Ping Eye 2 Irons And Wedges Are Banned

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The US PGA Tour and PING have reached an agreement that will shortly see the manufacturer's 20-year-old, non-conforming Ping Eye 2 irons and wedges banned on all USPGA Tours. 

This follows a controversy that erupted on the Tour earlier this year when some players chose to use the Ping-Eye 2 wedges despite the fact that they no longer conformed under a new regulations requiring discount golf clubs to feature "v" shaped and not square or U-shaped grooves. Club's with square or U-shaped grooves were outlawed by the USGA in professional golf in a bid to try and reduce the amount of spin players were able to impart on the ball, even out of wildly hit shots into the rough.. 

Unfortunately, in putting the new rule into play, the USGA and the PGA Tour had overlooked a lawsuit in the early 1990s that had led to Ping wedges manufactured before 1990 being allowed at all levels of competition, regardless of the new regulations, and several tour players, Phil Mickelson and John Daly among them, initially opted to use them. 

After much acrimonious debate, a solution to the extremely unsatisfactory situation has been found. Ping chairman and CEO John Solheim announced on Monday that his company will waive its rights that prevented the PGA Tour from prohibiting the use of pre-April 1990 Ping Eye 2 irons and wedges that do not meet the 2010 Condition of Competition from being used in all PGA Tour events, including the US Open which is run by the USGA.

The waiver goes into effect on March 29 and applies to the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour and the Nationwide Tour. Both Ping and the PGA TOUR made it clear the waiver does not take out of Tour players' hands all Eye 2 irons and wedges.

Several professionals this year have had Ping make up for them Eye 2 irons and wedges with grooves that conform to the 2010 New Groove rule. Those clubs remain eligible for use. 

Solheim also confirmed several solutions were considered since he first met with USGA executives on February 10 in Dallas but felt that under the circumstances the PGA Tour and US Open waivers were the most appropriate ways to keep intact the spirit of his company's original USGA and PGA TOUR agreements. 

Both the PGA Tour and Ping also said they were pleased with Monday's announcement by the USGA that it will be conducting a forum in the Fall of 2010 in an effort to find ways to improve the equipment rule-making process utilized by the USGA.

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