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The R&A's new groove rule has been put on hold, giving Australian professional golfers a bit more time to replace their clubs.
The rule, which banned U-shaped or square grooves on irons in favour of V-shaped grooves, was delayed after many players were not able to get new conforming sets of clubs in time, the AAP reports. Originally set to come into effect on January 1, the rule would have been enforced during the Victorian Open at Melbourne's Spring Valley course. But some club manufacturers were reportedly struggling to provide competitors with conforming clubs in time for the tournament. Faced with the possibility of numerous player withdrawals, the PGA Tour of Australasia delayed the introduction of the rule until the following week. Dominic Wall, the Asia Pacific director for the R&A, said that golf’s governing body understood the issue. "What's happened essentially is the Australasian Tour were contacted by some of their players who said that they didn't receive their new clubs prior to Christmas," Wall said. "The manufacturers closed down over the Christmas period. So just to avoid any issues or potential problems the Australasian Tour have extended the condition for one tournament - the Vic Open. "But the new condition will certainly be in place next week at International Qualifying for the British Open at (Melbourne's) Kingston Heath and the week after at the New Zealand Open," he said. The change to V-shaped grooves was designed to make shots from the rough more difficult, decreasing control and thus forcing players to hit more fairways. (AAP)
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