Perry does not agree that the new grooves will be a huge problem. “It will cause some problems but I don’t think it’s going to be a real big issue,” Perry (49) said.

“I think guys will adjust pretty quickly and you will still see good scores. I have struggled a little bit with my wedges. My sand wedges and stuff don’t bite like they used to bite, they want to release on out. But out of the fairway with my irons I haven’t noticed much difference at all.”

As of January 1st, new rules for club-face grooves were implemented at the top level after research found modern configurations could allow players to generate almost as much spin with irons from the rough as from the fairway. All clubs, with the exception of drivers and putters, have been affected by the change which limits groove volume and groove-edge sharpness, effectively replacing U-grooves with V-grooves.

Larger volume grooves can help channel away more material such as water or grass while sharper groove edges allow better contact between club and ball, thereby increasing the chance of backspin. “Chipping the ball is a big difference but even from the rough I have been hitting little jumpers, not big jumpers,” added Perry, a 14-times winner on the PGA Tour. “They are all great players out here and I think guys will adjust in a hurry.”

South Korean Yang Yong-eun, who won his first major title at last year’s PGA Championship after overhauling Tiger Woods in the final round, agreed. “I think it will be no problem,” Yang said. “Maybe this week, the first tournament of the year, there will be some problem but after three or four months of the players using these V-grooves they will be getting better.”

While most top players began experimenting with the new grooves toward the end of last year, it had been widely predicted that flyers from tangly rough would become a much more common occurrence on the leading tours around the world. “Previously with the squaregrooves, you’d get these certain lies in the intermediate cut (of rough) or in the rough where it’s questionable whether it was going to jump,” former Masters champion Zach Johnson said.

“Now it’s not questionable; you know it’s going to jump. It’s just a matter of how much it’s going to jump. It’s not an advantage. It’s just the way it is.”

Yang felt next week’s Sony Open could present a stiffer test for the players because of the harder, smaller greens at Waialae Country Club. “This week we have big fairways and therefore it’s easier to avoid the rough,” Yang said of the PGA Tour’s season-opening event being held on the Plantation Course. “And with 100 (yard) shots, 150 shots there is a lot of spin because the greens here are a little bit soft. The loft may be a little bit different but the ball is still spinning.

“But next week, at the Sony Open on hard greens, maybe it will be very different.”

What they forget, or were not aware of in the first place, is that loft is only part of the distance equation. The three major variables for club distance are loft, length and weight. In the case cited above, the 7 wood is the longest club, and the 3 hybrid and 3 iron are normally the same length. Weight-wise, the 7 wood is the heaviest, 3 hybrid in the middle, and the 3 iron is the lightest.

Golf Digest reported that hybrids averaged about 8 yards longer than same numbered iron.  I am sure this information was based on many OEM hybrids that are built ½” – 1” longer than an iron as well as lofts that are often 1-2 degrees stronger than the corresponding iron.  Remember that hybrids more often than not are assembled with graphite shafts.

You’ll also need to be aware that these clubs may produce varying trajectories. For instance the typical hybrid shaft is less flexible in the tip than a corresponding iron shaft, thus producing a lower trajectory.

The Bottom Line
Concentrate on replacing a club that you are not hitting well or fill any yardage gaps you might have, but don’t necessarily go by the number engraved on the sole. Think about the loft, length and weight.  A lower (stronger) loft will hit the ball farther, but a shorter assembly length will reduce speed and distance. It is possible to carry two clubs with the same or similar lofts, that fly different distances, and at different maximum heights.

Have you ever wondered why your graphite shafted driver is longer than your old steel shafted model? There’s a logical reason. Here’s a good explanation in an article posted on 24 June 2008 by Jeff Summitt of Hireko Golf.

Swingweight Plays A Major Part In This Equation

Often times when you look at the published length of a golf club it will list two lengths for men and possibly two for women if the manufacturer has steel as a shaft option.  Yet in all these cases they will be listed as “standard” length.  This may seem confusing to many, but there is a rhyme and reason why manufacturers will utilize the practice of making their graphite-shafted clubs longer than with steel.

When manufacturers build a product they do so to a certain specification.  Many times this specification will be a specific swingweight range for each gender.  Swingweight is the relationship between the overall weight of the club and its balance point.  Generally a lighter swingweight will be a result if a lighter shaft is used.  So the clubmakers has two options if they want the swingweight to be the same with steel or graphite shafts.

