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Spin rates are going to be down 30 to 50% next year Titleist says
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While the best player in the world is endorsing the change in grooves, the decision doesn’t get the blessings of the Acushnet Company, which oversees the Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra Golf brands. "Once the new groove dimensions were finalized, in the rule as adopted in August 2008, we developed a new groove for wedges and began Tour player testing in March 2009. We have since tested a significant number of Tour players comparing the current and the new groove configurations,'' a company statement attributed to Joe Nauman, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal for the Acushnet Company said.
"Our test results are consistent with testing conducted by the USGA/R&A that revealed a spin rate reduction of between 30 percent and 50 percent for full shots out of the rough. However, our testing also revealed significant changes in ball launch angle, trajectory, angle of descent and roll out on the green. The testing also revealed significant differences in performance depending on player club head speed and short game technique. Player reaction to what they saw was dramatic. They were caught off guard by the magnitude of the performance difference and expressed concern about the extent of the transition process,” he stated.
It would appear at the very least the PGA Tour product (performance) is somewhat up in the air next year as the USGA ruling and subsequent endorsement by the PGA Tour itself, is going to present a few new wrinkles for those who seek gameful employment inside the ropes. In the meantime, said players still have the remainder of 2009 to stockpile their bank accounts in the event there becomes a subsequent turn in their respective performances after that.
“We believe, and players have confirmed, that the conversion process will not be a simple exchange of existing wedges with new grooves,” Acushnet said. “The conversion process may involve different wedge designs and lofts, different shot technique, different golf balls and different set configuration (including drivers). These types of changes are iterative and take time. They also require significant support from players and equipment manufacturers. There are approximately 1,500 exempt tour players worldwide. We don’t believe that this extensive transition process will begin in earnest until late in 2009, when manufacturer tour support is almost non existent. That is particularly true for tours outside of the United States.
“The groove rule change is the first time in the history of contemporary competitive golf that equipment performance has been rolled back. Making a change of this precedential significance requires that the conversion process be conducted in a thorough, deliberate manner taking the interests of all constituencies into account. Regardless of how much research and thought went
into the development of the rule change, as with any significant change, there are unforeseen issues and complexity, particularly at the point of implementation and adoption. There is no way to predict many of these issues and they only surface during the actual conversion process, as described above. While no one is to blame for these circumstances, the major logistical issues of
implementation still need to be taken into account.”
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