Solheim Speaks Out On Irons
In response to the on-going discussion and
miscommunication relating to 2010 Groove Regulation and the use of PING
EYE2 irons manufactured prior to April 1, 1990, PING Chairman & CEO John
Solheim issued the following statement.
"Over the last several weeks we've watched with great
interest the impact of the PING EYE2 and its role in the USGA's 2010 Groove
Regulation. We've read and heard numerous inaccurate reports from various
sources, including several PGA Tour Professionals, about the new groove
regulation, specifically that "U" or "Square" grooves are "banned" as part
of the regulation. As the USGA states on its website:
"A common misconception is that "V" shaped grooves
will be required under the new specifications and that "U" shaped grooves
will no longer be allowed. This is not the case."
This misconception has contributed to PING EYE2 irons
being characterized as "non-conforming" or "illegal" and has created a
division among many of the players on the PGA Tour.
We're thankful that the PGA Tour helped clarify this
issue in a
statement last weekend:
"Under the Rules of Golf and the 2010 Condition of
Competition for Groove Specifications promulgated by the USGA, pre-1990
Ping Eye 2 irons are permitted for play and any player who uses them in PGA
TOUR sanctioned events taking place in jurisdictions of the USGA is not in
violation of the Rules of Golf; and
Because the use of pre-1990 Ping Eye 2 irons is
permitted for play, public comments or criticisms characterizing their use
as a violation of the Rules of Golf as promulgated by the USGA are
inappropriate at best."
Naturally, this entire episode takes us back more
than 20 years when our company took a stand against both the USGA and PGA
Tour over their attempts to ban PING EYE2 irons because of the grooves. In
an effort to protect the interests of the millions of PING EYE2 owners who
had purchased their clubs in good faith and for the good of the game, we
negotiated an agreement with the USGA which "grandfathered" all PING EYE2
irons manufactured prior to April 1, 1990.
In 1993, the PGA Tour agreed they "will not in the
future adopt or attempt to adopt any separate PGA Tour rule which would
prohibit the use of U-grooves on any golf club if such PGA Tour rule
differed from a USGA rule."
When the USGA proposed the New Groove Rule more than
two years ago, we reminded them of their agreement relative to the PING
EYE2 irons. At the time, I was vehemently against any new groove rule for a
variety of reasons and advised both the USGA and PGA Tour in a letter dated
July 31, 2007 that what is happening on the PGA Tour today was very much a
possibility.
The recent statement from the PGA Tour and several
PGA Tour players that they could invoke a "local rule" required us to
remind the PGA Tour of the terms of the agreement which prohibits them from
straying from a rule that "differed from a USGA rule."
While I fully expect the PGA Tour to honor this
agreement, I'm willing to discuss a workable solution to this matter that
would benefit the game and respect the role innovation has played over the
long history of golf."
