By kickntrue on 1/15/10

John Daly and a little ingenuity have figured out how to beat the new USGA grooves ruling- buy 20 year old Ping Eye 2's on eBay.

John Daly used a set of wedges Thursday at the Sony Open in Hawaii that have square grooves, even though a new USGA regulation this year requires more of a V-shaped groove.

And those wedges are considered legal.

Daly is using Ping-Eye 2 wedges -- pitching wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge -- that he first used at the 1986 U.S. Open when he was a sophomore in college.

...

Even in this new era of grooves, the old Ping wedges remain legal because of a lawsuit Ping filed against the USGA over square grooves that was settled in 1990. Under the settlement, any Ping-Eye 2 made before April 1, 1990, remains approved under the Rules of Golf.

"That settlement still takes precedence" over the new regulation, said Dick Rugge, the USGA's senior technical director.

The article goes to say Daly has found about 8 or 9 sets of old Ping-Eye 2 wedges so far and knows other players are buying them off eBay.

Ping cannot reproduce these irons so to be conforming the serial numbers must prove they were made before April 1, 1990. A player could still have his old clubs adjusted as they would any equipment they play.

Everyone go clean out your garage. You may now be holding gold. Imagine Zach Johnson and Vijay Singh on eBay in a bidding war over your junk! Almost makes me want to rush out before this becomes big news and try to snatch a couple sets up.

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