In article #4, let’s dig out some generalities about Rule 4.1, Clubs. The Rules of Golf specify how clubs can be built, what to do if a club is damaged, how many clubs you can bring with you and more.
Let’s discuss a few typical scenarios we will encounter in competitive golf.
1. Conforming Clubs: a player must use a club that conforms to the requirements in the Equipment Rules.
- A club must conform when new and deliberately or accidentally changed in any way.
- If the club changes because of wear through normal use, it is still a conforming club.
2. Use or Repair of Club Damaged During Round
If a club is damaged during a round the player must not normally replace it with another club, the damaged club is treated as conforming for the rest of the round
- The player may play with the damaged club or have the club repaired as nearly as possible to its condition before the damage, must not unreasonably delay play.
3. Deliberately Changing Club’s Performance Characteristics During Round
A player must not make a stroke with a club whose performance characteristics he or she deliberately changed during the round (including while play is stopped under Rule 5.7a)
4.1 b.
1. Limit of 14 Clubs.
A player must not start a round with more than 14 clubs or have more than 14 during the round
The player must immediately take the excess club or clubs out of play when discovered.
If a player picks up another player’s club that was left behind or a club is mistakenly put in the players bag there is no breach of the 14 club max.
2. No Sharing of Clubs.
3. No Replacing Lost or Damaged Clubs.
When starting with 14 clubs and then a club is lost or damaged the player must not replace it with another club. (exceptions)
Penalty 2 Strokes, Max of 4 applied at each of the 1st 2 holes where breach applied
During the round: Turning a club upside down in your bag, placing it on the floor of the cart or giving it to another person takes a club out of play.
Before a round: The player should try to leave any excess club or clubs behind. The excess club may be kept by the player, and declared out of play by the above methods and must not be used during the round.
If a player deliberately brings an excess number of clubs to the first teeing ground, the must leave the clubs behind and may not be kept and declared out of play.
Definitions of the week: (homework for you to research)
Equipment Rules, Teeing Area, Outside Influence, Natural Forces, Caddie
Heath Wassem, PGA
AKA: “Rulesguy”