Leading Edge

ORLANDO, Fla. – One of the big pushes for 2010 at the PGA demo days is to improve distance by decreasing the grip weight.

With this in mind Winn Grips is releasing the Winn Lite, which cuts the weight of the grip by 25 percent and allows for more clubhead speed.

A number of the people manning the Winn booth say the increased swing weight is not a factor and most people enjoy feeling the weight of the head through the ball. They do admit that this is not for everyone.

Golf Pride on the other hand feels that they are not a "fad" company and will stick to what they know works. Their feeling is that the increase in swing weight may generate more clubhead speed and distance, but also decreases a players accuracy.

They are pushing the new Tour Wrap G2 which changes the material their classic Tour wrap uses to increase tackiness and decrease wear.

The Winn Lite is on its way to the market, while you will have to wait until March to get the Tour Wrap G2.

The United States Golf Association has announced the launch of the official application for the 2010-2011 editions of “The Rules of Golf,” “Decisions on The Rules of Golf” and “Rules of Amateur Status” for the iPhone and iPod touch.

The Rules of Golf App is designed for golfers who want instant access to the official rules and decisions. With this application, which features simple navigation and a convenient word and phrase search function, users can quickly answer questions about every rule, definition and decision. The new technology is the only rules application approved by the USGA.

“The USGA strives to deliver our best content wherever and whenever the golf audience needs it,” said Alex Withers, managing director of digital media for the USGA. “Having an interactive smart phone App for the Rules of Golf is a natural extension to better serve golfers across the U.S. and Mexico."

Users can also e-mail the USGA directly from the application with a Rules question. This mobile app now gives golfers a new way to seek answers from the USGA, which answers more than 15,000 Rules questions each year.

“The rules of golf are an integral part of the game,” said Jeff Hall, managing director of rules and competitions for the USGA. “Providing those gules in a variety of mediums is exciting for the USGA and better serves all golfers.”

The iPhone was the ideal initial platform for the application given the vast distribution of iPhone applications. The USGA plans to extend the application onto the BlackBerry and Google Android operating systems later this month.

Users can purchase and download the Rules of Golf App in the iTunes store for $3.99. The direct link for users with iTunes, an iPhone or iPod touch is http://iTunes.com/apps/therulesofgolf.

Phil Collins once said in one of his more questionable songs, “We got a groovy kind of love.” That title fits the over-40 crowd on the PGA Tour. As you likely have heard, the world’s top tours are leaving the square or U grooves and going back in time to V grooves. This is what guys like me, who grew up watching “The Dukes of Hazzard” learned how to play with.

What does all of this mean? Well, it means the V grooves will reduce the amount of spin on a golf ball especially out of the rough. So, guys who just hit Howitzer drives without concern about where it goes won’t have as much control if they land in the high stuff. Scott Hoch told me recently that with the new grooves we are going to find out which players “hit” the golf ball and which players “golf” their ball. His statement means two things. First, the guys who hit the ball in the center of the club more will have success and technology won’t bail players out as much with a mishit. Secondly, game management is much more paramount. Hitting the fairway is now a premium and expect to see more 3-woods off the tee.

For veterans like Kenny Perry, Vijay Singh and Jerry Kelly, going back to V grooves could be like riding a bike. It should be easier for them to adjust back to the clubs they played while growing up. Keep your eye on Steve Stricker. He led the Tour in scrambling in 2009 and from 50-125 yards out, there was no one better. So, the best wedge player in the game grew up playing V grooves and he should be even deadlier this year compared with the competition. Look for this proud product of the cheese state to win twice before the Masters.

As for the young guns, with the groove change they may be firing blanks early. It will take a bit of time for these guys to learn what their equipment and ball will do with less room for error. If you are a fantasy player, take my advice. Don’t pick a guy in his 20’s for at least six months. They may have never played a V groove, until now.

Lee Westwood, the world’s No. 4-ranked golfer, signed a multi-year contract to continue playing Ping golf equipment, it was announced on Tuesday.

Westwood, who recently captured the Dubai World Championship to clinch the year-long Race to Dubai title, has played Ping clubs since the mid-1980s. The European Tour’s leading money winner for 2009, Westwood carded a course-record 64 in the final round at Dubai and cruised to a six-shot victory.

Westwood’s entire bag was stacked with Ping clubs, including a G10 driver, i15 3-wood, Rapture V2 5-wood, i10 irons and Redwood Anser putter.

“It’s been an amazing year all around,” said Westwood from Los Angeles, where he’s scheduled to compete in the Chevron World Challenge this weekend. “My two wins and the consistency I showed to become Europe’s No. 1 player again clearly make this my best year to date. To extend my agreement with Ping at the same time brings me great comfort going forward as I look to continue my momentum into 2010.”

A six-time Ryder Cup participant, Westwood posted 11 top-10 finishes in 2009, including a tie for third at the Open Championship and PGA Championship. The 36-year-old Englishman has never won a major, but has 31 victories worldwide since turning professional in 1993.

Two Illinois men were arrested on November 23 and charged with money laundering, computer fraud, mail fraud and theft as part of a scam involving Titleist Pro V1 golf balls.

Lloyd Morris, of Deerfield, Illinois, and Marco Maggiore, of Buffalo Grove, Ill., allegedly sent e-mail blasts to businesses and consumers offering logoed Pro V1 balls at extremely low prices, according to a press release today from the Acushnet Company, whose brands include Titleist, FootJoy and Cobra. The two men allegedly accepted numerous orders and payments for the balls, but never did fill those orders. They also allegedly placed several orders with golf shops, took possession of the Pro V1s, and never paid for the product.

It’s estimated that the scam caused more than $400,000 in damages.

“This is an unfortunate situation in which innocent people, including charities, corporations, promotional product distributors and golf professionals, fell victim to the deceit,” said Joe Nauman, Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal, for the Acushnet Company. “Unfortunately, in this case, the offers were too good to be true. We are an industry leader in protecting our brands, partners and consumers, and we will continue to be diligent in seeking the arrest and prosecution of those who attempt to damage them.”

The Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls are the No. 1 played balls on the worldwide professional tours, including the PGA Tour.