grooves?

Question
QUESTION: Which groove will consistently give me the best strike?

ANSWER: Hi Tarran,

The USGA recently published a 300 page study on grooves; they confirmed that from the fairway with no grass between the face and the ball, V grooves spun the ball the same as U grooves. It was only in the rough when grass got between the face and ball that U grooves spun the ball more, and this was only for Urethane cover golf balls, the type most played by a tour player. Surlyn cover balls, which comprise over 75% of the total ball market in the world, showed NO DIFFERENCE for spin with V or U grooves from the rough or fairway.

There is lots of friction between a clubface to produce backspin, even if there are no grooves at all. When grass or water get in between the ball and clubface, friction is reduced significantly.

Always ensure the clubface is clean and dry and make sure you hit the ball first, before any grass if possible.

Hope this helps.

Please visit and patronize my site, www.probablegolfinstruction.com
Take a look at my newsletter, www.probablegolfinstruction.com/PGINewsletter/current.htm

Best regards,
Ken Tannar

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I,m sorry i meant which groove on the face, not which type. I consitently hit the third and fourth from bottom, but rarely see any lower.

Answer
Hi Tarran,

You won't hit on the lower grooves unless you hit the ball thin. You'll hit on the upper grooves if you hit the ball fat or have a fluufy lie where the ball is sitting up on the grass.

If you stand up your club on a table and place the ball on the table against the clubface, to which groove does the point of contact with the ball line up. The ideal groove of contact corresponds to where the center of gravity of the club is. That depends on the club. With most, it's on or two grooves below the middle of the clubface.

Ken