Breaking, Replacing and Repairing Golf Clubs
Limit of 14 Clubs. (Rule 4.1b) You may not start a round or carry more than 14 clubs during a round. If you start with less than 14 clubs, more clubs may be added during the round until the 14-club limit has been reached. If you are ever worried about cracking a driver during a round and not being able to replace that club, you can always start your round with 13 clubs and then always have the option to add any club you want during the round. If you do this, you may not slow down or suspend play to get another club or borrow a club that is being used by another player on the golf course.
Using a Damaged Club. If a club is broken or damaged (for any reason) the player may continue to use that club for the rest of that round. If the player starts the round with 14 clubs, that club may not be replaced during the round just because it was broken, unless a natural force, an outside influence or another person had broken the club. The club may not be used in another round (or in a playoff during a stroke play tournament), but you can continue using that club for the rest of that round. This term "broken or damaged" does not mean "altered", which is the deliberate tinkering with a club during a round to purposely change the playing characteristics (i.e. shaft, clubhead, grip, lie or loft).
So if a player in match play accidentally steps on his opponent's driver shaft and breaks it, that player whose club it was may have that club replaced with another club. When replacing the club, the player must not 1) unduly delay play 2) replace that club with another club that is being used by someone else on the golf course (even if they are not in the same competition), or 3) assemble a club from parts that the player or someone for the player is carrying during the round.
This could be a harsh Rule if you were to crack your driver face while teeing off on the first hole of a round. You cannot replace the club, but you may use the club in its damaged state for the rest of that round. Click HERE to see a video explanation.
Replacing a Club. You may never use more than 14 clubs during a round. If you start a round with less than 14 clubs, you may always add a club to reach that 14 club limit as long as 1) you do not unduly delay play 2) you do not replace that club with another club that is being used by someone else on the golf course (even if they are not in the same competition) or 3) assemble a club from parts that the player or someone for the player is carrying during the round. If you lose a club during the round, you may not replace that club unless you had started the round with less than 14 clubs.
Conforming Club. (Rule 4.1a(1)) A player must use a conforming club during a round. This means that the club, when new, was conforming to the Equipment Rules. If a club has become nonconforming through normal use and wear of the club, it is still considered to be conforming (i.e. a wear mark on the club head, loose material that rattles inside a club head, wear of a grip through heavy use). If a stroke is made with a nonconforming club, the player will be disqualified.
Repairing a Club in the Round. (Rule 4.1a(2)) If a club is lost or broken during the round (and it does not matter how it was broken), the player may attempt to fix the club with the following guidelines 1) the player must not stop or slow down play, 2) the original parts of the club must be used (i.e. no replacing a new shaft), and 3) the damage being repaired is only back to the state of the club at the start of THAT round. So there are limitations about fixing a club completely back to "new" if it was not in that condition when the round started that day.
Also, if a player adjusts or alters a club that is not with an adjustable feature that may be returned to its original position to start the round, the player must take that club completely out of play immediately. For instance, if a player adjusts their putter grip between holes because the player thinks it is not lined up correctly, that putter may not be used again during the round. This is true even if the player puts the putter grip back to what they think was the original position. A playing characteristic has been changed and the club cannot truly be returned to its original state from the start of the round.
Adjustable Clubs. (Rule 4.1a(3) - Exception) Once a round has started, a player may not adjust a club that is capable of being adjusted through an adjustable feature to alter the way it plays (i.e. changing loft on a 3-wood). If a player does this, they would only avoid penalty if before a stroke is made with that adjusted club it was adjusted back to its original position. If a player adjusts a club in this way and then makes a stroke without fixing the adjustable feature, the player will be disqualified for playing a stroke with this altered club. However, if a club head became loose during a round it may be restored to its original condition from the start the round by using an adjustable feature, the player is allowed to restore the club.
For example, after a player has played a 3-wood for the fifth time during the round, the player notices that the clubhead has now become loose due to hitting the ball. The player may restore the loose clubhead back to its original position at the start of the round by using a tool to tighten the clubhead back to the original position from the start of the round.
Model Local Rule G-9.
In early 2019, the USGA added a Model Local Rule for replacing a damaged club. This is a Local Rule and not a Rule of Golf. The Committee must have added this Model Local Rule to the Terms of the Competition.
Model Local Rule G-9
“Rule 4.1b(3) is modified in this way:
If a player’s club is “broken or significantly damaged” during the round by the player or caddie, except in cases of abuse, the player may replace the club with any club under Rule 4.1b(4).
When replacing a club, the player must immediately take the broken or significantly damaged club out of play, using the procedure in Rule 4.1c(1).
For the purposes of this Local Rule:
- A club is “broken or significantly damaged” when:
➢ the shaft breaks into pieces, splinters or is bent (but not when the shaft is only dented)
➢ the club face impact area is visibly deformed (but not when the club face is only scratched)
➢ the clubhead is visibly and significantly deformed
➢ the clubhead is detached or loose from the shaft, or
➢ the grip is loose.
Exception: A club face or clubhead is not “broken or significantly damaged” solely because it is cracked.