Players wear groove cleaning brushes at the Masters.
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Within the scope of Wednesday’s Masters practice, you may be clamping a small device to the player’s hips. What is this mysterious item? This is one of the easiest, smartest and most affordable tools you can use on a golf bag: groove cleaner.
Once considered as having a nerdy item on the bag, groove cleaner (you can get $20) is now worn by major champions like Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas.
What explains the shift in attitudes to groove cleaners? Golf Watch Devan Bonebrake’s Golf 100 teacher explained that it’s all about maximizing spin and controlling its best abilities.
Why rotation is important
In places like Augusta, players are chasing the precision around the green, Bonebrake explains. One tool they use to achieve this is spinning – especially by maximizing spin rates to hit those stimulating shots that stop quickly.
This is part of the reason we see more players using launch monitors during practice rounds. These devices provide players with real-time data to confirm that their feelings are what actually happens.
“Understanding the attack angle and spin loft is huge because it affects how the ball is released and ultimately reacts on the green,” Bonebrake said.
By tracking what they can control in the game, such as spinning lofts and attack angles, and how they react to different route conditions, such as the firmness of the turf, or if the ball is wet or dry, they can better control the ball and drive in Augusta’s fast-tilting green.
How the groove brush helps
To maximize control of their spin, players need to have a clean club face. Any moisture, dirt or debris in the grooves greatly reduces their rotation, thus controlling the ball’s ability to react on the green, Bonebrake explains.
“As we’ve seen, landing the ball a few inches can mean ending on the wrong side of the ridge, 20 feet further from the hole,” Bonebrake said. “Because the green is so fast and undulating, the ball is so important that the ball reacts the way you want it.”
This means that players can’t even get rid of anything slightly.
“If their club is clean, if it’s dry, it will produce more predictable results.”
This is where the groove brush comes in. More and more players are hooking groove cleaners (like the groove cleaners below) to belt loops and bags for ease of use. Keeping them ready to use allows players to ensure their club space is clean before each shot. A clean club surface means more consistent conditions that produce optimal rotation and launch, allowing them to better feedback when dialing their feelings in the wedge.
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