Ogilvy looks to get in the groove early

World number eight Geoff Ogilvy has been practicing with new grooves ahead the rule change at the end of the year.

The Australian wants to be ahead of the game when the new grooves come into place on January 1, 2010 and he believes they are going to suit players with a top notch short game.

Speaking on Twitter, Ogilvy said: “[I’ve] been pitching with 2010 groove wedges. Not sure how much they will affect scoring but there will be a big adjustment period for us for sure.

“I think good short games will adapt fastest. Harder to hit that really spinny one, but much better I think for soft greens. Some give and take.

“Bunkers [will be] no different, but light rough will be a bit of a change.”

Some experts believe it will mean a change of ball for top golfers and others think the change will be negated by manufacturing advances in higher spinning balls.

Ogilvy added: “Guys may look for a ball that spins a little more maybe. Not sure really. Time will tell if strategies will change, but I don’t think they will too much.”

The new rules will limit the size and sharpness of grooves for professional players but will not affect the majority of amateurs until 2024 at the earliest.

The groove reduction will mean spin is harder to generate from rough, placing more importance on accuracy off the tee.

Older players such as Greg Norman have already gone on record saying they believe it will be tougher for the younger generation to adapt because they’ve never known anything different.