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Another voice says new grooves are better

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 Comments

Here's something you probably didn't think about with those aggressive groove wedges that aren't being made anymore: Remember how they tear the cover off the ball or at least remove little shavings of paint on those neatly nipped shots from clean lies? Remember how you thought that made them spin more?

Well, designers of today's newest wedge grooves say that's actually an indication of less spin, not more. David Llewellyn, manager of research and development at Mizuno, says the U.S. Golf Association's rollback of groove guidelines actually has led to some new discoveries about how grooves might perform best. It's one of the reasons, for example, the groove designs differ on Mizuno's new MP-R12 wedges depending on the loft.

"What we've seen is when the edges were so sharp that you were shearing the cover off the ball, what actually was happening was some slippage up the face and less spin," he said. "What we've said in looking at spin is 'Let's not just look at grooves as the only component that contributes to spin. Let's look at everything.'"

In some ways, he believes the new groove is better, echoing similar sentiments TaylorMade's Bret Wahl made in talking about the company's new R11 irons.

"On a full shot from a clean lie, I think we're beyond where we were," Llewellyn said, indicating that new shaft designs like True Temper's Spinner shaft are contributing more to spin, as well. "But from the rough, it doesn't matter what you do, you're going to lose spin with the new groove."

Llewellyn and the Mizuno team talk about loft-specific designs, including adjustments through the range of wedges in both the groove configuration and the sole grind. He notes that the lower-lofted wedges like the 50- and 52-degree models, "are really 11-irons. Those are used for full shots."

Other companies, including Titleist and its new SM4 Vokey Design wedges, are at work on new groove designs and are expected to unveil them later this fall.

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Groove odyssey: A player's diary, Chapter 4

Monday, July 25, 2011 Comments

Max Adler, accomplished competitive player and Golf Digest Staff Writer is embarking on his first year of golf with the new grooves. Periodically, we'll let you in on what he's learning and how the change impacts his game. Last month, Max qualified for and competed in the Connecticut State Amateur Championship, using irons and wedges that featured the new groove and presumably were less effective in certain situations than those used by most of the other competitors. As he readies to compete in qualifying for the U.S. Amateur next week, here's another of the lessons he's learned about competing with the new grooves:

Never try to hit a wedge farther than you can, even the new ones.

It's tempting if the yardage is only a few yards more than your stock distance, but it's not worth it. After a weather delay during the Connecticut Amateur, I momentarily forgot my own wisdom and selected my 50-degree wedge after my laser-device eyed the flagstick at 122 yards (my 50-degree normally flies 120 yards). With a fresh coating of moisture on the greens, I proceeded to hit the shot I thought would be dead now that I'm playing the new-groove wedges. My shot pitched six feet short of the hole, then ripped back some 25 feet before catching the false-front apron and trickling back another 20 yards into the fairway. So yes, even with the new groove wedges it's possible to swing too hard and steep and experience that most distasteful sight of a GIR that reconsidered.

However, the tragicomedy of the shot did at least break the silent atmosphere. My opponent in the round of 16, Matt Smith, who would ultimately defeat me 3&2, commiserated and offered that he was also playing the newly conforming wedges even though they were not required for the event. Smith, a First-Team All New-England rising senior at the University of Hartford, said, "Yeah, Jerry Kelly is an alum and so we get hooked up with equipment from Cleveland and Srixon. We got the new wedges this spring, and I figure I might as well learn to play with them now because we're all going to have to switch later."

Smith isn't going to wait to learn his lessons. Of course, I had just learned one myself: Next time, choke down on the pitching wedge.

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Groove odyssey: A player's diary, Chapter 3

Tuesday, June 7, 2011 Comments

Max Adler, accomplished competitive player and Golf Digest Staff Writer is embarking on his first year of golf with the new grooves. Periodically, we'll let you in on what he's learning and how the change impacts his game. This week it's Connecticut State Amateur qualifying, where old grooves aren't outlawed and Max is experiencing a different game than his playing partners:

New wedges have been riding in the bag a month, and I'm just now appreciating the difference. The most telling evidence? Yesterday I competed in a qualifier for the Connecticut State Amateur and used only one ball. After eighteen holes the two identification dots from my red Sharpie were faded, but the urethane cover was barely scuffed. With my old wedges and steep amateurish downswing (unfortunately the latter hasn't left me) I used to replace my ball at least once a nine because the cover would shred so badly.

The other evidence was more subtle.

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Groove Odyssey: A player's diary, Chapter 2

Friday, May 20, 2011 Comments

Now with a tournament under my belt, my hope was to have a clearer idea on how new conforming grooves truly perform. A U.S. Open Local Qualifier is a good testing ground, because the state golf associations that run them traditionally firm up greens and tuck flagsticks to sift the worthy handful from the rabble of wannabes. In typical proportions, my event at Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk, Conn. had 73 players fighting for just five spots.

The two other players in my group, both assistant pros, confided that this was also their first competitive round with weaker grooves. However, I can say with confidence that it cost none of us even a single shot. The nuances of spin differential were washed away in a storm that caused the field two delays for thunder and lightning. Each time play resumed it was into strong rain, strong wind, and greens that miraculously puddled in only certain spots. Full-swings produced sopping divots that exploded like cookie-batter and left pitchmarks like craters. Needless to say, making the ball check was not an issue.

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If you want to play, it's time to pay

Thursday, February 17, 2011 Comments

There was much consternation last year over the ability of non-elite tour players to acquire wedges and irons that conformed to the new groove rule stipulations in time to compete in certain professional events. So much hullabaloo in fact that the U.S. Golf Association relaxed the rules slightly and allowed the first stage of qualifying for its national open championships to not require competitors' clubs meet the groove guidelines.

So while PGA Tour evens and U.S. Open sectional qualfying implemented the so-called "condition of competition" governing grooves, competitors in local qualifying could use pre-2010 rule irons and wedges.

That leniency will change this year. The USGA announced today that the groove rule condition of competition would apply to Local Qualifying for the 2011 U.S. Open.

According to the announcement the groove condition of competition will go into effect for all USGA amateur events "no later than 2014, as originally planned."

That means, if you're thinking of making a run for the USGA's richest event, you better have wedges and irons that conform to the new guidelines in your bag.

"After a successful implementation of this condition in 2010, it is logical to implement it for all players competing in our three national Open championships in 2011," said Mike Davis, USGA senior director of Rules and Competitions. "It is our understanding that there are ample conforming clubs in the marketplace such that adopting this condition for first-stage U.S. Open qualifying ensures a level playing field for all competitors."

Confused where to begin your search? Start at the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List, which features only conforming groove wedges and irons.

--Mike Stachura

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