LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- The way professional golf is played may have changed for good after the U.S. PGA Tour decided to go along with a new rule that amounts to a rollback of golf technology , a move that world number one Tiger Woods has endorsed . Tiger Woods supports a rule change that will make it harder to play out of the rough . The rule , implemented by the U.S . Golf Association ( USGA ) and Royal and Ancient Golf Club ( RA ) , means that from the start of 2010 the U-shaped grooves on wedges will be banned in favor of V-shaped grooves , with the intention of rewarding accurate driving over distance hitting . Research by the USGA has shown that U-shaped grooves allow top players to generate much more spin when playing the ball out of the rough , making the ball come to a quick stop on the green . The USGA and RA felt this meant that landing in the rough was no longer enough of a penalty for shots that strayed from the fairway . In recent years pro golfers have begun to drive for distance rather than accuracy , knowing they can spin their way out of the rough if they miss their target -- a style of play known as `` bomb and gouge . '' Despite pressure from some players and golf equipment manufacturers , the U.S. PGA Tour has decided to go along with the rule change , meaning U.S. PGA Tour competitions , including the U.S. Open , will feature the club restriction from next year . Amateur competitions will not ditch the U-shaped grooves until 2014 and the new rule will not apply to recreational players until 2024 . Gareth Taylor , Product Manager at leading golf club manufacturer Callaway , told CNN he believes the change will reward more skilful players . `` At the moment players are getting a lot of spin on the ball so I think it will make people play better , '' he said . `` They 'll have to get their technique finely tuned and not rely on the club . '' He says club makers have been given ample notice to prepare for the switch . `` I do n't think the change is a regression , it just means research and development will have to come up with better ideas to help the players out . '' Taylor explained that as a golfer strikes the ball the grooves on the club face catch the coating on the ball 's surface , producing back spin . He said that the rule change applies to five irons and up and requires the grooves on the club face to be more spaced out , which will make it harder for the grooves to catch the ball . Tiger Woods has supported the changes , saying : `` I think it 's great . We 've had plenty of time to make our adjustments . All the companies have been testing and getting ready for this . '' To compensate for the loss of spin from the rough , tour players may use softer balls , which spin more but do not travel as far . That could favor players who already use the softer ball -- including Tiger Woods .
The PGA Tour has agreed to a rule that will ban U - groove ##s for tour players . The rule will reward accuracy by making it harder to hit from the rough . Golf club designers are developing new technologies to replace the u - groove .