R&A and USGA conforming drivers

Iv just been checking my drivers legality on the R&A website.

www.randa.org

I was a bit confused about it

I currently have a Taylor Made R540 8.5* driver.

Is this illegal at the moment or just after 1st january 2008????

If you check the R&A website and look at the taylor made R540 it has 2 photos. One which conforms (with grooves in the middle of the face) and one which doesn't conform (no grooves). is this in effect at the moment or after 1/1/2008? Mine is the one with no grooves.

cheers

__________________
Craig

My bag:

Taylormade r7 9.5* Stiff stock shaft
Sonartec SS2.5 3+ 13* Stiff Fujikura Tour Platform shaft
Taylormade Utility 2 16* XS Fujikura TP stock shaft
Titleist 904F 4 wood 17* Stiff Aldila NV85 shaft
Mizuno MP67 3-PW S300 shafts
Cleveland 588 47*, 53*, 56* DSG, 60*
Odyssey White Hot #4 putter

I'm sure it's only after 2008, when the R&A and USGA C.O.R. values will be the same. But it is important that you know the "official" answer. The R&A haven't pulished a list to say what drivers (in make and model detail) are illegal. I only found out last week that a Bang driver a tour player uses is illegal.

I'd suggest you ask the Taylor Made office in the UK. They're in Basingstoke and the number is 01256 479797.

Please post and let us know. It's an interesting one because I have one of the grooveless one's too amongst my equipment I've used.

__________________
Golf is easy ... once you know how.
Graham Arnott, teaching professional
Kelrosa Golf Studios
www.kelrosagolf.com
Class 'A' PGA Member
Full Member: World Golf Teachers Federation (GB&I)

Is it to do with grooves then, cos my Nike NDS has no grooves in the sweet spot, but some around the edges...?

It has to do with the Coefficient of Restitution (COR).

In the taylormades, the XD's have a COR of .860 - while the legal limit for the USGA is .830.

It has nothing to do with scorelines per se.

Copy of the R&A wording;

For most competitions and all recreational play, there will be no Rule limiting 'spring-like' effect in driving clubs until 1st January 2008. However, from 1st January 2004 until 31st December 2007, for competitions restricted to highly skilled players, a Condition of Competition may be introduced whereby a driving club is deemed not to conform with this Rule if, under specified test conditions, it has a characteristic time which is greater than 239 microseconds plus a tolerance of 18 microseconds.


When I purchased my 540 (without central grooves) it was clearly labelled stating that it would be non-conforming from 2008 so presumably OK at present unless in falls into the hands of a highly skilled player!!

Heres a thought:

Ernie Els tried both versions of the 983K when it came out. After hitting a few he was told that the average difference between the two drivers was 4 yards!

Gee, seems like a lot of fuss to make dont it?

Anyway, the whole thing seems a bit silly when you look at it. I have a conforming driver that I hit further than my old ERC II, go figure.....as Sam Torrance once said....."Its the ball, nothing else, just the ball"

D.

I'm with D on this one. When any of the pros are asked about distance off the tee they all say it's down to the ball. As for those who have drivers that might be illegal in 2008, why worry? Half the discussion in this room is about buying new clubs so I don't think many of us will be using the same driver in three years time.