Groove Sharpening

[st0wgolf08]

  miller72 said:

My pro got some of his dentist tools to

Suit yourself, a brush will do the same thing as that sharpener will. Good luck

[GolferDot]

It's not that they get smaller over time as such, but the metal burr's the sharpener removes the burr's

[st0wgolf08]

  GolferDot said:

It's not that they get smaller over time as such, but the metal burr's the sharpener removes the burr's

yes, but if that would be removing metal, and if the grooves are already max, then they're now illegal after doing that.

[miller72]

no the metal actually curves into the space where the groove was, which means it is smaller than is actually allowed. The sharpener actually puts them back to max.
~Chris
ps Stowgolf. If you hit a shot with a wedge or iron then bruxh it, you might notice a little difference. If you hit a shot then use a groove tool, tell me that there is no difference!

[mjgraniero]

  st0wgolf08 said:

yes, but if that would be removing metal, and if the grooves are already max, then they're now illegal after doing that.

The grooves can get shallower over time especially with forged irons because its a softer metal. Take a look at any set of forged irons that is 10 year old or older and haven't been restored and you'll see what I'm talking about. Cast irons don't wear the same or as quick so what you're saying may be true for those type irons. The same isn't true for forged irons.

If the tool restores the groove to within USGA limits then is it illegal simply because it removes metal? Probably need to ask a rules expert or the USGA about that.

[st0wgolf08]

  mjgraniero said:

The grooves can get shallower over time especially with forged irons because its a softer metal. Take a look at any set of forged irons that is 10 year old or older and haven't been restored and you'll see what I'm talking about. Cast irons don't wear the same or as quick so what you're saying may be true for those type irons. The same isn't true for forged irons.

We would need a rules expert, but I would say one would have to take particular care, as it would be very easy to breach the USGA rules on max volume. Proceed with caution miller, if your gonna play in any tournys soon.

[ks8829]

[Stacey_E]

I can understand the debate for/against groove tools as they apply to groove width, depth and volume. But to use a groove sharpener to CLEAN the clubs? That, I do not understand. I clean my clubs with a nylon brush after every round and range session. I guarantee there is no dirt whatsoever in the grooves. It's really not that hard to get a club pristine clean.

As for the change on the face itself…undoubtedly over time (especially on a softer faced club) the grooves will become less sharp. The ball hitting against the face will have some effect on the metal. The edges of the grooves will shift. Since the ball is coming into the face, it only makes sense that the edges would move in the opposite direction of the ball. That would be downward and into the groove itself. I’ve seen first hand on some old Mizuno MP14s I own that this DOES happen. It cannot be denied.

As for re-grooving a club to get it back to original shape, well I suppose that is OK if:
1.) you don’t exceed USGA limits OR
2.) you don’t care about playing by the rules.

If you don’t meet one of these criteria, than you just need to buy a new wedge.

JMHO.

[Righty to Lefty]

I'm sure that groove tool will help clean debris from the grooves and such but that doesn't restore the wedge back to " like new" because grooves have nothing to do with spin unless it is from the rough. Wedges wear out and the only way to restore them would be to grind off a small layer of the face and then regroove it. Wedges loose spin FIRST when friction between the ball and the face is reduced (natural wear or playin them from the bunkers and such are basically sand blasting the face making it smooth) and SECOND by the grooves being damaged and dulled. It only takes between 1000 and 1500 balls hit to wear out a wedge. Just pay attention to when you first buy a Vokey or a Cally wedge. I was gettin one hop and stop on greenside chips with range balls, and four months later I was getting 10 feet of roll out on the same shots. People think that it is a groove issue when it really isn't. Now from the rough a new Vokey will probably shred some cover off the ball because the grooves are doing their job of moving debris away from the hitting surface for the ball to contact it and the ball does roll up the face a bit from the rough or if it is wet which is the only time grooves are used. If the lie is clean then the ball presses against the face and the hitting area is only the size of a nickel. I don't think Phil Mickelson needs a groove cleaner because I'm sure Callaway will give him a new wedge and after watching that groove cleaning demo there was nothing gauging the depth of the grooves so it would be pretty easy to grind them to an illegal depth.

[Guest]

Use a tile scribe, very effective and cheap. Make sure you get an angled square edge one not a pencil style pointed one. Good sharp v grooves.

http://hand-tools.hardwarestore.com/...be-634360.aspx

cheers

[ukalum]

I bought the groove tool of eBay and really like it. It not only cleans the grooves but will actually cut them deeper if you apply pressure. I could imagine that someone could cut them significantly deeper if they worked at it. But, I don't anticipate anyone checking groove depth at any tourneys I play in, so I'm not concerned.

The sharpener is slightly narrower than the groove so I don't believe that you can actually make the groove wider. Also, worn grooves are actually chipped on the edges. I'm not sure this tool actually sharpens those edges. You may beet to be careful not to dull the groove by using the tool as well.

[Grndslmhttr3]

  st0wgolf08 said:

Name them, besides the first one being there are no groove sharpeners. I know there are, I'm just ignoring them. Give me a site's review on a "groove sharpener."

Wouldn't removing metal from a club DECREASE the volume? I'm just going by what common sense tells me.

[iacas]

  Grndslmhttr3 said:

Wouldn't removing metal from a club DECREASE the volume? I'm just going by what common sense tells me.

Your common sense seems to be off.

If you take some metal out of the groove areas, the volume of the grooves will increase. You're making the grooves - the air, the space - bigger.

[Grndslmhttr3]

  iacas said:

Your common sense seems to be off.

Oh, I thought he meant the volume of the clubhead, not the grooves.

[dalirahma]

Do many of you sharpen your own grooves? If so, how easily is this done? Is there any considerations that need to be thought out before someone does this for the first time? Any particular devices that work best?

I've always been curious about if this is a useful practice. I have a 5 year old sand wedge that has some miles on it. I'm thinking freshening up the grooves might help.

Thanks!

[Lou Reed]

Clean your grooves. Don't sharpen them. If your grooves are really worn down then buy new clubs!

[rdurbin]

I wouldn't sharpen them either. It seems like it would be waaay too hard to make them consistent.

[DogbertBH]

I use a little groove cleaner with a metal tip and a wire brush. I cleans the grooves and gives a little bit of an edge to the grooves.