The first is to produce two different weight heads with the heavier devoted to the graphite shafts.  But this requires two different sets of tooling plus ads inventory.  Ultimately this added cost would be passed onto the consumer in the form of higher prices. A much more common remedy is for the manufacturer to make the length longer to make up for the difference in the swingweight.  Often graphite-shafted irons may be ¼” – ½” longer than steel, while woods may be ½” – 1” longer in length than steel (if it is even an option available.

Effect of Club Length on Swingweight

One of the downsides to having the graphite-shafted club longer than the steel is when golfers are sensitive to additional length that makes it harder for him or her to hit the ball solidly.  In those cases if the person let’s say fits into “standard” length with steel, but they want graphite, they may have to order shorter than standard to achieve the same length.  Be aware that clubs made to shorter than the manufacturer’s standard lengths will likely yield a lighter swingweight or simply feel like there is less weight out on the head end of the club in addition to making the club slightly stiffe

An article  Posted on 05 June 2008 by Jeff Summitt of Hireko Golf

A Lesson In Golf Shaft Torque Values

What is shaft torque?
It is the amount a shaft twists when subjected to a known amount of force (usually one foot-pound of force is applied) and the value expressed in degrees. It is a term commonly associated with composite or graphite shafts, but steel shafts have a certain degree of torque too. However the amount cannot be independently changed from the frequency (or stiffness) of the shaft like a composite design, thus torque of steel shafts is generally not mentioned. A low torque value (i.e. 3.5° versus 4.5°) resists the shaft from twisting on the downswing.

What causes the shaft to twist?
During the motion of the swing, the clubhead automatically begins to exert a twisting influence on the shaft. This natural twisting force is created due to the shaft attachment point in the heel area of the clubhead. The center of gravity of the clubhead is in the middle (or approximately) of the head and therefore is not in line with the shaft. Under the force of the swing the head has a tendency to rotate about its own center of gravity and thus try to twist the shaft. Hireko Golf Coupon

The one thing about torque is that it is perhaps the most mis-understood shaft parameter and to the bewilderment of many, may not make complete sense. A case in point is was a potential shaft design that I had a recent opportunity to test and evaluate for a certain shaft manufacturer. This is one of the spoils of being the technical director, but someone has to do it. I am never at a loss to test new models, especially if the shaft is unique to the market.

A New Shaft Design and Experience
This particular shaft model, which I will remain nameless until it is available for sale, had some very unique specifications that I had not encountered on a shaft before. One of the samples had a torque value of over 9°, another at 7° and another above 6°. Before we go any further, one thing to know is that there are no industry standards on how torque is measured. While almost all manufacturers use 1foot-lb of force, the amount that the butt and tip ends are clamped varies. The distance between these clamping positions is called the “beam length”. All the testing I have done for the past 19 years, I typically measure a greater beam length than all manufacturers, so the torque values I have provided will always be higher than when the manufacturer publishes their specifications.

One of the common myths about shaft torque is that a lower value will result into a straighter shot, especially for golfers with higher clubhead speeds like me. One of the reasons shafts with higher torque values are considered less accurate can be attributed to cost. Often times the higher torque wood shafts (above 6°) will be less than $9 retail and may not be 100% graphite, but have a certain percentage of fiberglass mixed in. Some shafts that are found in boxed sets or very inexpensive composite shafts contain fiberglass. One hint if it does – look at the published weight. If it is heavy with a high torque value, then it will have a high percentage of Fiberglass.

Low cost graphite shaft are constructed with low modulus (or lower strength) materials. Often times these shafts will exhibit both high torque and a softer tip section. In the hands of a stronger player, I would concur that a shaft with this combination would be less accurate than a lower torque model. This statement is based on player testing over the years. Now these shafts I was testing did not have any fiberglass, but I did not know at the time what material was used in the construction of the shafts. It wasn’t until I hit them and I provided feedback to the manufacturer that I became aware. I all I knew was several parameters I carefully measured, including the higher torque value.

There Is No Substitute For Human Testing
Often times one can get caught up in the numbers and form a bias or stereotype before even hitting something. I didn’t want any of the running through my head when I was out field testing the test shafts, but it was difficult knowing ahead of time what I had tested. To my complete surprise, I didn’t see any more inaccuracy from shot-to-shot as I would with expensive, low torque models. No hooking or slicing occurred that many golfers might suspect based upon torque information alone. This even included one particular sample that was over 9° and had a frequency that was the equivalent of a flex softer than a traditional L (ladies) flex. Does this mean I need to start wearing a skirt and high heels next time I go out?

