"Most of the issues we've had could have been solved by better agronomy. Trust me."

Thanks to reader Brad for making sure we didn't miss Paul McGinley's insights into grooves and the possible impact of this year's rule change. McGinley is one of the players I'd most trust to offer perceptive reasoning on the change and how it will impact play. Dermot Gilleece does the reporting and features extensive comments from the possible future Ryder Cup captain. Highlights:

"As I see it, the big problem we have as professional golfers is that 90 per cent of the greens we play on are way too soft," he said yesterday. "Firmer golf courses would make for a far more challenging and interesting spectacle than will be achieved by this groove change." It is accepted that the key factors which influence a golf shot with an iron club are the shape and size of the grooves, the spacing between the grooves, the treatment of the club-face, as in sand-blasting, and the weight distribution.

Still, McGinley insisted: "I thought we'd be going back to the way things were in my amateur days, when you might have a lie in the semi-rough and you'd have to figure out how the ball was going to fly and whether you needed a six iron or a nine iron. Granted, there will be a change in chipping. And guys will probably use a softer ball for more spin, which will reduce drives by about 10 yards."