Under Fire: The 2010 Groove Rule

Uh-oh. Just what the PGA Tour needs, more controversy.

In the wake of the Tiger scandal, numerous players have been using non-conforming Ping Eye 2 wedges that have been allowed because of a legal loop-hole, most notably Phil Mickelson. Of course, many of the other tour players have not been happy. Scott McCarron goes as far as accusing the players of cheating. And with Mickelson being more than miffed by the attack, the PGA Tour has yet another mess on their hands regarding these new wedge rules.

For those who aren't aware of the complete situation, the PGA Tour had decided to roll back the wedge groove technology for the 2010 season from U-grooves to V-grooves, with the new grooves producing less spin than the older ones. This will cause a number of things: an increased premium on accuracy of tee shots, and the more widespread use of even softer balls. The use of softer balls is an important factor in this change, as softer balls don't go as far, reducing the need for clubs to alter and extend the length of the courses.

This change, I believe, makes a lot of sense for the tour because of the reasons mentioned above. However, the new rule has hit an unexpected snag with the Ping Eye 2 Wedges (equipped with U-grooves) being legal because of a lawsuit Ping filed against the USGA. John Daly, Hunter Mahan, and Phil Mickelson all have now put these new wedges into their bag, causing much debate.

Personally? I don't think using those old wedges would give any significant advantage over the modern, V-groove wedges (The Eye 2's are 20 years old, after all). And I don't think implementing them would be by any definition "cheating". The clubs are legal under USGA rules, so they can be played by anyone. What I do think is that this situation is hurting the PGA Tour. You have tour players openly attacking other players in front of the media, stirring the pot that is already churning because of Tiger. The PGA Tour needs to provide a definitive verdict on the whole situation (They did issue a statement today, but it does not give a clear solution to the problem). With commissioner Tim Finchem addressing the problem in detail at a meeting scheduled next week, hopefully all the debate and grumblings will die down.

Because heaven knows, the tour already has enough of that going on already.