The Face of Change

A new USGA report concludes that modern U grooves provide elite golfers a "significant" advantage.

February 27, 2007
The U.S. Golf Association announced today a proposal that would change the rules governing groove configuration on irons and wedges.

The proposal, which comes after more than a year of research of how spin is generated in iron and wedge shots from both the fairway and light rough, is aimed at changing the spin performance achieved by current U-shaped grooves to a level of spin found on traditional V-shaped grooves.

The rule would take effect for elite player competitions beginning in 2009, but current clubs used by average golfers could be grandfathered for a period of at least 10 years.

The USGA will consider comments on the rule proposal until Aug. 1 before making a final determination on what the new rule will be. The key elements of the proposal govern the areas of groove edge radius and the volume of the groove.