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I once knew a golfer that
would put lip balm on his
ball, when he had a downhill
putt in order to slow the
roll of his ball and help him
not to overshoot the hole.
News flash, that’s against the
rules.
USGA Rule No. 4-2 A
& B stipulate,
“
During a stipulated round,
the playing characteristics of
a club must not be purposely
changed by adjustment or by
any other means
” F
oreign
material must not be applied
to the club face for the
purpose of influencing the
movement of the ball.”
Earlier this year Jordan Spieth
commented he likes to spit
on the bottom of his putter to
add some friction, when he’s
practicing and the grass is dry.
When he then asked a rules
official if this action would be
allowed during competition,
the USGA official replied,
“We aren’t sure.”
The‘sticky’partof thissituation
is that ‘water’ is considered
an integral part of golfing and
the course, although there is
definitely intent to artificially
change the behavior of golf
equipment in this example.
Here’s where it gets really
complicated.
If Jordan were
to use a wet towel to rub the
bottom of his putter in order to
add moisture, there is no issue
or rule infraction. If the towel
were dry, and he purposefully
wet it so as to soak his putter,
that is a breach of the rules.
It all goes back to a person’s
intent or action they take to
better their swing, stance, or
equipment.
The rules of golf have been
crafted over hundreds of
years as to cover every
situation that could come
up in order for the world to
play in harmony. Because of
this, rules explanations can
be confusing. I know golfers
that have been playing for
decades and still get many
rules wrong. That’s why I
wrote
The Golf Rules
series.
See these humorous books
for additional help in tackling
the rules and etiquette of golf
at
TheGolfRules.com.
The next time you’re playing
and are considering applying
sunscreen, hand lotion, or saliva
to any club or ball just say,
NO
.
Jordan Spieth
Stumped The USGA!
By
Richard Todd
NWO Golf Links