YOU MAY or may not have noticed, but just the other day the USGA and the R&A changed a rule that may or may not have a profound effect on how golf is played at the very highest level. From January 1, 2010, most of my clubs are going to have to have 'V'-shaped grooves on their faces. No longer will 'square' grooves – those that create more spin on the ball from long grass – be allowed.
To me, one aim of the authorities is to bring back the so-called 'flier,' a shot that goes a lot farther than normal through the air when grass gets between the clubface and the ball at impact. When I was a kid, that shot was a big part of the game.
In fact, there is quite an art to hitting the flier when required. It isn't necessarily a bad thing. Indeed, quite often, it is a good thing to be able to do.
The great thing about the flier lie in the rough is the doubt that it puts in a player's mind. It's a horrible feeling standing over a shot to a green wondering just how far the ball is going to go, especially if the range between short and long is 50 yards or so.
As a result of this change, I have no doubt that the lawmakers are hoping to limit the benefits of what has come to be known as 'bomb and gouge,' where a player simply hits the ball as far as he can off the tee and doesn't really care whether he hits the fairway or not. The fourth hole here at Oakland Hills is a perfect example of that. With bunkers and long grass on both sides of the fairway, any incentive for me to lay-up is all but eliminated. I might as well hit my driver off the tee and get as close to the green as possible, even if I am in a bunker or off in the rough somewhere.
Now, so the theory goes at least, we will have to hit more fairways so as to avoid the lack of spin on a ball hit from the rough. If that is the case, I can see a lot more players hitting a lot more 3-woods and long irons off the tee. In other words, this groove thing is really a roundabout way of combating how far the modern tour professional hits the ball off the tee. I really don't mind any of that. Fliers, as annoying as they were, added a fun aspect to the game that has been lost to the modern game.
My big concern is that, once the grooves change, a corresponding alteration must be made to the length of the rough. There will be no point in continuing with foot-long grass. When rough gets that long, it really doesn't matter what grooves we are using. So I'd like to see rough no longer than it presently is at Augusta National. The Masters in 2010 will be interesting in that the rough will actually become much more of a hazard than it has been since it was introduced.
So the great thing is that professional golf might just be on the edge of seeing the end of long rough. And I can't wait to play in an Open Championship with the flier back in play. On fast-running links, that can often be the shot to hit.
Let's say I am 5-iron distance from the green, but the lie isn't really good enough for me to hit that club. But I can get an 8-iron on the back of the ball. If I am good enough to hit a flier, I can hit my 8-iron as far as a 5-iron from the fairway. There's a lot of skill in that. Being able to 'read' a lie and predict how far you can get from it adds another dimension to the game. That has to be a good thing.
The other side of this particular coin, of course, is that, on the 72nd hole of a big tournament, the last thing anyone would want is a flier lie from the rough. With adrenaline pumping and the pressure at its height, predicting what will happen with any great accuracy would be all but impossible.
Anyway, I like the fact that the new grooves will at least make players think more about hitting the fairway. Which isn't that big an issue, actually. I'm trying to hit the ball as straight as I can and I'm sure every other pro is too. But, as I have said, at the very least we will hopefully see the restoration of a part of the game that has been lost over the last few years. Long live the flier!
The full article contains 829 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
