Dear Linda,
I was playing a social game with a group of friends and
would like to seek your ruling response on the following:
We have teed off from the first par 4 teeing ground. One
of the players, after playing his second approach shot to the green, noticed
that his 7-iron shaft was dented. We referred to Rule 4.3a of Rules
of Golf 2012-2015, “Note: A club is unfit for play if it is substantially
damaged, e.g., the shaft is dented, significantly bent or breaks into
pieces.”
As the stroke was the first during his stipulated round, the
shaft must have dented earlier.
In such a scenario, is the club with dented shaft deemed
to be a non-conforming club? If the club is not conforming, and as the player
has played a stroke with a non-conforming club, does Rule 4.1a apply (the
penalty is disqualification), or does Rule 4.3c apply?
Additionally, is the club deemed non-conforming if the
shaft is bent?
Happy 2013.
Kind Regards,
Lou from Malaysia
Dear Lou,
I had to speak to an equipment specialist at the USGA to
find the answer to your question, Lou. Here’s the scoop:
The first issue is the location of the dent. If it is within
5 inches of the sole of the club, there is no violation. Appendix II, 2a states
that “the shaft must be straight from the top of the grip to a point not more
than 5 inches (127 mm) above the sole….”
If the club is dented between the top of the grip and the
point 5 inches above the sole, it is a non-conforming club if the shaft is no
longer perfectly straight. Under Rule
4-2, a player who uses a non-conforming club during the round is disqualified.
If the player discovers a
non-conforming club in his bag during the round, and he has not used it, the penalty in stroke play
is two strokes per hole, maximum four strokes per round (in match play the
state of the match is adjusted one hole, maximum two per round).
If the damage is a minor ding, such that the shaft is still
perfectly straight, there is no penalty and the player may use the club. The
club is only non-conforming if the shaft is not straight.
The player is permitted to repair a club that was damaged prior to the round, provided
the repair does not change the playing characteristics of the club and does not
unduly delay play. He may not replace it with another club.
If the player damages a club during the round in the “normal course of play” (“normal” might
mean hitting a tree on a follow-through that breaks or bends the shaft; it does
not mean slamming it against a tree in anger), he may use the club, have it
repaired (if it can be done without delay), or replace it (if it is unfit for
play). Any replacement must be done without delaying play, and he may not
borrow a club from another player on the course.
In your scenario, the player is disqualified for using a
non-conforming club if the dent in the shaft is higher than 5 inches above the
sole of the club and the shaft is not straight.
Linda
Copyright © 2013 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
