Welcome back long irons?

[The Recreational Golfer]

The current issue of Golfweek Magazine (Nov. 28) has a feature on club-fitting. The guy they interview says the reason we have to hit higher lofted drivers and hybrids instead of long irons is that the ball doesn't spin as much as it used to. But, the new groove rules will cause manufacturers to start making balls with more spin, which could "ignite a comeback of the long iron." If balls spin more, hybrids won't remain popular "if golfers start hitting those high poofers." Finally, he said fairway woods will make a comeback because with the balls in use now, a 3-wood is "like a driver off the deck." No wonder I turned mine in for a 19-degree hybrid!

[verse214]

The current issue of Golfweek Magazine (Nov. 28) has a feature on club-fitting. The guy they interview says the reason we have to hit higher lofted drivers and hybrids instead of long irons is that the ball doesn't spin as much as it used to. But, the new groove rules will cause manufacturers to start making balls with more spin, which could "ignite a comeback of the long iron." If balls spin more, hybrids won't remain popular "if golfers start hitting those high poofers." Finally, he said fairway woods will make a comeback because with the balls in use now, a 3-wood is "like a driver off the deck." No wonder I turned mine in for a 19-degree hybrid!

I don't think there is going to be that drastic of a change in ball type because of the groove rule. The groove rule only really affects balls hit out of the rough and not even by that much. If balls were made to spin even more, there would be an issue with hitting them off the tee with drivers, etc.

Plus, I believe it will be a long term trend rather than a short term trend if balls eventually do increase their spin since 99% of all golfers can still use the current grooves we have today.

[andef]

The groove rule only really affects balls hit out of the rough and not even by that much.

Tests with robots and tour pros show that the ball spins 80 percent less with the v grooves out of the rough.

I believe the balls will get a lot softer so that the pros don't lose all their shots with a lot of spin. Will the new balls be released to the public? Perhaps but I believe few people will switch to the new grooves on all their clubs.