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.”

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.