Groove Debate Could Cause Unnecessary Consumer Concern

You may recall back in late November, a GNN Poll asked if there should be two completely different sets of equipment rules for competitive and recreational players.

The yes side ruled in that poll, with 65 per cent responding that, indeed, the United States Golf Association and other organizers should go easy on game-improvement clubs for rec players, instead of forcing high handicappers to adhere to rules set aside for elite players.

This is only an opinion, but I don’t imagine that too many people who play golf for the sheer fun of it were overly concerned about the grooves on their wedges with new rules being introduced, at least at the professional level, this year.

For those who struggle to break 100, the new rules won’t kick in for another 14 years and by that time, rec players will likely have bought a new set with grooves that comply with the new regulations. Even if they haven’t, who will be checking anyway, unless it’s a sanctioned event?

Yet, the recent controversy surrounding Phil Mickelson using a Ping Eye2, which is exempt under the new rules, might spark some unnecessary concern among consumers about the new groove regulations, only because it’s been in the headlines so much lately.

That just underscores the need for separation of equipment rules for elite players and recreational players. Instead of telling a beginner that last year’s wedges made the game too easy, perhaps the governing bodies should be concerned in emphasizing the fun aspects of golf.

That’s the subject of my most recent Sun Media column. You can read it by clicking here.

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