USGA groove rules take effect

FAR HILLS, N.J. (Jan. 1, 2014) – As part of a continuing commitment to inform and educate on the Rules of Golf, the United States Golf Association is making several resources available to assist expert amateurs in complying with amended golf club groove regulations as a Condition of Competition at all USGA amateur championships and qualifying events. As of January 1, all competitors’ clubs must conform to the groove and punch mark specifications in the Rules of Golf. The amended groove regulations, which apply to all clubs except drivers and putters, were first introduced as a Condition of Competition by the USGA for its three Open championships, effective January 1, 2010. As previously announced, it was recommended that this Condition of Competition be adopted as of January 1, 2014 only for competitions involving expert players at the highest level of amateur golf (See Decision 4-1/1 of the Decisions on the Rulesof Golf). In coordination with the January 1, 2014 implementation of the Condition of Competition for expert amateur players, representatives from the USGA will be available to answer questions and conduct club testing. An online resource page on grooves, at www.usga.org/grooves, offers more details on the Condition of Competition, Frequently Asked Questions, and a link to the Informational Club Database, where players can see whether the clubs they play with conform to the groove regulations. In addition, the USGA has extended the Open Championship Player Club Testing program to all players competing in elite amateur events. For program details, players should visit www.usga.org/equipment/testing/InviteForOpenClubTesting/.