Unless you've been studying global warming in Antarctica for the past couple years, you probably know that the USGA decided that the square grooves we have all become accustomed to will no longer be manufactured as of December 31st, 2010. Forget the fact you can keep playing the wedges you have. You won't be able to buy them with the grooves you're used to after this year. Okay, technically you can buy whatever your local retailer might have in inventory from this year, but once the supply runs out, that's it. So, what will this do to your short game? Without commenting on the effect your skill plays in the spin equation, we decided to put our TrackMan to use and take some measurements with conforming and non-conforming grooves using Callaway Tour i balls and Callaway range balls. Here are the results:

As expected, the 'old' non-conforming grooves generated more spin than the conforming grooves using soft, urethane cover balls. The effect on harder covers is a bit of a surprse, perhaps a testing anomaly. Nonetheless, there is a measurable difference. Whether or not you notice any effect is more likely going to be dependent on skill and technique.

If you like the 'old' grooves, buy them while you can!