A battle is brewing between KZG Golf, the highly-respected Hollywood, Calif., equipment company, and the U.S. Golf Association over the latter's new Gemini driver that has been ruled non-conforming by the USGA.
What has KZG President Jennifer King fuming is the USGA's reasoning -- despite the fact that the Gemini meets the USGA's Coefficient of Restitution standards for so-called "spring-like" effect.
The USGA, King told PGA.com, told her that the Gemini driver, which features what she called "double-faced" technology, was designed to have spring-like effect.
"All clubs are designed to have spring-like effect," King said she told the USGA.
But Dick Rugge, the USGA's equipment rules czar, has a different view. Rugge told PGA.com the USGA deems dual-faced clubs to be in violation of Appendix II, section 5a of the Rules of Golf that states: "The material and construction of, or any treatment to, the face or club head shall not have the effect at impact of a spring (test on file), or impart significantly more spin to the ball than a standard steel face, or have any other effect which would unduly influence the movement of the ball."
The dual faces, Rugge told PGA.com, create a multi-layered leaf spring, a type of spring commonly used in motor vehicles.
"We considered it to be similar to a club constructed with a coil spring located behind the face," Rugge said. "We've drawn the line with springs in golf club heads both with the COR limit and with our ruling that advanced spring designs, such as dual faces, are non-conforming."
King called the USGA's decision "very disappointing."
"We're going to fight it obviously," King said.
