Ed Mitchell, PGA
Editor The USGA is proposing a rules change that may eliminate a whole segment of the golf industry. They recently sent out notices to club manufacturers requesting responses regarding the USGA's consideration to change the rules of golf to allow adjustability to all clubs and what that would mean for the golf industry.

The new proposal reads:

All clubs may incorporate mechanisms for weight adjustment. Other forms of adjustability may also be permitted upon evaluation by the USGA.

The following requirements apply to all permissible methods of adjustment:

i. the adjustment cannot be readily made;
ii. all adjustable parts are firmly fixed and there is no reasonable likelihood of them working loose during a round; and
iii. all configurations of adjustment conform with the Rules.

It appears the USGA thinks of the golf industry as being only club manufacturers. Surely they must realize that a significant part of the industry exists for club fitting, repair and performance upgrades using aftermarket components. They have to be aware that there is a trend by PGA golf professionals to include club performance upgrades in their lesson programs.

So why didn't the USGA send out a request for a response about their new proposed rules change to club makers and repair technicians, like members of the Professional Clubmakers' Society and PGA teaching professionals? Or even to golf retailers who make club performance upgrades an integral part of their club sales program? In a recent interview conducted by The Wire, Dick Rugge, Technical Director of the USGA, said the new rule would allow for any kind of adjustability, such as changing shafts with a screwdriver and changing loft and lie angles on all clubs. He based his reasoning on the fact that tour pros have their clubs adjusted and shafts changed every week on tour. So he reasons the average player should have this same opportunity, albeit they can do it themselves.

I think the USGA has overlooked one critical point. The tour pros have theirs clubs upgraded by trained technicians. They don't do it themselves. Their clubs are adjusted and shafts replaced to produce better performance with the recommendation from a tour representative who knows the player's skills. Can you imagine how messed up some club configurations will be if left to the average golfer? I believe this is a recipe for sure chaos and could set the game back a full century.

Club performance will truly suffer. Just think of the advances that have been made in club fitting since Henry-Griffitts took the bold marketing position to fit golfers for better performance and not just for the sake of selling new clubs off the rack. They sent representatives into the market place to educate golf professionals on their fitting methods with great success. The industry today is enjoying a steady growth in fitted club sales as confirmed by the fact that every major club manufacturer offers the service. The fit of course is by trained professionals, mostly PGA golf professionals.

But equally as bad, this rules change can produce frustration among golfers causing them to give up the game. Not only could an entire segment of the golf industry be eliminated, but golf courses may suffer too.

Yes, we live in a highly technical world with a lot of do-it-yourself options. Maybe people want to be do-it-yourself plumbers to repair dripping faucets in their homes, but we are talking about a game with over 500 years of history and tradition. Why do we need to destroy golf's very foundation, which is rooted in professionals teaching the game, performing repair upgrades and fitting clubs to golfers for improving their playing skills and personal enjoyment?

The game of golf is more than just the game itself. Golf is also a business that has its own unique traditions. Industry professionals that service the game contribute greatly to the games growth and enjoyment. They include PGA instructors, tournament planners, club makers, club repair technicians, club managers, caddies, etc, who have years of experience and training.

What will this mean to organizations and colleges, such as the PGA Apprentice Program or the Professional Golf Management Programs at 18 major colleges who are helping train new golf professionals about the importance of club performance and properly fitted clubs? I should also mention the institutions of San Diego Golf Academy and the Professionals Golfers Career College who all teach club fitting and repair to aspiring golf industry professionals.

This new rules change will only benefit club manufacturers making their products more proprietary. I know the adjustability features will create new marketing initiatives with hopes of selling more clubs by giving golfers more advertised benefits. Buzz does sell clubs, but the game itself will be a big loser if a whole segment of the golf industry is eliminated.

In my opinion this will be another factor in the demise of private clubs who thrive on providing service. Golf will become nothing more than a leisure game. Just step up to the first tee and let it fly. Who knows, maybe there will be a vending machine on the first tee to deposit green fees and get your pass for the round. We may not need pro shops that thrive on providing service and enjoyment to golfers. Wow, golf could really be in trouble if the traditions of the game are lost!

If club performance services are eliminated from the game, then the game, as we know it will change for the worse. Let's hope that does not happen and the USGA will preserve the time-honored tradition of the golf industry. Some things do not always change for the better.

The USGA should include industry professionals in this rules change discussion. Why don't they want to hear from those in the trenches? After all, they are keepers of the game too and work for the betterment of the game every day.

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