Here V Go Again

The table of contents for Golf Digest's November issue has been posted and this caught my eye:

Here V go again: The USGA eyes a ban on U-grooves.  By Mike Stachura

This reminded me of an interesting bit from Frank Thomas's "Frank Talk" column in the October Digest (not posted).

Now, the USGA is looking at banning U-grooves because they are afraid of addressing the distance issue, afraid to acknowledge that there has been a significant distance increase since they issued their "Joint Statement of Principles," and still too angry about players hitting driver-wedge even when they present silly-narrow fairway widths in the 21-25 yard range.

So to stop the players from bombing drivers and hitting wedge approaches, they apparently believe that changing the grooves will force players to lay back off of tees, and voila, distance issue solved!

Ignoring the ridiculousness of advocating high rough and narrow fairways as a partial solution to the distance problem (that cat's out of the bag), just consider the logic and science of claiming that grooves are actually allowing players to spin the ball out of tournament rough.

Here's what Thomas said about balls, grooves and spin (underline added for emphasis):

From light rough (up to two inches), a ball will spin 40 percent less than it would from dry conditions. This is because the water in grass serves as a lubricant between the ball and the clubface. Because the cover never penetrates more than .005 inches into the groove, which is limited to a depth of .02 inches, this is the only condition in which groove configuration matters. Out of light rough the groove depth can carry away more water and decrease the effects of lubrication on spin. However, from rough of four to five inches, it doesn't matter what type of ball or grooves you are using.

So the USGA is going to have to make a strong case that U-grooves are spinning balls out of the rough.

But even then, they still won't address distance and spin of the ball, so it's all really just a big bluff. 

Comments

[Rick]

Solution to U-grooves - "marshes" - grow the rough AND soak it with water to reduce the spin.

[Sean Murphy]

I have to tell you Geoff, what has happened with the balls and drivers since the begining of 2003 is golf's biggest travesty. I have found and saved an article where Frank Thomas (USGA) talks candidly about the new multi layered balls and how the core of these balls are only compressed with driver, then how the cover is pinched up against this hard core from 3-wood on down through the set. I have read this article a number of times, I'm in utter bewilderment every time. Frank may not realize it, but, he's describing how these balls are really two balls in one. In other words this ball will react one way off a driver, then act completly different for all the rest of the clubs in your bag.

Two balls in one, and if you think that isn't absurd enough, this joke keeps getting worse. Manufacturers are now custom fitting players clubhead speeds for golfball core hardness and driver face thickness to dial in the perfect transfer of kenetic energy for high end clubhead swing speed. How do I know this, a little birdie told me so. Sad as it is to admit, the USGA knows.

Grooves are not the problem, the insult to injury is multifacted, high clubhead speeds are granted a technological advantage by being allowed to play a hard core golf ball that players such as Fred Funk and Corey Pavin could never (with a prayer) get anything out of these harder core golf balls. Their 110 MPH swing speed is simply too slow to activate compression of these hard core balls, thus this ball is not two balls in one for them. Golf has become all about bombing these illegal golf balls out there as far and as reckless as possible, because its cool and rough is meaningless with these balls. For example, a 480 yard hole where a drive goes 350 yards finding the rough is then played by having this two in one ball (core not compressed by irons) gouged out of the rough with a pitching wedge from 150 yards where this ball now runs straight up the clubface launching higher and spinning enough to fly it on the green and having it stop immediatly.

[Sean Murphy]

David Toms playing the same hole stripes driver down the middle 285 with a ball whose core he can compress leaves him 195 yard 4 or 5 iron in. Golf use to grant the advantage to the player that hit the fairway, not anymore, Tom's is still at a 4 to 5 club disadvantage from the player who drove a ball 350 that David can't make play as a two in one ball, Tom's a MAJOR Championship winner (PGA) simply can't swing fast enough to activate the core of the ball the bomber just bombed 350 into the rough. Tom's with 195 yards in the middle of the fairway can't hit it closer in proximity to the hole with 10 trys than the bomber with wedge from the rough given the same amount of trys. Tom's can not miss the fairway on such a hole for all obvious reasons. So a player like Tom's is not playing with as light a fly swatter as Bubba and J.B. Tom's has to play with a heavier driver for total control to ensure hitting fairways because on a 480 yard hole he has to, Bombers don't have to hit fairways with their special golf ball. Advantage, reckless grip it and rip it mentality, because their distance in the rough with the ball they've been allowed to play then allows them to cheat the rough.

Having balls on the PGA Tour that all contestants can't compress the core is bifurcation in the equipment. There is not a level playing field because some golf ball's core can only be compressed (activated) by 120 mph club head speed.

What happened to sportsmanship, courtsey towards all competitors and maintaining the integrity of the sport??? Golf has been pimped out by the USGA and R&A in order to meet their biggest principal, griping as much money as possible to secure seats on the NetJets private lease program. Another non-profit playing shell games with the money, won't this be interesting.

[Glyn]

What I find interesting is that the USGA is moving towards some action - groove change - thus admitting that there in fact is a problem. So we at least agree there is a problem. The USGA has refused to admit that the problem is distance however. Now it's grooves in wedges. Hmmm..one way would be to change the goove shape of wedges...still another way would be to reduce the amount of wedges being hit. Let's see...wouldn't that relate back to distance being a factor?

[RGT]

Sean is correct, as is your story Geoff covering the soft maintained conditions. PGAT once required all tournament green watering to be stoped after Tuesday evenings, allowing greens to get baked out and hard as concrete. Hand watering the greens every evening is the standard on Tour today. If PGAT was still in the baking process Toms would be out of a job. Being at a multi club disadvantage is a problem for Toms on most weeks, watering the greens every night plays right into the errent bombers strategy. Tiger, Phil and Vijay are exploiting these golf ball qualities and playing short shots to a dart board.