This is just ridiculous. The USGA has sunk a lot of money and time into understanding how great players perform off of the tee, in the fairway, from the rough, to the green, and everywhere else in an attempt to understand the golf ball and how to regulate technology. Has the R&A not been CC’d on every report issued publicly or privately by the USGA? Apparently, because they’re conducting their own testing this week.

From the Open Golf homepage:

The R&A is carrying out field tests on four holes of this week’s Open Championship to accurately measure the distance the ball carries, trajectory, spin rate and roll as part of an ongoing programme to monitor the performance of top players.

WHAT? Are they worried that the USGA had tainted balls or players? Or the British wind does a better job of testing?

Get off of your butts and get on board the regulation express.

Jerry Potter has a piece in USA Today about golf ball technology and what it is able to do – at least in theory – for players, particularly professionals. This probably comes on the heels of the blatant shout out to TaylorMade by Sergio Garcia in the trophy presentation ceremony following the Players Championship. Interesting, though, that the piece also comes after the R&A has basically indicated that it will be taking a pass on grooves for the time being for a variety of unnamed factors. Speculation includes difficulty enforcing the rules, threat of a lawsuit, insatiable appetite for lengthening golf courses, and a general unwillingness to change the rules.