I've been reading with interest the speculation about what effect the new, less spin-producing grooves would have on the PGA Tour golfers' performance. Maybe I missed something and the Jan. 1, 2010 requirement for the new grooves was ignored? If not, and the recent Sony Open at Waialia CC in Hawaii is representative, so far the predicted changes in performance are ...not so much, if not at all.
By way of background, in 1984 Ping reinterpreted the USGA's golf club requirements and introduced wider, U-shaped grooves to replace the former V-shaped standard. A firestorm resulted and millions were spent on lawsuits before the USGA backed down and the new grooves became standard. These wider, deeper grooves enabled skilled players to impart spin from even the worst rough and changed the game at the top levels. In a nutshell, Tour players could hit it as far as possible because the major downside of playing from the rough had been greatly mitigated.
Combine this with the introduction of the Pro-VX golf ball (another story) that enabled golfers with 100 mph+ clubhead speed to gain 30+ yards off the tee, and traditional golf course designs were fast becoming obsolete. All this prompted the USGA to legislate a return to V grooves and the PGA Tour agreed to start the process effective Jan. 1, 2010.
Here is what was predicted and hoped for vs. what happened in Hawaii:
1. Driving distance will go down. This is based on the theory that accuracy (hitting fairways) will become more important. Not exactly! The Sony field averaged 294 yards, six yards longer than the 2009 Tour average.
2. Driving Accuracy will go up. See #1 above. Again NO! The Sony field sprayed the ball with abandon averaging only 47% of tee shots in the fairway. This is down considerably from 2009 's Tour average of 63%.
3. Greens Hit in Regulation will go down. Shorter drives should result in longer approach shots with reduced spin - accuracy should be off. NOPE! GIR's were level with 2009 at 64%.
4. Scores up, birdies down. This one is not so easily measured as specific weather conditions have such an impact on scoring year over year. That said, the winners in 2009 and 2010 both posted -15 but the cut was 1 stroke higher in 2010 (+1).
From my limited perspective, there has been no meaningful impact on the game at the Tour level but I will keep watching.
How will the change in grooves affect the rest of us?
Unless you are trying to qualify for one of the USGA Majors, hardly at all. The new groove rules will be in place in 2010 for: US Opens (Men, Women and Sr.'s) and for the USGA's National Team Championships - whatever those are?
For the rest of us, the USGA website states that our current "cheater" clubs will be deemed to be "...conforming through at least 2024." WHEW! We have some time to gear up our club head speed and games to meet the challenge.
By way of background, in 1984 Ping reinterpreted the USGA's golf club requirements and introduced wider, U-shaped grooves to replace the former V-shaped standard. A firestorm resulted and millions were spent on lawsuits before the USGA backed down and the new grooves became standard. These wider, deeper grooves enabled skilled players to impart spin from even the worst rough and changed the game at the top levels. In a nutshell, Tour players could hit it as far as possible because the major downside of playing from the rough had been greatly mitigated.
Combine this with the introduction of the Pro-VX golf ball (another story) that enabled golfers with 100 mph+ clubhead speed to gain 30+ yards off the tee, and traditional golf course designs were fast becoming obsolete. All this prompted the USGA to legislate a return to V grooves and the PGA Tour agreed to start the process effective Jan. 1, 2010.
Here is what was predicted and hoped for vs. what happened in Hawaii:
1. Driving distance will go down. This is based on the theory that accuracy (hitting fairways) will become more important. Not exactly! The Sony field averaged 294 yards, six yards longer than the 2009 Tour average.
2. Driving Accuracy will go up. See #1 above. Again NO! The Sony field sprayed the ball with abandon averaging only 47% of tee shots in the fairway. This is down considerably from 2009 's Tour average of 63%.
3. Greens Hit in Regulation will go down. Shorter drives should result in longer approach shots with reduced spin - accuracy should be off. NOPE! GIR's were level with 2009 at 64%.
4. Scores up, birdies down. This one is not so easily measured as specific weather conditions have such an impact on scoring year over year. That said, the winners in 2009 and 2010 both posted -15 but the cut was 1 stroke higher in 2010 (+1).
From my limited perspective, there has been no meaningful impact on the game at the Tour level but I will keep watching.
How will the change in grooves affect the rest of us?
Unless you are trying to qualify for one of the USGA Majors, hardly at all. The new groove rules will be in place in 2010 for: US Opens (Men, Women and Sr.'s) and for the USGA's National Team Championships - whatever those are?
For the rest of us, the USGA website states that our current "cheater" clubs will be deemed to be "...conforming through at least 2024." WHEW! We have some time to gear up our club head speed and games to meet the challenge.
Pete--Another great blog. I love this stuff. The way you blend wit and fact is very entertaining.
ReplyDeleteOne quick question:
You compare the numbers from Hawaii-2010 versus last year's tour averages (Driving Distance, Driving Accuracy, GIR's). How did the numbers at Hawaii-2010 compare versus only Hawaii 2009...not the tour averages?
Keep up the good work!
Jtop,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your nice comments. My 1st thought was to compare those apples... and I searched and searched but could not come up with the comparable 2009 stats. As you can imagine, if I don't publish by Wed. the event becomes old news so I went with all I had. If I can find 09, I will get back.
Thanks again,
Peter