Erin Hills observes the rules of the USGA. For the complete rules, follow this link: USGA Rules.

The answer depends on the golfer's skill level and participation in competitions. For typical golfers:

• There will be little effect on their play or their clubs.
• They can continue to play their current clubs until at least 2024, which includes using these clubs for establishing or maintaining USGA handicaps.
• The new grooves will have little effect on shots from the fairway or off the tee. If you were able to spin a shot from the fairway with old grooves, you will be able to do it with new grooves as well.
• The new grooves primarily affect shots from the rough to the green by reducing spin. Most golfers don't hit greens from the rough very often.
• Clubs that conform to the old groove rules will continue to be produced by manufacturers until the end of 2010; retailers may continue to sell indefinitely any inventory that remains at the end of 2010. All models submitted to the USGA for conformance testing beginning in 2010 need to conform to the new rules regarding grooves.

For highly skilled golfers who may play, or aspire to play, in professional events:

• Beginning in 2010, The PGA Tour (including the Champions and Nationwide Tours), European PGA Tour and other members of the International Federation of PGA Tours, as well as the LPGA, will require the use of clubs made to conform to the new rules regarding grooves. This is being done through the use of an optional condition of competition that was added to the USGA Rules book in 2010.
• The groove rules condition of competition will be applied by the USGA for all USGA Open events beginning in 2010: U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open and U.S. Senior Open. Sectional qualifying events for these competitions will also use the condition of competition. In 2010 only, the condition of competition will not apply for the U.S. Open local qualifying stage. (There are no local qualifiers for U.S. Women's Open or the U.S. Senior Open.)

For PGA Professionals competing in PGA of America championships:

• The new rules regarding grooves will be adopted as a condition of competition for the 2010 Senior PGA Championship, 2010 PGA Championship, 2010 Grand Slam and be recommended for use at the 2010 Ryder Cup.
• The condition of competition will not be in effect at any of our PGA Member Championships, i.e., PGA Profession National Championship, Senior PGA Professional National Championship, Assistant Championship, Winter Championships, Tournament Series, Playing Ability Test or any of our junior or amateur events.
• It should be noted that any player who qualifies for a PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour or Champions Tour event or who qualifies for the PGA or Senior PGA Championships, will be required to play under the condition of competition in those actual PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour or Champions Tour events as well as our PGA and Senior PGA Championships.
• The PGA of America National Board of Directors also recommends to our 41 PGA Sections that the condition of competition not be adopted at their events during the coming year. Each PGA Section however may make its own decision on such condition of competition for its own events.
• For PGA Sections that host PGA Tour, Nationwide Tour or Champions Tour qualifying events, these qualifying events will also adopt the condition of competition regarding grooves. However, for those that host pre-qualifying events for PGA Tour or Champions Tour events, the condition of competition will not be required to be in effect.

For highly skilled golfers who may play, or aspire to play, in USGA amateur championships:

• New grooves are not required for USGA amateur championships in 2010. In fact, the USGA is not scheduled to adopt the groove rules condition of competition for its amateur championships until 2014.

For those who play in championships conducted by state and regional golf associations:

• Implementing the condition of competition is a decision to be made by the committees of these events.
• It is suggested that the state and regional golf organizations be contacted regarding their plans for adopting the condition of competition.

For those who play in local events, including club championships:

• Implementing the condition of competition is a decision to be made by the committees of these events.
• It is suggested that the committee in charge of these kinds of events be contacted regarding their plans for adopting the condition of competition.

No. The new rules regarding grooves apply to all clubs except drivers and putters. There are two provisions in the new rules – smaller grooves (less volume) and rounder groove edges. All clubs with at least 25 degrees of loft (generally a 5-iron through the wedges) need to comply with both groove size and edge roundness specifications. Lower irons and fairway clubs only need to meet the smaller size requirement.

The USGA has published an informational database of clubs made prior to the new rules regarding grooves going into effect regarding their conformance to the new rules regarding grooves. It can be found on the USGA website

Most popular pre-2010 clubs are found on this database. However, should a particular club of interest not appear on the database, the manufacturer of the club should be contacted for this information. Additionally, the USGA can be contacted for further information.

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Yes, to both questions. If the manufacturer has a means of supplying replacements for older models with the same model, it will be treated as if it were manufactured at the same time as your current clubs. The exception – just like the rest of your clubs, if the condition of competition is in effect, any replacement club that does not meet the new rules regarding grooves would not be permitted for play in that competition.

Yes, until 2024. No matter how or when a club is acquired, it will be treated the same according to the Rules.

The changes are designed to reduce spin on shots played from the rough by highly skilled golfers, and thereby restore the challenge of shots played from the rough to the green. This should result in an increase in the importance of driving accuracy.

One of the goals of the USGA is to maintain the challenge of the game. There is ample evidence demonstrating that the importance of driving accuracy has decreased significantly over the past three decades.

The basic answer is that the new grooves are smaller (volume reduced) and have edges that are not as sharp as the old grooves.

No. While the size of the grooves is reduced, they do not need to be V-shaped.

It is very unlikely that this is possible with old clubs. The new rules regarding grooves require the grooves to be smaller than the old grooves and generally this is not possible to accomplish without somehow filling in the old grooves and cutting new ones.

All USGA national amateur championships are not scheduled to use the condition until 2014. Therefore, one recommendation is not to apply it prior to 2014 at the earliest. However, the decision is up to each club or competition committee based on its own situation. Like other conditions of competition in the Rulebook, there is no requirement that this condition be adopted at any time. For example, the one-ball condition of competition is optionally applied and has never been applied across the board at all competitions.