010, finding a wedge with the old grooves might be your best bet. Unless you start playing professionally you will have 14 years to wear them out, and don’t worry, you won’t be accused of cheating by your buddies … as long as you don’t plan on trying to qualify for the U.S. Open.
Tell a friend
The controversial new grooves rule administered by the United States Golf Association and the R&A, the two governing bodies of golf, has caused a stir at all levels of the game. From Phil Mickelson and “groovegate” to the general confusion among amateurs, the new rule has caused plenty of havoc in just the two months it has been in play.
Announced in 2008, the changes to the Rules of Golf governing groove size and shape on irons officially took effect Jan. 1, 2010, for all levels of major competitive golf … places like the PGA Tour, The European Tour, The Champions Tour and the LPGA Tour, as well as sectional qualifying for major USGA events (all other USGA events involving amateurs only will conform by 2014).
The regulations control the cross-sectional area of grooves on all clubs and limit groove edge sharpness on clubs with lofts equal to or greater than 25 degrees (generally a standard 5-iron and above).
The rule has impacted three different segments of the game: highly skilled pros, amateurs of all levels and equipment companies. Here’s a deeper look:
The Top Players
With top players assaulting the world’s great courses by booming drives with little regard for where they land, accuracy has taken a back seat to golf’s power game the last decade or so.
The ultimate goal for the grooves change is to force highly skilled players to once again emphasize the importance of driving accuracy over distance. The new grooves are designed to reduce spin on shots played from the rough.
In essence, the deeper “U-shaped” grooves that dominated club manufacturing in the 1990s are being rolled back to the shallower “V-shaped” grooves used in the 1980s (or even shallower U-grooves with rounded edges). In theory, players should have less control from questionable lies.
It’s too early in the process to see if the intent is really working, but there have been signs.
Australian Robert Allenby said earlier this year that the new rule potentially cost him two wins on The PGA Tour. He hit a flier 5-iron from the rough on the 18th hole of the Sony Open, and lost the tournament by a shot to Adam Palmer.
Two weeks later at Torrey Pines for the Farmer’s Insurance Open, Allenby overcooked another iron, this time a 7 iron, into a canyon beyond the 14th green. He tumbled from second place at the time to ultimately finish three shots back of winner Ben Crane.
Allenby still supports the changes despite his fate.
"You know what, I don't have a problem with it," he told ESPN.com. "Obviously, two shots have cost me two tournaments. But at least they're costing me tournaments."
Phil Mickelson is the most vocal opponent of the rule. At the Farmers Insurance Open, Lefty played a Ping Eye 2 wedge manufactured before 1990, a club exempt from the groove rules due to an earlier court settlement.
Scott McCarron criticized Mickelson, saying he was “cheating” and disregarding the intent of the rule. Mickelson, who has since pulled the wedge from his bag, said he was only proving a point that the grooves rule with such a loophole makes no sense.
"Groovegate" was finally resolved on March 8th when the PGA Tour and Ping reached an agreement that bans the wedges beginning March 29th at all PGA Tour, Champion's Tour and LPGA Tour events.
Mickelson’s disgust partially comes from an incident last summer, when a new conforming groove created by his equipment sponsor, Callaway, was rejected by the USGA. Lefty called out Dick Rugge, the USGA’s senior technical director, in interviews.
"I think it was a ridiculous rule change and even worse timing," Mickelson said at the Northern Trust Open. "It's cost manufacturers millions of dollars. ... It was unnecessary. It was an attempt to show power. And the arbitrary judgment of one man (who) can take a conforming club and rule it non-conforming based on his emotion, this type of transparency has got to change. It's killing the sport. It's killing the manufacturers, the player... It needs to be changed."
The Equipment Companies
There’s no doubt the equipment companies will suffer during this transitional period. Every iron created after January 2011 must conform to the new standard. The companies have spent untold amounts of research and development and production dollars to get up to speed with conforming irons. And all the old products become almost instantly obsolete in competition.
There is a bright side, however, for the manufacturers. Moving forward, just think how many competitive players must purchase new irons. Still, is it enough to cover the added costs?
A forum this fall will allow the companies to voice their concerns about the process of future rules changes. A statement released by the USGA said the event could cover a range of topics such as the timing and communication of research that could lead to rule changes; the implementation of rule changes; as well as the governing body's role in maintaining the proper balance between technology and skill in player performance.
The Hackers
All this technical talk doesn’t mean a whole lot to "Average Joe" golfers, especially those who don’t play tournament golf. The rule states that all clubs must conform by 2024. Chances are you will have purchased new irons by then.
USGA studies also show that most average golfers hit the green in regulation from the rough only 13 percent of the time with the old, deeper “U grooves.” Those pathetic figures prove the size of the grooves means little in helping high-handicappers succeed.
Conclusion
Although most high-handicap players will not see a significant difference with the new wedges, better players will notice. Golfweek equipment guru Jim Achenbach, a fine player, said he went out and stocked up on 20 wedges with the old U-shaped grooves before they disappear from the primary market.
If you’re looking for a good investment for the golf bag in 2010, finding a wedge with the old grooves might be your best bet. Unless you start playing professionally you will have 14 years to wear them out, and don’t worry, you won’t be accused of cheating by your buddies … as long as you don’t plan on trying to qualify for the U.S. Open.
Very true