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Players love the tech, but pro and amateur organizations can hardly keep up with the new materials and radical designs that have rewired and sometimes hot-wired sports. 'What the heck [...]

The United States Golf Association in 1998 passed strict new standards for golf clubs and balls which have outraged many golf-equipment makers. The USGA desire to limit the distance players can hit the ball collides with the plans of such manufacturers as Calloway Golf and Fortune Brands, which gain about two-thirds of their profits from new equipment designed to increase distance off the tee. Some in the golf equipment industry would like to see separate standards for professional and mass market equipment, but the USGA says uniform standards are central to golf's traditions.

Byline: by Ron Whitten PHOTOGRAPHS BY STEPHEN SZURLEJ TESTING THE LIMITS OF FAIRNESS When USGA officials attempt to stretch Open courses to the edge, sometimes they (and the players) go [...]

Q. Whatever happened to the USGA's proposal to roll back grooves? Wasn't it supposed to take effect on Jan. 1, 2009? GOUGE The USGA's proposal to reduce groove sharpness and [...]

Mallet mania: We suppose blade putters are still around, but mallets remain the rage. There's the conventionally proportioned Scotty Cameron Red X (far right) from TITLEIST, which features a milled [...]

In a story about companies marketing high-COR drivers prior to USGA approval of a higher COR limit (Bunker, July 26), Golf World neglected to mention that a Callaway print ad […]

Zevo's written response to the U.S. Golf Association regarding its COR proposal indicates a company prepared to sue, although Zevo VP Dave Boone said a final decision hasn't been made. […]

At the British Open, drivers with a coefficient of restitution higher than .830 were legal. And nearly one-sixth of the field used them. Back in the States, however, high-COR drivers [...]

When the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews and the U.S. Golf Association issued a joint release on May 9 outlining their proposal on coefficient of restitution (COR) […]

J.C. Snead Maybe Bruce Fleisher started a trend when he decided not to play in the U.S. Open two weeks ago. After winning the Senior PGA Tour's Greater Baltimore Classic […]

A sign on the first tee at Bethpage (N.Y.) State Park's Black Course says only "highly skilled players" should play the course. And the May 9 proposal on equipment by […]

How do you market a product that will be declared 'illegal' in five years? That's the dilemma golf-club marketers face after the U.S. Golf Association decided to compromise with the […]

The joint proposal on coefficient of restitution (COR) issued by the U.S. Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews last week met with mixed reviews […]

THE heralded USGA-R&A accord on spring-like effect is only symbolic. It does nothing to deal with the reality that distance went sky-high in the 1990s for the best players while […]

Callaway Golf Co. scored a birdie last week when a favorable ruling from golf's governing bodies allowed the company's famed ERC II driver to be used in U.S. competition. Callaway […]

The USGA's rule evoked by the elasticity of the modern clubface apparently is not especially rigid itself. In fact, many experts say, it is likely--and unwittingly--bent, even on the professional […]

PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has suggested the creation of an independent global body that would develop a set of equipment standards to be adopted by the major pro tours. […]

JOINING ... The ever-lengthening list of companies marketing a driver outside the U.S. that does not conform to USGA standards, Titleist. At the Japan Golf Fair in Tokyo two weeks […]

WHILE it is the 15-member Executive Committee that runs the USGA, the tone is set in large part by the president. When Buzz Taylor was at the helm the USGA […]

THE U.S. Golf Association's latest bid at invoking tradition to curtail technology--by announcing its intention to limit clubhead size--has collided with a united and vociferous front of opposition from an […]

Years ago, it wasn't unusual for a tour pro to step onto the first tee with two dozen or more clubs in his bag. Not only were such arsenals a [...]

USGA TO THE RESCUE: Ken Eichele, the New York City Fire Department captain given a special exemption into next year's U.S. Mid-Amateur because his involvement in rescue activities after Sept. […]

Impatience is a hallmark of youth, manifesting itself in golf circles lately by the increasing number of those heading off for PGA Tour debuts on skateboards. Now we know why […]

There remain many questions about how the USGA's recent changes in amateur status will affect college golf. Some coaches say the seemingly welcomed move will ruin the college game. Others […]

Just suppose it's possible. Who would be crazy enough to make or buy such a ball? There's a well-intentioned, reactionary bunch within the U.S. Golf Association who believes we're hitting [...]

'I'm not sure what the conflict might be. Although I have a number of problems with the U.S. Golf Association's proposed testing protocol, in my opinion there will be less [...]

BEYOND the equipment controversies being discussed this week by the USGA's Executive Committee lies another intriguing issue. In what's being described as a "top to bottom" review of the rules […]

JUST as the debate heats up again about nonconforming drivers, the USGA is stirring up another hornet's nest about golf balls. The long-discussed ball testing procedure known as optimization has […]

HERE'S EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW about coefficient of restitution (COR) but were afraid to ask for fear of getting a headache. For all its multisyllabic heft, COR is [...]

Three years before Tiger Woods was born, the most consistent golfer ever to swing a club arrived at USGA headquarters. Iron Byron, a robot devised by shaft maker True Temper, […]

WITH the United States Golf Association having taken a stand on illegal drivers, will the golf ball be next? That's the indication out of Far Hills, N.J. But some industry […]

Optimization shouldn't change a thing in your golf bag or pro shop. Ball makers already incorporate the new testing into developing balls. That means it is unlikely any current ball […]

To hear Phil Mickelson tell it, the top-secret Titleist prototype golf balls in his bag do everything but glow in the dark. They travel longer. They react like homing devices […]

EZLinks Golf and the U.S. Golf Association have signed a letter of intent to jointly develop golf handicap technology--tentatively called Real Time Option--as well as create a communications network for […]

The U.S. Golf Association has added another driver to its list of nonconforming clubs. Dogleg Right's new Hog driver becomes the 16th to make the list of clubs that have […]

Current positions leave USGA and manufacturers on a collision course. It's time for real dialogue WHETHER IT'S THE SERENITY OF A 6:30 A.M. stroll down a dew-covered fairway or the [...]

United States Golf Association (USGA) specifications for the construction of putting greens have been used for sports field projects on many occasions. These specifications rely on sand that is amended […]