By Jeff Centenera
Golf Australia Assistant Editor
at the Australian PGA ChampionshipAustralian golf wraps up 2009 with the PGA returning to its traditional spot as the last event on the schedule. The vibe in Coolum is almost like an office Christmas party - there's work to be done, but you can enjoy yourself while doing it.
Looking ahead to next season is always a talking point at the year's final tournament, and one intriguing element of the Australian events has been to see how many players are using the tournaments to try the new grooves, or the new-old grooves as it were, that will be required on Tour next year.
Opinion among the pros is still divided about the level of impact the changes will have. John Daly offered up a vivid picture of players struggling to adapt. "I grew up on V-grooves," the dual major winner said, noting that many players had yet to test the 2010 grooves. "I've tried all the new wedges ... I have no confidence in hitting the green [from the rough] from 60 yards out."
Daly's solution? "You're going to see a lot of people looking for the old [Ping] Eye2s next year."
With an alternative view - from a younger player than Daly, it must be noted - was American pro Bryce Molder, who is in the PGA field after his tied third finish at the Australian Open. Molder used the 2010 grooves last week at New South Wales. "I had a lie which I didn't think was a flyer and it jumped real good, hit it 20 yards over the green."
Despite that experience, the 30-year-old believed the Tour pros would make their adjustments and render it a non-issue by midseason. "More is being made of it than will be."
It seems many pros are taking the same kind of approach to the equipment changes that they have about the world rankings - play well, and they don't have to worry about it. Case in point: when Tiger Woods won the Australian Masters at Kingston Heath, he did it with a bag full of grooves ready and conforming for 2010.
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