The Rules on Groove Types on Golf Clubs
- Overview. Grooves on golf club faces are there primarily to impart spin to the ball. ...
- Traditional Requirements. Even before the 2010 rules changes, clubface groove had a number of restrictions. ...
- 2010 Additions to Rules. ...
- Impact of 2010 Changes. ...
- Implementation of Changes. ...
- Ping Wedges. ...
Why do golf clubs have grooves on the face?
Essentially, the reasons why golf clubs have grooves on the face is to allow water and debris from the ball and your lie as a place to go. If you were to hit a ball that was wet from the rain, at the moment of compression the water and debris would transfer from the ball to the club face and through the grooves.
What is the difference between grooves and smooths on a golf club?
The smooth face would have more surface area to come in contact with the ball. More surface area means more friction and therefore more ball spin. From a perfectly clean lie with no obstructions between the ball and the club face, a grooveless club will always out spin a club with grooves.
Do grooves on a golf ball affect the spin?
The intuition is correct that the more “grab” on the ball at the point of impact, the more it will spin. Many people don't know that a club face with no grooves would actually put more spin on the ball. The smooth face would have more surface area to come in contact with the ball.
Do changes to grooves on golf clubs impact amateurs?
I know there were some recent rule changes for pros about types of grooves. Does that impact amateurs? Grooves on a golf club help create spin on the ball. The better the player and the more clean they hit their shots, the more spin they will get.
Do grooves in irons matter?
Do you need to keep grooves clean? Clean grooves are critical as it reduces the chance of fliers. While a flier 7-iron might impress your mates, it will probably leave you with a nasty chip to try and save par. Research shows that you can lose up to 1,300 RPM of spin if you don't keep your grooves clean.
Why do golf drivers not have grooves?
The reason why we do not find grooves on the thin-faced drivers today is that the face is so thin that grooves will introduce unwanted stress points weakening the face, which may lead to early failure. The average force applied to the ball during impact, which only lasts for . 00045 seconds is about 1,700 pounds.
Why do wedges have grooves?
Therefore, club manufacturers have carved grooves into the surface of wedges to give the debris a channel to escape. This is comparable to the patterns on normal road tires. All of the grooves on the face of a wedge, make them excellent for sifting through debris and making solid contact with the face of a club.
Do deeper grooves create more spin?
Just like the tread of a tyre generates grip on the road each groove of a golf club grabs the ball to create spin. And just like the design of tyres where the depth of the tread is directly linked to increased grip golf wedges were historically designed with deep grooves to create more backspin.
Do grooves matter?
More surface area means more friction and therefore more ball spin. From a perfectly clean lie with no obstructions between the ball and the club face, a grooveless club will always out spin a club with grooves. But when you're shooting from the rough, grooves make a massive difference.
Why do golf balls have dimples?
Dimples on a golf ball create a thin turbulent boundary layer of air that clings to the ball's surface. This allows the smoothly flowing air to follow the ball's surface a little farther around the back side of the ball, thereby decreasing the size of the wake.
Should you Regroove your irons?
It's necessary to regroove your clubs on a regular basis to improve your backspin performances. This particular model can be used to regroove U grooves, V grooves as well as square grooves. It's also USGA rules and regulations compliant.
What grooves are illegal in golf?
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.
Should I sharpen the grooves on my golf clubs?
The grooves on your golf club are vital to both backspin and ball control on the golf course. Sharpening the grooves may be something that you have never considered doing before - but worn down grooves will not give you the control or backspin you're looking for.
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.
What wedge gives you the most spin?
Highest Spinning Wedges: Best of the restBettinardi HLX 3.0: 9,422rpm.Sub 70 Forged JB: 9,414rpm.Ping Glide 4.0: 9,349rpm.PXG 0311 Milled: 9,331rpm.Cobra King MIM: 9,304rpm.Cleveland RTX ZipCore: 9,289rpm.Ping Glide Forged: 9,242rpm.Cleveland CBX ZipCore: 9,081rpm.More items...•
Do Vokey wedges wear out?
ALL WEDGE GROOVES WEAR OUT OVER TIME. This includes inspecting every groove on every Vokey wedge head, and taking the extra step to apply a localized face heat treatment that doubles the groove durability.
Is vertical groove golf still in business?
VGG is currently a provider for the PGA Champions Tour. Notable golfers who have used Vertical Groove clubs include John Daly,Rocco Mediate and Kenny Perry.
What grooves do my clubs have?
