Golf Tips and Golf News

So, golfing friends, it has finally happened; Phil Mickelson's controvertial Pind Eye 2 wedge has been banned, after weeks of arguments and accusations that the American is a 'cheat' for using his 20-year old club.



For those out of the golf news loop, there has recently been a change in the regulations on golf clubs that has disallowed the use of clubs with U-shaped grooves. These grooves allow the generation of extra spin, making it easier to play our of the rough. By banning these clubs, it is hoped more golfers will focus on playing to the fairway and the rough will have more of a negative impact.

However, the rule only applies to clubs made post-1990, meaning Mickelson's Ping Eye 2 wedge was still technically legal, despite having banned grooves! This wasn't good enough for the world of professional golf though, where Scott McCarron said Mickelson was "cheating" and even our very own Lee Westwood accused him of "bending the rules".



Phil Mickelson's club will be officially banned after the 29th March.

Golf, on the hole (hilarious), seems fairly straight forwards to your average player or spectator. Compared to other popular sports, there don’t seem to be that many rules; all you have to do is hit the ball into the hole in as few shots as possible. Sometimes you get penalty shots added, but even that is quite rare. Compare this to football, rugby or (heaven forbid) cricket, where you practically need a rule book next to you at times, and you’ll see what I mean.

However, there is actually far more to the rules of golf than people seem to realise; there are rules and regulations that govern everything down to the grooves on golf clubs! The reason I’m bringing this to your attention is to warn you that these regulations (about grooves) has changed and, sooner or later, you’re going to have to do something about it.



In short, the new rules mean the limit on groove volume is going to decrease, meaning all grooves will have to be shallower and narrower. The idea is that shallow grooves will make it harder to get spin on the ball out of the rough; encouraging players to aim for the fairway more than they otherwise might do.