Saw this today at another web site...
John
shoptalk
United States Golf Association
Golf House
PO Box 708
Far Hills, NJ 07931
August 5, 2008
Notice to Manufacturers
New Groove Regulations
The USGA has decided to adopt new regulations
covering grooves on clubs. Under these revisions,
most of the current rules governing grooves
remain unchanged with two additional provisions:
restrictions on groove cross sectional area and
groove edge sharpness on applicable golf clubs.
In February 2007 the USGA issued a Notice to
Manufacturers regarding proposed revisions to the
Rules of Golf governing grooves on clubs. This
followed the publication of extensive research
work on this subject by the USGA and The R&A.
Since February 2007, additional research has been
undertaken and published by the USGA and The R&A.
A number of manufacturers and other interested
parties have provided their comments about the
proposed rule changes to the USGA. These comments
have been very helpful and have resulted in
significant modifications to the originally
proposed rule changes.
The Statement of Principles issued jointly by the
USGA and The R&A in May 2002, states that the
purpose of the Rules is "to prevent an
over-reliance on technological advances rather
than skill and to ensure that skill is the
dominant element in determining success
throughout the game." The new groove rules have
been developed with regard to the results of our
research into spin generation, ongoing analysis
of highly skilled play, and these important
principles.
The objective of this change is to limit the
effectiveness of grooves on shots from the rough
to the effect of the traditional V-groove design,
without mandating the use of only V-grooves. The
new regulations permit club designers to vary
groove width, depth, spacing and shape to create
clubs that conform to this groove rule.
1
Applicable Clubs
1. Both new regulations apply to all clubs that
meet one or both of the following criteria:
a. Clubs marked, advertised, or specified to have
lofts of 25 degrees or higher.
b. Clubs with lofts measuring 25 degrees or higher.
2. Only the new cross-sectional area regulation
applies to clubs with lofts less than 25 degrees.
3. Current groove regulations covering maximum
width, maximum depth, and minimum spacing
continue to apply to all clubs. Neither of the
two new regulations applies to driving clubs or
putters.
4. Determination of loft is to be made by the
USGA according to the attached procedure.
5. In accordance with previous agreements, clubs
manufactured before March 31, 1990 that meet the
criteria of USGA Decision USGA/4-1/100, such as
the Ping Eye 2, will be treated by the USGA as
conforming to the Rules of Golf and will continue
to be acceptable for all USGA competitions.
A more detailed explanation of the rule changes
and measurement method is attached.
Implementation
1. These new groove rules become effective for
all new clubs covered by this rule change that
are manufactured on or after January 1, 2010.
2. A Condition of Competition requiring the use
of clubs that conform to the new groove rules for
competitions conducted after January 1, 2010 will
be added to the USGA Rules of Golf. The USGA
recommends that this Condition initially apply
only to competitions involving expert
professional players at the highest level of
competition.
3. The U.S. Open, U.S. Women¡¯s Open, and the
U.S. Senior Open will adopt the new groove
regulations for championships conducted after
January 1, 2010, per the expert Condition of
Competition. This includes all qualifying events
for these championships.
4. All other USGA championships will apply the
Condition of Competition requiring the new groove
regulations for competitions beginning January 1,
2014.
5. Currently conforming clubs manufactured prior
to January 1, 2010 may continue to be used in all
situations wherein the Condition of Competition
is not in effect until at least 2024. The final
decision regarding the ongoing status of these
clubs will be reviewed no sooner than 2020. If it
is determined at that time (or later) that the
rule change should apply to all clubs, there
would be a minimum 4-year implementation period.
2
Changes from Original Proposal
The following rule parameters that form the new
regulations have been changed from the original
proposal based on comments received during the
Notice and Comment period.
Original Proposal
Final New Regulations
(i) Groove cross sectional area/Spacing
0.0025 in2/in
0.0030 in2/in
(ii) Edge radius
0.010" radius with 0.001" deviation permissible
0.010" radius with as much as 0.0013" deviation
permissible (see details in the attached
procedure)
Applicable clubs
All except drivers
a. Clubs with loft ¡¯25 degrees: (i) and (ii)
b. Clubs with loft <25 degrees: (i) only
c. Drivers: Neither (i) nor (ii)
--
Thanks!
John Muir
http://clubmaker-online.com
http://gripscience.com
http://elevongolf.com
http://thedriverstudio.com
810.923.7396
