When playing in competition, it can be easy to fall foul of one of golf’s lesser known equipment rules. From laser rangefinders to the golf balls you play, it’s well worth brushing up on your knowledge of what is and isn’t allowed. In the video and article below, Neil Tappin and Jezz Ellwood run through seven such rules to help you avoid any unforeseen disasters!
1. Club adjustability
You can do all the adjusting you like in practice but in competition rounds you cannot change the playing characteristics of a club once the round has started. This rule also applies if the round has been suspended.
If you do change a club, you will be disqualified once you use it again.
2. Distance measuring devices
Using DMDs is commonplace nowadays but there are a couple of things to be wary of – chief among them is using slope features. Most laser rangefinders (opens in new tab) come with slope features which take into account elevation changes when giving you a yardage. These have to be turned off during competition.
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
Additionally, many of the best GPS watches have caddie features to help in terms of slope. For example, they give you ideas on what clubs to hit based on stats from previous rounds. Once again these must be turned off during competition.
Oh, and you cannot take anything out onto the course that measures wind speed.
3. What club did you hit?
Be wary of asking this question in competition because you are not allowed to do so. You are not allowed to ask advice nor are you allowed to rummage around in someone else’s bag to find out. What you can do is ask the distance of a shot because it is deemed to be public information.
4. Taking a drop
(Image credit: Tom Miles)
Changes were made to the Rules of Golf in terms of using your clubs to take a drop, with the main one being that you cannot use a long putter. The rules now define a club-length as the longest club you are carrying for a round, other than the putter. Typically, this will be the driver.
5. Number of golf clubs
This is one of the most important rules in golf: the maximum…
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