USGA Becoming Golf’s Repo Man?

Is the USGA’s new proposal really about grooves? I think that’s only part of the story.

Swing ThoughtsGreetings from semi-retirement, Sand Trappers. I couldn’t help but chime in with a quick thought or two about the USGA’s announcement (and concurrent R&A announcement) proposing a change in the rules regarding grooves on irons and wedges.

When I first read the proposed change last week, it seemed fairly reasonable. It would only affect the best players using urethane balls, which might increase the importance of driving accuracy without taking the air out of the ball or changing driver designs. But then I wondered if this proposal has a deeper meaning that isn’t so benign.

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Dear USGA: Try My Equipment Rules Suggestions

In the spirit of the proposed equipment rule changes to grooves and adjustability, I offer up my own proposals for change. Hey, some may even make more sense.

Bag DropAs you may have gleaned from last week’s Bag Drop, I’m not particularly fond of the USGA’s recently proposed rules change on grooves. Still, as many have suggested, maybe it isn’t that big a deal.

So in an effort to calm down a little, I tried to follow the reasoning of the USGA as they researched, discussed, and promulgated these pithy proposals. I must report it was a prolonged contemplative exercise employing some Zen meditation, navel lint picking and omphaloskepsis, and a fair amount of gin.

Eventually it came to me that the grooves rule comes down to this: really good players are getting an unfair advantage from their equipment the rest of us aren’t. Following that premise, then, what else might we do to equipment to save the game from its very best players? Here are some ideas…

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Volume Eighty-Eight

It’s a Monday finish on the PGA Tour (Mark Wilson wins). Also, Ernie Els a Callaway Boy now? John Daly injured by a camera’s click? What’s going on here???

Boo Weekly missed a three-foot putt on the final hole at The Honda Classic on Sunday to blow an opportunity to win his first PGA Tour event. The Golf Channel aired coverage this morning at 8:30, and by 9:00 it was obvious Boo wouldn’t redeem himself.

This week we have a recap of The Honda Classic, the greatest streak ever, and a story about a tennis pro turned golfer that is truly unbelievable.

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Goofiest Swings

Thankfully golf is as diverse as the people who play it. The following players show us that you don’t have to be an orthodox swinger to find success on the course.

Trap Five LogoWith swings only a mother could love, the following players have made our list of the five goofiest swings in golf. While none of these swings looks quite right, they share one thing in common: they are repeatable. The golfers who employ(ed) them can repeat the train-wreck time and again.

Some important things are illustrated by the following players:

  1. The game is about scoring, not aesthetics.
  2. A repeatable motion is vital to success.
  3. Golf is unique to each individual.
  4. An outside-in takeaway followed by an inside-out swing path is shared by most good players.

So have a look at professional golf’s wackiest swings and see if you agree with my take.

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Testing the 40-30-20-10 Rule

My predecessor, Dave Koster, came up with a math formula which weighed some important stats. This week, I put his formula to the test.

The Numbers GameI am still somewhat new around here, but I know good numbers when I see them. No I’m not talking about how dominating Tiger Woods is in Official World Golf Ranking points or how Charles Howell III is leading the way in the FedEx Cup.

No, I’m talking about Dave Koster’s 40-30-20-10 Rule.

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Golf Talk [Episode 048]

Tiger Woods will start his own golf tour the same year Johnny Miller stops talking himself up in telecasts.

PodcastCharles Howell III finally wins again, Tiger’s “streak” finally comes to a close, and Henrik Stenson, Paula Creamer, Fred Funk, and Tom Watson are all winners. The losers? Fuzzy Zoeller sued Wikipedia and square grooves will possibly be banned? This and a lot more.

You can subscribe to the RSS feed for our podcasts here or download Episode 048 as an MP4 file. For those who want to subscribe to us in iTunes, click here.

For this week’s Show Notes – links to articles we discuss in the show and additional information – just read on.

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It’s Official: USGA Proposing Groove, Club Adjustability Rules

As we surmised a couple days ago, the USGA is officially proposing a change to club grooves. If you’re a “skilled” player and play in competitions, say goodbye to your irons and wedges in two years.

Groove CloseupThe USGA today announced it is proposing two new rules changes. The first will revise grooves, the second will relax rules on adjustability so clubs can be better fitted to players.

The proposed groove revision would require all clubs to be made to this standard after January 1, 2010. However, the USGA will recommend a “Condition of Competition” go into effect January 1, 2009 that would allow committees to require newly conforming clubs in events for “highly skilled players.”

The new adjustability rule would go into effect January 1, 2008. Right now the rule only allows changes in weight. Thus, the new rule would likely make adjusting lofts, lies, or shaft flex possible, just not during a “stipulated round.”

If you’d like to discuss this, you can do so in the comments of this post, in our forum, or in the comments of this week’s Bag Drop on the grooves issue.

Young Guns Finally Reaching Potential

Several PGA Tour young guns are finally starting to reach their unlimited potential.

Thrash TalkThe WGC Accenture Match Play Championship was very fun to watch as usual. Some people may have been bored with the final between Henrik Stenson and Geoff Ogilvy, but it was actually one of the most exciting championship matches in the event’s history. Both golfers are very calm under pressure, and both are now ranked inside the world’s top ten. Don’t be surprised if both of these guys win a major championship this season.

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Too Little Too Late? The USGA Revisits Square Grooves

Ever since the Ping debacle in the 1980s, the USGA has kept a wary eye out for lawyers as they’ve tiptoed around equipment rules changes. Here they go again.

Bag DropWith the USGA’s recent announcement that they’ve glommed onto yet another corporate sponsor (I wonder how many Open tickets American Express and Lexus bigwigs are getting?) ostensibly to help with legal bills, it would appear golf’s ruling body in the U.S. is feeling frisky.

Last August they issued a 104-page report to club manufacturers indicating that currently permissible grooves allow the game’s best players to impart more spin on the ball from light rough than should be acceptable. While they promised no immediate action, it seems obvious they seriously want to consider an equipment rules change.

My question, and the question of many others, is whether a rules change on grooves is necessary or even advisable. Are they making rules for the top 0.5% of players in the world, or for they rest of us?

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