Anyone who follows tour golf with any regularity knows that no spin is necessary to declare the “grooves” issue one of the hottest topics in the game in 2010.
It was already a big deal before Scott McCarron fueled the fire a couple of weeks ago when he opined that Phil Mickelson (pictured) and other PGA Tour players were “cheating” by using pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 wedges that are only legal because of a lawsuit the USGA settled with Ping 17 years ago. McCarron said Mickelson and Co., were violating the spirit of groove rules implemented on Jan. 1.
Several days later, McCarron apologized to Mickelson, who elected not to use a Ping Eye 2 wedge last week on the PGA Tour after having one in his bag during the San Diego tournament late in January. But there are still behind-the-scenes discussions going on to see if the Eye 2 issue can be resolved in a manner satisfactory to all sides.
Even if that happens, the new groove regulations — which result in less ability to spin the ball, particularly out of the rough — will have implications beyond the major pro tours, which are implementing the changes this year. In fact, at least four tournaments held in Colorado this year will have the new groove rules in place.
In addition to the Senior PGA Championship that Colorado Golf Club is hosting May 27-30, three USGA sectional qualifying events in the state will require equipment that conforms to the new groove regulations: the U.S. Open sectional at Columbine Country Club June 7, the U.S. Senior Open qualifying June 28 at the Broadmoor, and the U.S. Women’s Open qualifying May 31 at the Broadmoor.
“There’s no excuse for this to sneak up on (contestants at these USGA qualifiers) given what has been going on with Phil,” CGA executive director Ed Mate said. “Any player aspiring to compete in those events needs to be aware.”
CWGA executive director Robin Elbardawil doesn’t anticipate that rules officials at these events will approach their duties any differently than they have in the past regarding players having rules-conforming golf balls, drivers, etc.
“There’s a list on the USGA web site,” Elbardawil said. “We’ll put the onus on the player. But if someone brings something to our attention, then we would investigate.”
It should be noted that while the aforementioned sectional qualifiers will enforce the new groove rules, the three U.S. Open local qualifying tournaments set in Colorado in May won’t implement the regulations until 2011. And the U.S. Women’s Open and the U.S. Senior Open don’t have a local qualifying stage.
While many full-time tour players have spent months getting ready for the new groove rules, the changes probably won’t be as big an issue for the club professionals and top amateurs who often make up a significant portion of the sectional qualifying tournaments.
“They haven’t radared in their game like the chosen 144 on the PGA Tour,” noted Eddie Ainsworth, executive director of the Colorado PGA. “But it will make the game tougher.”
The great majority of notable tournaments held in Colorado won’t be affected by the new groove rules in 2010, including the HealthOne Colorado Open championships, and events run by the CGA, Colorado PGA and CWGA (with the exceptions of the three USGA sectional qualifiers).
The USGA intends to adopt the groove rules for its other championships by 2014, and it recommends state and regional golf associations do likewise in the same general time frame, though “only for competitions involving expert players.”
Mate said he doesn’t know when the CGA may implement the groove rules for such events, though 2014 seems the most likely option. Elbardawil said she doesn’t think the new regulations will ever be adopted for CWGA tournaments, many of which include handicapped flights.
The earliest that the new grooves could have an effect on rounds posted for handicap purposes is 2024. Nevertheless, Ainsworth isn’t a fan of the groove changes that are being phased in.
“Personally, I don’t agree with the rule change,” he said. “At a time when golf is struggling and trying to attract more players, why in the world would you want to make the game harder?
“I’m sure the USGA will say that it doesn’t affect your run-of-the-mill player, but I’m always leery whenever you do anything to make the game of golf harder. I want to bring more people to come play.”
All new clubs submitted to the USGA for approval after Jan. 1 must conform to the new rules, but manufacturers can produce existing clubs through the end of 2010. And as long as the clubs were shipped to them by Dec. 31, 2010, retailers can indefinitely sell the equipment as conforming. But clubs approved before Jan. 1, 2010 cannot remain conforming if they have their face refinished or grooves sharpened.