0:030:59How to Identify Types of Grooves on Golf Clubs - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThere's two types of grooves that the USGA honors. You have u grooves. And then you have V grooves.MoreThere's two types of grooves that the USGA honors. You have u grooves. And then you have V grooves.
How often should you sharpen your golf clubs?
There is no fixed answer to this as every situation is different. A decent rule of thumb though would be to re-groove every 15 - 20 rounds of golf. You'll need to experiment to determine what frequency is best for you.
How do you sharpen a golf groove with a Dremel?
0:109:42DIY: Grinding a Wedge (with a Dremel) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipRight above it there's a little lock button all right you want to hold that. Now when you go up hereMoreRight above it there's a little lock button all right you want to hold that. Now when you go up here if that button doesn't push in all the way. You got twist this bad boy all right until it clicks.
Why are grooves important in golf clubs?
Why are golf club grooves important? The grooves are designed to allow water to flow and clean specks of dirt. This was the primary reason behind golf club grooves. Which ultimately helps to have better control even in wet conditions.
What is groove in golf?
In a golf club, grooves are the deep notch on the clubface to allow more control and spin on each swing. The grooves on a golf club can be both horizontal and parallel. Not just the spin, the groove is vital for a better chip shot or lofted shot as well.
How to sharpen a groove?
Things you will require in this process: 1 Brush (a toothbrush is recommended) 2 Liquid Dish Detergent 3 Warm Water 4 Lubricant 5 Masking tape 6 And last but not least, a groove sharpening tool.
How to clean a golf club with a toothbrush?
First thing first. Make some soapy water by putting some liquid detergent in the warm water and mixing it. Dip your golf club in soapy water and remove the dirt using a brush. You can use a scrubbing brush or toothbrush. You may even use a toothpick to replace a toothbrush, but that would take more time to clean.
Is it legal to use a golf club with a groove?
The groove’s concept in golf clubs is beneficial for the golfers to play with, but all sorts of golf clubs are not legal in golf. For example, squared grooves are illegal. And there is a lot to learn about it. Scroll down if you are looking for detailed learning on golf club grooves.
Can you play golf without grooves?
Yes, without grooves on the clubs, it would have been challenging to generate spin, especially backspin, and control the ball while hitting. But this is not the primary reason behind grooves. Image Source: deolauto.ca. As mentioned earlier, grooves on golf clubs are as important as having treads in tires. A flat tire has a higher possibility of ...
Why do you use grooves on golf balls?
They allow water and debris to move away from the ball’s point of contact to provide cleaner contact with better control. Striking a ball from the rough can be unpredictable when there is a lot of debris between your club and the ball. Grooves help tremendously to make these shots more predictable.
Why did the PGA use the U groove?
In turn, because the rough shots were so “easy”, the PGA took action .
Why are U grooves illegal?
In turn, because the rough shots were so “easy”, the PGA took action. They implemented regulations restricting the dimensions of grooves that were legal to use in competition play. Many “U” grooves became illegal due to their dimensions, and manufacturers had to comply with the new regulations.
What is the difference between a grooveless and a smooth face golf club?
The smooth face would have more surface area to come in contact with the ball. More surface area means more friction and therefore more ball spin. From a perfectly clean lie with no obstructions between the ball and the club face, a grooveless club will always out spin a club with grooves.
What happens when you shoot from the rough?
But when you're shooting from the rough, grooves make a massive difference. When a player strikes a ball from the rough, there is lots of debris between their club and the ball: soil, sand, grass, and water are the main culprits.
What is a roll back in golf called?
In golf jargon, this roll back is called “check”. Many players mistakenly attribute the ball “checking-up” to the grooves on the club face.
Does a smooth face golf ball have more surface area?
The intuition is correct that the more “grab” on the ball at the point of impact, the more it will spin. Many people don't know that a club face with no grooves would actually put more spin on the ball. The smooth face would have more surface area to come in contact with the ball. More surface area means more friction and therefore more ball spin.
What does spin do to golf balls?
In layman’s terms, they create spin which generates drag and lift force for the golf ball. The ball needs a certain amount of spin and speed to maintain a controlled flight and grooves are one of the critical variables. It’s the complete opposite of the downforce generated by Formula One cars.
Why does the ball hydroplane off the face?
But in wet conditions, the ball will actually hydroplane off the face because there’s no escape route for the water. Just a small amount of roughness is enough to prevent hydroplaning, which is why drivers get away with not having scorelines in the centre of the face.
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.
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 ...
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.
