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how to make grooves on your golf club illegal

by Mr. Alvah Johns DDS Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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By any chance, if you change the type of the groove while sharpening, you would not be able to use the club on the golf course. Any golf club that has a changed groove type does not comply with the USGA

United States Golf Association

The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the rules of golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system f…

rules, making it illegal to use on the golf course. You don’t have permission to use a golf club groove sharpener in the middle of a round.

Part of a video titled We Made ILLEGAL GOLF CLUBS | Square Grooves On Club ...
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Guys this challenge is going to be interesting. We have square grooves on a clubface. Look at thatMoreGuys this challenge is going to be interesting. We have square grooves on a clubface. Look at that that's going to be an intense wedge you talk about spin we're talking about. Ribbon.

Full Answer

What are the new rules for grooves in golf clubs?

Among other things, the rules reduce the maximum volume of the grooves on irons, wedges, hybrids and fairway woods. The rules also place a limitation on the sharpness of groove edges on irons, wedges, hybrids and fairway woods with lofts of 25 degrees or higher.

Is it legal to sharpen club grooves?

While sharpening club grooves are entirely legal, you must consider a few limitations. According to the game rules, there are specific requirements about the golf grooves’ depth, width, and spacing. You can sharpen the old worn-out grooves, but you cannot increase their original width or depth.

How to sharpen grooves on golf clubs at home?

Using a groove sharpener is the easiest and most ideal way to sharpen those irons. They come in many variations, and you can buy them as per your budget. In this way, you can sharpen grooves on golf clubs at home in hardly 10 minutes with the following step-by-step procedure. First of all, you need to clean the dirt on your clubface.

Is it possible to get illegal grooves on a wedge?

Yeah, if you took a dremmel to it, you could definitely get some bigger illegal grooves. I think I saw an infomercial for this wedge with interchangable faces but a good amount of them were actually the reverse effect of grooves and they are these edges popping out of the face. Definitely not legal but I'm sure it could be fun.

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Is it legal to sharpen grooves on golf clubs?

The rules of golf state that grooves must be no more than 0.035 inches wide, 0.020 inches deep and 0.075 inches from any adjacent grooves. If you play competitively, using a groove sharpener could make your clubs non-conforming and illegal for competition.

What golf grooves are illegal?

Under United States Golf Association (USGA) rules implemented on January 1, square or U-grooves have been outlawed but a 20-year-old Ping wedge was deemed legal because of a lawsuit won by its manufacturer over the USGA in 1990.

Is it illegal to use a groove sharpener?

Groove sharpeners are technically not illegal to use, but you'll need to be careful in how you use them to avoid game disqualification. The main point to remember is that the shape of a groove cannot be changed by the golfer. This is considered illegal.

Can you Regroove clubs?

1:012:52How to Regroove your Irons with the 6 Head Groove Sharpener - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd over time you can apply more pressure it's okay to go back and forth the conventional wisdom isMoreAnd over time you can apply more pressure it's okay to go back and forth the conventional wisdom is to go just draw it backwards but it really doesn't matter work your way up.

Are full face grooves legal?

Groove Rule The rules ban clubs with “sharp-edged U-grooves,” according to the PGA Tour, in favor of “the V-groove designs used predominantly in the past.” The groove rules took effect on the PGA and LPGA tours on Jan.

What wedges have illegal grooves?

A rule that is more important for wedges is the groove rule originating in 2008. This rule affects all clubs with lofts of 25 degrees and more, which basically means it refers to all the wedges. It banned all wedges with U-shaped grooves, allowing only wedges with V-groove design to be officially used.

Can I Regroove my wedges?

Getting the wedge regrooved is an option, but it's an inexact process that's probably not worth the time. "A lot of things can happen when you regroove an old wedge," said Kyle Cronkright, the director of club fitting at the Jim McClean Golf School's Texas Golf Center (Ft. Worth) facility.

How many times can you Regroove golf irons?

How Often Should I Regroove? We would recommend at least every 3-4 years. You should have your clubs cleaned and regrooved to allow you to play your best golf game. This process also gets rid of any rust that might be building up on your club (within reason).

Are Regroove wedges illegal?

Global Moderator. Yes groove sharpeners are legal, after all it's just a tool.

Are Vokey wedges U or V grooves?

Vokey SM8 wedges feature the Spin Milled Grooves. The reason these grooves are so good for golfers is that they go through an impressive manufacturing process, and then, they hold up quite well over time.

When did square grooves become illegal?

Jan. 1, 1990Saying that the use of square or U grooves in golf irons ''has changed the nature of the game,'' the PGA Tour Policy Board today declared clubs with square grooves illegal for use in PGA Tour events starting Jan. 1, 1990.

Are Ping Eye 2 wedges legal?

The fact is this is not cheating. The Ping Eye 2 clubs (irons and wedges) were grandfathered for life as part of a settlement in 1993 of a suit Ping filed against the USGA. In short, any Ping Eye 2 manufactured prior to March 31, 1990, is within the rules as long as the USGA governs the game.

Are Milled wedges illegal?

Are Vokey Spin Milled Wedges Illegal? According to the USGA and R&A, the Titleist Vokey Spin Milled Wedges are legal to use in any casual, high-level amateur, and professional golf games and tournaments.

