2010 Groove Regulations - Are the Grooves on Your Wedges Legal Or Do You Need to Buy New Wedges Now?

By now you will have heard (or have you?) about the change in the rules governing the grooves in golf clubs that comes into effect on 1st January 2010. Do you know how these rules will affect you and your golf equipment?

The R & A and USGA carried out extensive research on grooves based on what was happening on tour. The new V groove configuration was resulting in golfers generating the same amount of spin from the rough as they were from the fairway! This was effectively diminishing the penalty of being in the rough.

In order to reward straight shots and make life more difficult if you missed a fairway or green and had to play from the rough the R & A and USGA are now going to limit groove volume and edge sharpness on all clubs excepting drivers and putters with lofts greater than or equal to 25 deg. As a general rule this translates to applying to your 5 iron to wedges. All the existing limitations on grooves and face texture will remain.

The new rules apply to new models of clubs made on or after 1st January 2010. Existing models as of that date will still be allowed to be manufactured until end 2010.

Now you would be forgiven in asking, "Won't pro's just stick to the models made before January 1st 2010? Well they can try but it's not going to work. The R & A and USGA clearly thought of that and have countered it by making it a "Condition of Competition" that pro's use clubs manufactured according to the new rules.

So what does this all mean for you? are you going to have to fork out for a new set of clubs or face banning from the club competitions? Fortunately you don't have anything to worry about unless that is you are playing golf at the top amateur or professional level.

Any clubs existing on December 31st 2009 and made up until December 31st 2010 that meet the current requirements will still be legal until at least 2024. There is a review of this by the two bodies planned for 2020 when they will decide whether to extend the date even further than 2024.

So you can relax and continue to fondle your favourite crocodile teeth clubs with pride while understanding that playing great golf is more to do with the mind than the equipment, that is presuming you have half decent equipment to start with.

If this article has been of interest to you, you can find out more on the mental side of golf and how it can dramatically improve your game when you apply some easy techniques by going to my website at http://www.golfmindshop.com. Play better golf by applying "think like the pro's" techniques to your game, guaranteed. Wishing you FIR's, GIR's & Blue Skies. Mark - The Golfersmind PS - You can also get your FREE copy of golf ebooks by clicking on The Golf Mind Shop Links here. Reviews of Golf Training Programs are now available online so you can read up on a system before deciding if it's right for you. http://www.golfmindshop.com. Mark Wright is a Master Coach and Sport Psychologist. He can be contacted via his website where you can get free advice on your golf swing or mental game just for the asking. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_H_Wright

Golf Clubs For Learners

When you start to play golf it often seems a bit weird to many that you need 14 different clubs to get round a golf course; surely you just grab a club, give the ball a whack then chase after it. As you play the game more and more you will begin to appreciate what each different club offers and how it will be useful to you at some stage during your round.

After you understand what each club does, you can start to work on your own technique and be able to choose the type of club you need in each situation you are faced with. This aligned to a good swing should help you perfect your game. OK, so what does each club do?

Well the first type of club to describe is a wood, which funnily enough isn't made of wood but used to be. Woods are normally made out of hollow steel or titanium and are designed to get maximum distance. You would usually have two or three woods in your golf bag as you don't use them as much as other clubs. They will normally be used where you need a long shot but where accuracy isn't the biggest factor. Woods may hit the ball a long way but are not the most accurate of clubs; they take a lot of practice to master.

Irons are the next golf clubs to look at, they are perhaps used more frequently than any others during your game. They come in more variety than other types of club and their versatility means that they will make up the majority of the clubs in your golf bag. Depending on the type of iron you use they can be used for long distances or shorter shots. They can hit the ball high or low and can be very accurate (if used correctly). Irons can be designed to hit the ball long and low, to escape out of a sand bunker or hit the ball very high to clear an obstacle.

The last golf club we will look at is the putter; you will only have one of these in your golf bag. They are used on the putting green at the end of each hole and are used solely to get the golf ball in the hole. They need to be deadly accurate as the putting green can be the place where you gain or lose most shots. The putter will have an almost straight face as the ball does not need to get airborne but just roll along the grass on the green. As this club is arguably the most important golf club in your bag you should try out enough to ensure that you get one that suits your style and enables you to get the ball in the hole as often as possible.

Get to know these three types of club and then you will slowly gain understanding of what each can offer you. This will allow you to move onto more specialised versions of each and maybe even master the game of golf.

Carl Liver Copywriter for Golfonline Golf Clubs and Golf bags supplier. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carl_Liver