Taking A Stand

There was no USGA official standing at a podium, speaking to reporters. Instead, as with most USGA announcements, the communication came via e-mail Aug. 5, and this time the notice was one equipment-makers had hoped they would never see in their inboxes -- the USGA and the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, after more than three years of research, tests, conversations and data gathering, finally had pulled the trigger on a rollback of grooves, the first time the rules on equipment had been thrown into reverse in nearly 80 years.

The new rule includes a lot of tech talk about widths, depths and groove radiuses that you would need an engineering degree to understand. But at its base, the rule limits the size of the groove and the sharpness of the groove edge to reduce its effectiveness on shots from the rough. Although the USGA is not banning U-grooves or "square" grooves, it is forcing manufacturers to substantially reduce the size, shape or spacing of grooves, which likely will produce shots similar to those played with V-shape grooves. For clubs with less than 25 degrees of loft, only the volume portion of the rule applies. Drivers and putters are not included in the ruling.

Those are the basics. But such a dramatic move raises more practical questions. Here are seven things you need to know about how this ruling will affect the clubs used by tour players and, more important, those in your bag.

When does the rule take effect?
The USGA will implement the rule in its three pro championships (U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open) in 2010, and will adopt it for all its competitions in 2014. As for the tours, the PGA, LPGA and European tours, along with the PGA of America, International Federation of PGA Tours and Augusta National GC, have told the USGA and the R&A they intend to adopt the condition of competition on January 1, 2010.

Why did the governing bodies do this?
According to the notice sent by Dick Rugge, the USGA's senior technical director, "The objective of this change is to limit the effectiveness of grooves on shots from the rough to the effect of the traditional V-groove design." Translation: The USGA and R&A believed current grooves made it too easy for elite golfers to play shots from the tall grass, thus reducing the need for accuracy as an integral part of the game. Rugge believes the change will result in a reduction of spin on shots from the rough by up to 50 percent, forcing players to throttle back to hit more fairways, although Benoit Vincent, chief technical officer for TaylorMade, thinks the number is closer to 25 to 30 percent.

Do tour pros agree with that thinking?
Those who play for pay are pretty much in agreement that taking the ABS brakes off shots out of the rough will somewhat harness the bomb-'n-gouge style of play. Typical of the responses was Sergio Garcia's. "I think it's going to put a premium on driving the ball well," the Spaniard said at Oakland Hills. "Maybe decide to give up a little bit of distance off the tee to make sure you hit the fairway."

Trevor Immelman also believes the R&D minds at equipment companies will find a way to compensate. "As soon as we change the grooves, we're probably going to have to alter the ball because if you're not getting as much spin, you're probably going to have to start using a softer golf ball," Immelman said at last week's PGA. "Nike has been working on that since the USGA started sending up the smoke that they may be doing this. I had a look at a few prototypes where they have started working on some different groove variations."

What about me? Do I have to buy all new clubs right away?
Relax -- no one is going to lose their clubs overnight. Although all clubs manufactured on or after Jan. 1, 2010, must conform to the new rule, regular Joes and Janes will be able to continue using clubs manufactured prior to Jan. 1, 2010, where the new rule (which is actually a condition of competition) is not in effect until at least 2024. You should be in the market for a new set of irons and wedges by then.

Where it might get tricky, however, is if eventually average golfers don't play by the rules, and country clubs don't require the new groove for club events until later on. History has shown this is unlikely (remember the Callaway ERC II driver?), but you never know. In that case some manufacturers might choose to continue making clubs with the current groove configuration.