So, what do make of the all the talk about the change in grooves that has now gone into effect on the PGA Tour? The grooves will now have less volume and rounder edges on clubs with more than 25 degrees of loft. This will reduce the spin on certain shots out of the rough making it difficult to stop the ball by the hole blah, blah, blah. The first full-field event was completed last weekend in Hawaii and Ryan Palmer won with a score of 265. Do you want to guess the average score of the champion at that event for the past nine years? 265. Is that because these guys can play or that with minor adjustments and strategy, the impact of the ‘groove change’ on scoring is very little at best?
To me the impact of the new Groove Rule is much more significant. Did you hear that two players, John Daly and Dean Wilson used wedges that they bought on ebay with ‘square grooves’ made prior to 1991 that were grandfathered because of a settlement of a lawsuit? The commentary revolved around that although they are technically within the rules, they may be crossing the line of intent. While we don’t have Slugger White following us around Bowling Green, we try our best to follow the rules of golf. One of the unique things about golf and why many become so passionate is that we can play in the same ‘arenas’ as the pros, use the equipment they do and compare our abilities to theirs. The ‘rule makers’ at the USGA et al have created different standards of play for the Tour player vs. you and me.
At this point, I may have to do my part for the economic stimulus and buy a couple of “conforming” wedges and do my part to maintain the integrity of the game. What are you going to do?
Day-light counter: January 21st, +30min / 12sec