Granted these shafts were tested in Hireko’s best driver designs and we claim that you get incredible accuracy. So I went out a second day at the range armed with the same shafts, but in different Hireko drivers to prove / disprove the results were not a fluke. So all these years I have been telling customers that higher torque shafts for stronger golfers will likely lead to inaccuracy problems gone out the window with two large buckets of balls, plus handing the clubs to some unsuspecting fellow range rats that are always happy to hit something new.

Does Torque Affect Feel?
Another myth or common belief is low torque shafts feel firmer while high torque shafts feel more flexible. I can honestly say these were not flexible as the torque value would indicate. Torque is yet of a handful of different parameters that control the feel of the clubs. Torque by itself is not the culprit of the feel it is more likely a result of the stiffness distribution of the shaft created by the fiber alignment and the modulus of material used in the construction of the design.

As I stated before, these had a very unique set of specifications that I had not encountered on a shaft before. These three shafts had a very firm tip section for any shaft that had near as high a torque value. As a later found out these were made using a high modulus material. The stiffer tip section coupled with the higher modulus material (possibly causing a faster recovery time) created relatively straight /consistent shot pattern; not the inaccuracy of higher torque valued shafts in the past made from less sophisticated raw materials.

Composite shafts can be made with the same frequency (flex), but feel completely different. Here are the four extreme categories that a shaft could fall into and some notes to help explain what you might feel or experience:

Shaft Parameters Feel Flight
Stiff Tip / Low Torque Firmest Lowest or perhaps a fade bias
Stiff Tip / High Torque Firm Neutral to perhaps a slight fade bias
Flexible Tip / Low Torque Medium Neutral to perhaps a slight draw bias
Flexible Tip / High Torque Softest Highest or perhaps a draw bias

You can see a complete list of detail shaft specifications in Hireko’s 2008 Shaft Fitting Addendum

http://www.hirekogolf.com/hireko/webpages/books/modern_guide_shaft_fitting/mgsf.html

Why You Should Adopt My Mantra
In the end it is simply best to have an open mind when trying a new product. You may be pleasantly surprised that something on paper you may never have tried actually works quite well for your game. There are many myths that have been passed down regarding shaft fitting. But as new materials and designs become available, some of these myths can be debunked. That is why my new mantra is “Shut Up and Just Hit the Ball”. The worse thing is it may confirm a suspicion, but it can also lead you to finding that one thing that can make the game more enjoyable and lower your score.

Photo courtesy golfdigest.com

The new groove rule has created a great deal of confusion, and the manufacturers have added to the confusion in their quest to sell their clubs. So, here is a boiled-down summary of what the rule means to you and me, the average-joe golfers.

The following from Dave Pelz is a good summation Golf.com(Feb. 26, 2009):

“The USGA has created a new rule to limit the backspin performance of grooves on lofted clubs. The rule downsizes groove volume and limits edge sharpness for all grooves manufactured after January 1, 2010 so they’re equal to or less than the previously approved V-groove dimensions. PGA Tour players must use wedges conforming to the rule beginning 1/1/10. The ruling will decrease backspin and increase stopping distances pros typically achieve from grassy lies, and place more of a premium on hitting fairways.

How does the new rule affect you? If you’re an amateur who wants more backspin, you realize the grooves you play determine the third factor in your backspin equation and the stopping distances you achieve on greens. In this regard the USGA has been lenient. The rule gives amateurs (who don’t play in Major/USGA events) a choice of which grooves to play until at least 2024. If you want to maximize your short-game backspin, you can legally play with box or U-groove wedges (manufactured prior to 1/1/10) until 2024, or maybe forever. On the other hand, if you play with any wedge manufactured after 1/1/10 (like the pros will be doing), it must have grooves with spin performance at or below V-groove levels. This will limit you to mediocre spin performance. The USGA leaves this groove choice up to you.”

Now, after all the hoopla, please do something the next time you go golfing. Look in your buddies’ bags at their wedges. Most of their wedge grooves will be full of dirt, grass, dead worms, goose poop, etc. The average guy’s wedges just won’t produce any significant amount of spin on the ball.

The bottom line: If you’re Joe Average, weekend golfer, don’t even think about the grooves on your clubs……..you have too many other things that need corrected.

