How Will The New Groove Rule Affect All of Us?

The newly approved Groove Change rule by the PGA Tour has been getting a lot of press, a lot of ink, and a lot of controversy as of late.  Many people are thinking it is a terrible idea, while many others believe it's a great plan and will put a very high price on actually hitting the fairway.  No matter what you actually think of the rule, the plain fact is that it passed, and it's going to be a reality starting January 1, 2010.

But What About Us?

Knowing this, all of us that aren't lucky enough to play golf for a living, get paid to play the most unique, challenging and fun courses in the world, or sponsored by one of the biggest manufacturers of golf equipment in the country might be left wondering exactly how this will affect the rest of us.  The good news is, we have some answers.  As you know, the groove change rule was put into effect in an attempt to limit just how sharp and deep the grooves on clubs with over 25-degrees of loft can be.  Sending them back to the previously accepted "V-Shaped" groove dimensions will put a serious damper on just how much spin you can generate, and how much you'll be able to bring the ball back and stop it on a green.  For the pro's, that's maybe not THAT big of a deal, but for us?

Finally...Simple Answers For Us

The great news is, we don't have a whole lot to worry about.  We started to put an end to the confusion with our last post, but it wasn't aimed directly at all of us amateur and casual golfers out there.  That said, golf.com put out a way to answer our questions.  So, without further ado:

"If you're an amateur who wants more backspin, you realize the grooves you play determine the third factor in your backspin equation and the stopping distances you achieve on greens. In this regard the USGA has been lenient. The rule gives amateurs (who don't play in Major/USGA events) a choice of which grooves to play until at least 2024. If you want to maximize your short-game backspin, you can legally play with box or U-groove wedges (manufactured prior to 1/1/10) until 2024, or maybe forever. On the other hand, if you play with any wedge manufactured after 1/1/10 (like the pros will be doing), it must have grooves with spin performance at or below V-groove levels. This will limit you to mediocre spin performance. The USGA leaves this groove choice up to you."

Make Sense?

Got it?  Good!  Now go play!