The United States Golf Association has introduced a new proposal to change the Rules governing golf clubs regarding the regulations for grooves. They announced in March of 2005 they would conduct research on the topic of spin generation. After two years of research, they are proposing changes to maintain the element of skill at the games' highest level.

The USGA has concluded that the effect U-shaped grooves has on shots hit with a Surlyn balls is very little while those hit with urethane-covered warrants the change. They believe this will only affect the more skilled player because two-thirds of the balls sold in the US are Surlyn covered, which are purchased by the higher handicap players.

The proposal calls for the groove edge sharpness to be limited to an effective minimum radius of .010 inches. It also limits the total cross-sectional area of a groove divided by the groove pitch (width plus separation) to be 0.0025 square inches per inch.

If adopted, the new Rules change will be effective for all new clubs manufactured after January 1, 2010. For competition, the new change will allow for tournament committee to implement the rule effective January 1, 2009, but the USGA is recommending it apply only to competitions involving highly skilled players.

Compare the current rule and the proposed rule as published by the USGA. Click to view PDF.