What is the highest degree wedge allowed?

The ultra lob wedge features the highest degree of loft for any club but is also difficult to control. The degree of loft is generally 64 degrees, but some manufacturers offer a 68-degree option.

What are grooves on golf clubs?

By Don Patton. Grooves on your golf clubs primarily are designed to create spin when the ball is struck properly. Grooves on golf club faces are there primarily to impart spin to the ball. They also channel water and foreign material away from the clubface, especially for shots from heavy rough. The larger grooves on some irons allow players ...

Why do golf clubs have grooves?

Grooves on golf club faces are there primarily to impart spin to the ball. They also channel water and foreign material away from the clubface, especially for shots from heavy rough.

How wide is a clubface groove?

The cross section may be U- or V-shaped as long as it is symmetrical and the sides don’t converge or have sharp or raised edges. The dimensions of each groove are limited to 0.035 inch wide and 0.020 inch deep. The required minimum spacing is three times the groove width and no less than .075 inch.

How much less spin on golf shots?

This means 30 percent to 50 percent less spin on shots hit from the rough with very little effect on fairway shots.

How many grooves can induce more spin on a golf ball?

If there were no limitation, then there are loads of more ways to add in backspin onto the ball. Instead of a series of grooves, two to three ultra-sharp grooves can induce more spin on the ball.

Why are grooves important?

Grooves are extremely important for a golf club. The quality of grooves actually determines how much control one may have on a shot. If you have an old club and wondering if you can renew it by regrooving it then you are in the right place. So Golf club groove sharpener do they work well?

Why is aerodynamics important in golf?

Golf ball aerodynamics are extremely important. By a strong impact with razor sharps, grooves can scuff the ball outer covering. As the ball goes into the flight it will face the increased drag. It will decrease the spin induced on the ball.

Why do you have to backspin on a golf ball?

It is quite necessary to have backspin on the ball. It helps the ball to stop near the hole. If there is no backspin and you are playing with a grooveless club then you can only save your day by playing the shot at a very steep angle.

Does a golf club groove sharpener work?

WRAP UP: Golf Club Groove Sharpener Do They Work. Yes, it does help in increasing the spin but it does not increase it to the significant level. There are more disadvantages especially the damage of the golf ball. Damaging aerodynamics of the golf ball will simply make it useless. There are both pros and cons of doing this experiment.

Can you slide your fingers over a sharpened club face?

Do not slide your fingers over a sharpened club face even when clearing grass. Keep a thick cloth or a towel to do this now. While sharpening the grooves, the metal shards may get filled and stuck on the lining. Also, the lining itself will become sharp. You can get cuts from just a slight slide.

Can you hit straight without angular momentum?

No, because the idea behind those shots is to hit straight without imparting any angular momentum. Any grip on the ball is not required, the only goal is to pass on the maximum energy in the forward direction on to the ball in the form of topspin.

What happens if you alter the width of the grooves?

If you alter the width, shape or depth of the grooves then you render the club non conforming. The very fact that you are scraping metal off the clubface would indicate that you are altering the club. Click to expand... I understood it that you can adjust / sharpen the grooves, as long as you do not make them illegal.

Is it legal to sharpen grooves?

While groove sharpeners are legal and the how you use them in an attempt to return the grooves to their cutting best as if they were new, the result could be you increase the size of the groove making them illegal.

Is groove sharpener legal?

Exeter..ish - Devon. Yes groove sharpeners are legal, after all it's just a tool. It's what you do with it as D4S has stated that can make your club non conforming. All clubs now have their grooves machined to maximum tolerances, if you increase the size of them through scraping your club becomes non conforming.

ScottL

i was playing last week this guy I was playing with had some Vokey wedges that he claims he altered the grooves. he said its probably technically illegal, but doesnt play in tournaments anyway. But he was actually getting some good spin backwards. i have an old 60 degree sitting in the closet. id like to do this and play with one day just to see.

Golfaway

There are groove sharpeners sold on ebay. I don't know how they work though. I just use a sharp tool with a pointed end and dig deeply back and forth into the grooves. I only do it with my Cleveland CG10 58* though.

jldavis73

I have a friend that used a Dremel tool on his 52* wedge. He can only hit it 80 yards max, and you can hear the ball "buzz" when he hits it. We get a good kick when he pulls out the "Dremel"!!!

ScottL

so what is the goal? to make the grooves wider or deeper? or maybe both?

Msokol13

From my understanding you can get the same effect just by roughing up the whole face with sandpaper. The goal is to make them deeper and wider so there is better contact between the ball and the club face. Give it a shot and let us know how it turns out...if it's crap then you only wasted $100 for a new wedge.

imtomtomim

I started using a groove sharpener, and you cannot make the grooves bigger. You know how you hone the edge of a knife? Same idea, you rebend the edge back. It doesn't make the groove any bigger, just refinises the edge. Yeah, if you took a dremmel to it, you could definitely get some bigger illegal grooves.

wsjer88

My brother had a old junk cavity back lob wedge that he no longer used. He shaved the cavity back off to make it a blade like wedge, rounded out the bottom of the wedge, then deepened the grooves with a dremel, and sanded the face. It sits pretty much flat on the ground, almost like a 66-70 degrees.

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