"The governing body did not adequately prepare the world of golf for the changeover from old grooves to new grooves."

Jim Achenbach isn't exonerating the Duramed rules officials, but he says blame for the Sarah Brown DQ should start with the USGA.

What the USGA needed was, for lack of a better name, a School of Grooves. It should have been open to one and all. Golf associations, organizations and players should have been invited to attend.

Frankly, the situation has become terribly confusing. Many rules officials are not prepared to deal with the ramifications of the changeover in grooves. Most pros are blindly taking the word of someone else (usually a manufacturer or tour rep) that their wedges are permissible for competition. Most amateurs don’t understand whether their wedges are conforming or not.