Ping Eye-2 wedges to be banned from PGA Tour as Equipment Rulemaking Forum is announced

By Jennifer Gardner
GPA Equipment Editor

Ping Chairman and CEO John Solheim announced that his company will waive its right to have pre-1990 Ping Eye-2 wedges kept legal for PGA Tour play after weeks of discussion about the clubs. Also today, the USGA announced it will hold an Equipment Rulemaking Forum for manufacturers and other interested parties this fall, possibly in response to concerns that Ping and other companies had about how the organization makes rule changes.

More discussion about how equipment rules are made, and - if manufacturers have their way - more transparency into the process will result from a planned USGA forum that will be held this fall.

An announcement about the forum, which will be open to manufacturers, players, media and golf organizations, came the same day that Ping decided to waive its right for Ping Eye2 wedges made before 1990 to be considered conforming for PGA Tour events. The wedges were grandfathered in as legal for play after an early-90s settlement, despite having grooves that are deeper and wider than what the USGA permits.

In recent weeks, some PGA Tour players, including Phil Mickelson and John Daly, had used the older wedges in competition. That created some controversy on Tour as some players voiced disapproval of the use of those clubs. Now, the wedges will be banned for play on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Nationwide Tour beginning March 29. They will also be banned from the U.S. Open, but amateurs may still use the clubs in other events.

John Solheim, Ping Chairman and CEO, will hold a press conference with PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET to discuss the waiver.

"It levels the playing field on the PGA Tour and resolves a very unfortunate situation that we predicted would happen when the USGA first proposed the new groove rule more than two years ago," Solheim said in a statement. "It keeps in place all of our other rights established in the 1993 PGA Tour settlement and the 1990 USGA settlement, including ensuring amateurs will continue to be able to play their pre-April 1990 Eye-2s at all amateur events played under the USGA Rules of Golf."

The USGA Equipment Rulemaking Forum may cover a range of topics, according to a USGA release, including the process for proposing rule changes; timing and communication about USGA research that could result in rule changes; consideration of the impacts of rule changes; implementation of rule changes; and the proper balance between technology and skill in player performance. Several of these issues concerned manufacturers, including Ping, when the groove changes were announced last year and implemented on Jan. 1.