The term “bounce angle” describes the angle between the the sole of the club, and the ground. It is an indication of how much the sole, or bottom-most part, of the club head lifts the leading edge off the ground. A high bounce angle (angles of 12-15^o) indicates a sole which lifts the leading edge significantly, whereas a club with little or no bounce allows the leading edge to contact the ground without interference.

The purpose of the bounce angle is to control how easily wedges, with their steep angles of attack, penetrate the ground (or sand) under the ball. A low- or zero-bounce club will tend to cut into the ground readily. The use of a club with more bounce will allow the sole of the club to impact first, keeping the front edge from digging into the surface by causing it to “bounce” off the surface instead.

In practical terms, lower bounce wedges are for short grass and tight lies, whereas more bounce is generally used in deep rough or sand.

1. The shaft is the engine of the club, the better the shaft, the better the club.

2. Shaft flex has a major effect on the feel of a golf club and an effect on distance, an important determination in choosing clubs. If you do not know your speed swing, a local golf shop can measure it for you. Otherwise the following may be helpful.

LADIES FLEX
Driver speed swing less than 60 mph (100 km/h). Driver carry distance less than 180 yds. Club used from 150 yds. a 3 iron or wood.

SENIOR or A FLEX
D river speed swing 60-75 mph (100-120 km/h). Driver carry distance 180-210 yds. Club used from 150yds. a 4 iron.

REGULAR FLEX
Driver speed swing 75-84 mph (120-135 km/h). Driver carry distance 210-240 yds. Club used from 150 yds. a 5 or 6 iron.

STIFF FLEX
Driver speed swing 84-93 mph (130-150 km/h). Driver carry distance 240-260 yds. Club used from 150 yds. a 6 or 7 iron.

X-STIFF FLEX
Driver speed swing over 93 mph (150 km/h). Driver carry distance 260+ yds. Club used from 150 yds. a 8 or 9 iron.

3. Shallow face metalwoods and hybrids are the biggest game improvement clubs on the market today. These clubs are easy to hit and extremely accurate due to their low center of gravity.

4. Beginners and novice players choosing a set make-up, should consider eliminating the 2 and 3 irons from their set, replacing those hard to hit irons with a 5, 7 or 9 wood, preferably shallow face models, or hybrids.

5. All golfers should use standard length clubs unless he or she is short or tall. Standard length clubs allow players to hit the ball on center a higher percentage of the time, thus increasing distance and accuracy. In recent years, light weight titanium driver heads and ultralight graphite shafts have extended driver playing lengths from a standard 43-431/2″ to 44-46″. This is good news and bad news. The good news is, when you increase length, you will increase distance. The longer the club, the more club head speed generated, thus more distance. The bad news is, the longer the club the more difficult it is to control, thus less accuracy. The following information will be helpful. A driver hit on center at 43″ = 250 yds. 43 1/2″= 262 yds. 44″ = 270 yds. 44 1/2″ = 275 yds. 45″ = 275-280 yds. As you can see a significant increase in distance is achieved up to 44″. After 44″, distance increases only a minimal amount. CONCLUSION – It is not worth sacrificing accuracy for the minimal amount of distance gained past 44″. Keep driver playing lengths to 44″ or less.

A basic set of clubs is all any golfer needs to start playing. A driver and two fairway woods, 3 thru 9-irons, pitching wedge, sand wedge and a putter, will get you started. As you improve, additional, more specific clubs can be added to fit with your abilities. You can’t carry more than 14 clubs in your bag at any one time (USGA limit).

Determining Your Ability Level
Before buying a set of clubs, first determine your ability level.

Q.- What is the lie angle of a golf club?
A.- It is the angle between the shaft and the bottom of the club.

Q.- What is the correct lie angle for my swing?
A.- At impact you should make contact with the ground at the center of the sole.
This can only be determined by doing a dynamic lie test where you
would put impact tape on the sole of the club and hit balls from a lie
board to determine how the lie angle should be set for your clubs.
In this test, a mark will be made on the impact tape and will show
which part of the sole is lowest, the center, the toe, or the heel.

Q.- What if the lie is too flat or too upright?
A.- If impact is made near the heel, the lie is too upright and shots tend to go left.
-or-
A.- If impact is made near the toe, the lie is too flat and shots tend to go right.

Note:
Some club head materials have limitations on the amount that they can be bent.
Most cast stainless steel clubs can not be bent more than 3 degrees, while most
forged clubs can be bent more than 3 degrees.