Jack's Tour Ball Concept is Now Real, But Not How He Intended

As you know since I keep shoving it down your throats, the grooves on irons with loft 25 degrees and higher have changed thanks to new rules issued by both of golf's governing bodies. 

Many - myself included - thought that the change would impact golf by not only encouraging players to find the fairway more often, but also play a golf spin that spins more naturally because it would help them out of the rough when the ball comes off of the clubface higher.  In turn, that increased spin from the new ball would decrease distance and effectively become a distance rollback.

I also said that it would probably not be too long before the manufacturers introduced golf balls that would still perform out of the rough with new groove styles, but also maintain distance.  Titleist may already have been doing so since summer.

Cameron Morfit reports that Titleist introduced two new versions of their Pro V1 line in the summer: Pro V1 Plus Spin & Pro V1 Plus Trajectory.  Most importantly, Titleist said, ".These products are not in response to nor designed to address new groove rules and they are not planned to be sold commercially."

Since they are approved by the USGA, but not available to the public, this is effectively a form of (further) bifurcation.  That's curious because Lawrence Donegan dug up an interview that Titleist CEO Wally Uihlein conducted with his own company's site saying that bifurcation is Bad News Bears.

We have never supported the position of bifurcation. Playing by one set of rules, playing the same game, playing the same course and playing the same equipment is what makes golf different. It is the essence of the game.

Sure seems Titleist has changed their mind.

Meanwhile, Jack Nicklaus has the Tour Ball that he has advocated for the better part of a decade to see.  The problem is that it doesn't roll back distance.  It's just designed to beat the rules that apply currently only to professionals.