PING Facebook Pixel Tracking

Groove Rule

Questions About the USGA/R&A Groove Rules?

The following information explains how PING clubs introduced after 1982 are impacted by various USGA/R&A groove rules, including the new "Condition of Competition" announced in 2008.
 

  1. i20 irons, Serene irons, Tour Wedges, G20 irons, G15 irons, K15 irons, i15 irons, S56 irons, Faith irons, Anser irons, G10 XG irons, ANSER Wedges, Tour-S Wedges, EYE2 XG Wedges and Moxie I Jr.:
    • Each conforms to all USGA and R&A groove rules in effect at all levels of play
       

  2. Zing, Zing2, ISI, i3, i3+, G2, G5, G10, i5, i10, S59, S58, S57, Rapture, Rapture V2, Rhapsody, Moxie Jr. Set, Pal Jr. Set, PING Wedge, MB Wedge, iWedge, Tour Wedge and Tour W Wedge.
    • Each conforms until at least 2024 at nearly all non-professional events played under the R&A and/or the USGA Rules of Golf;

    • Each does not conform at professional tour events, or any other events that are played pursuant to the 2010 Condition of Competition; and

    • Beginning in 2014 each will not conform at any national amateur championships conducted by the USGA and/or the R&A

    • NOTE: A very small number of the above clubs were recently made with custom grooves that conform to the 2010 Condition of Competition, and were provided to select Professional Tour Professionals. Each has a unique marking, and each has been brought to the attention of the USGA.
       

  3. Eye2 Irons and Wedges
    • Because Eye2 irons and wedges have a unique history, and various versions of this PING model were made from 1982 to 1990, these clubs require a more complex summary, which is as follows:

      1. V grooved Eye 2 irons and wedges (NOTE: these were made from 1982 to 1984, and each has the following unique marking - the top bar "Karsten Mfg. Corp. Phoenix, AZ 85068 USA" runs from the heel of the head to the toe, which makes it appear "upside down" when looking at this lettering when the club is in a golf bag).

        • Conform to all USGA and R&A groove rules in effect at all levels of play

      2. U Grooved Eye2 irons and wedges (NOTE: these were made from 1984 through March 1990, and each has the following unique marking - the top bar "Karsten Mfg. Corp. Phoenix, AZ 85068" runs from the toe of the head to the heel, - which makes it appear "right side up" when looking at this lettering when the club is in a golf bag):

        • Conform at all non-professional events played under the USGA Rules of Golf (including all USGA amateur national championships, both before and after 2013);

        • Do not conform at professional tour events or any other events that have adopted the 2010 Condition of Competition; and

        • Do not conform at any events played under the R&A Rules of Golf (and have not since 1996).

      3. U Grooved Eye2 irons and wedges modified by PING in the mid 1990's (Because the R&A deemed U grooved Eye2's non-conforming beginning in 1996, PING modified the grooves on a number of these sets in the mid-1990's, and kept records of the serial number of each modified set):

        • Conform until at least 2024 at nearly all non-professional events played under the R&A and/or the USGA Rules of Golf;

        • Do not conform at professional tour events or any other events that have adopted the 2010 Condition of Competition; and

        • Will not conform at any national amateur championships conducted by the USGA and/or the R&A held after 2013.

      4. Eye2+ iron and wedges (these clubs were made beginning in early 1990, and each has U grooves):
        • Conform until at least 2024 at nearly all non-professional events played under the R&A and/or the USGA Rules of Golf;

        • Do not conform at professional tour events or any other events that have adopted the 2010 Condition of Competition; and

        • Will not conform at any national amateur championships conducted by the USGA and/or the R&A held after 2013.
           

  4. Replacement/Fill In Clubs:
    • Because PING places a serial number on each club we make, and maintains for decades the data identifying the custom specifications associated with each such serial number, if a club from a set is lost, broken or stolen, PING can supply a "replacement" club made to the original specifications.  In addition, if a customer wants to add a club to a set, and that club was not included with the original order, PING can supply a "fill in" order as well. This replacement/fill in service is available for all of our models (subject to availability), except U grooved Eye2 irons made between 1984 and 1990.

    • NOTE: As a result of the 2010 Condition of Competition, at some future date replacement/fill in clubs that match the models original groove dimensions will no longer be available for models introduced before 2009.  Currently, the clubs PING ships as replacement and/or fill ins for such models have the original groove dimensions of that model, and are grandfathered under the USGA and the R&A Rules of Golf for most amateur purposes -as described in Section 2 above. When these "original groove pattern" clubs are no longer available to supply a replacement/fill in order, PING will either (1) stop offering a replacement/fill in for that club; or (2) change the groove pattern of that replacement/fill in club so that it conforms to the 2010 Condition of Competition.


Other Helpful Information:

If you have a question that we have not answered above, please click here to send it to us by email. You may also find some of the following web site pages of the USGA and the R&A (linked below) to be helpful.


Click here to review the USGA's "Informational Club Database (Grooves)" - this site allows you to perform a search to determine the conformance of nearly all iron and wedge models.

Click here to review the R&A's August 5, 2008 Announcement.

Click here to review the R&A's "Club Groove Search" which is intended to provide the same search function, and result, as the USGA's search site noted above.