"If there are enough rumblings it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility that we could not adopt the rule."
/E. Michael Johnson and Mike Stachura's news story about the PGA Tour inching closer to a delay of the groove rule change includes some revealing quotes.
"Last night there was a conference call and we decided that it was too heated of an issue to decide on a conference call so we're going to wait until next week's board meeting to make a decision about it," said Stewart Cink, a member of the tour's policy board. "I would expect by Tuesday there will be some kind of an answer on it."
Then this from former policy board member Joe Ogilvie:
"They botched it and because they botched it, it won't be implemented in 2010," said Ogilvie. "I'd say there is a 90 percent chance it is not going to happen. I think they are going to have to [change the date]. I don't see it being adopted earlier than 2011."
So we are left with all sorts of questions as to why this has become an issue at the last minute.
The manufacturers have had some idea this was coming since August, 2006 and specs since August of 2008. Based on Twitter and interviews, players who have taken the initiative have had several months now to experiment with the new grooves.
The PGA Tour and Commissioner Finchem have been very consistent in stating that they support the USGA and R&A (here, here and here make a nice starting point for background on the tour's position and statements that certainly won't mesh with backing out of the 2010 date). But we also know from last week's USGA press conference that they are placing themselves at the mercy of the tour.
The "botching" referred to by Ogilvie seems to be with the confusing dates for implementation (2010, 2011, 2014, depending on who you are). I find it humorous that the PGA Tour, which hasn't done a whole lot of worrying about the every day game, is suddenly worried about the plight of the average golfer?
We know from Ian Poulter that this timing confusion is an issue to Acushnet family members, as is the dramatic difference in shotmaking ability. And we know from Stewart Cink that there will be a big difference, largely because players will have to move to a softer, spinning ball.
So if players convince the tour they won't be ready, they'll be branded pathetic, soft and spoiled.
If this is a manufacturing issue, as suggested, it would seem odd that these big, powerful, hi-tech manufacturers are unable to accommodate a rule change that will essentially impact certain sets of irons and their wedge lines. Manufacturers will take a hit to their tech savvy brands.
Unless we are not talking about multiple manufacturers here, but instead, just one company that doesn't feel it can retool its assembly line or perhaps doesn't feel it has a soft enough ball in the pipeline for circa 2010. Then we might see other manufacturers point that out and it could get ugly.
I'm just going to sit back and watch. Oh, and just for the last time, I swear, ask, wouldn't it have been so much easier to just change the ball?