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Illegal Equipment

SuperStroke
Like everyone has said before as long as we weren't betting or playing a competitive round I could care less. I like to focus on my game when I am out, and if it helps him enjoy the game even better. The game needs people staying around not quitting because of how hard the game is.
 
Like others have said...if there is no friendly betting going on or he is not using this equipment to establish a handicap or in competition, then I have no problem with it.
 
Not a big deal. Let him enjoy the game. The way my game is, in a few years I might be looking for some illegal equipment. :D It's all about having fun.
 
I think the thing I hate the most about illegal equipment is that there are just way too many players out there that will do the wrong thing with it. I know a guy with a driver with a shaved face that gives him 20/30 yards extra distance, and he uses it all the time and I'm pretty sure he uses it in his league. Not my place to "rat him out" but I would just as soon see it all go away, for this very reason. The temptation is just too great for many people. It stops being "golf" at that point. Golf is about honesty and integrity. When I play, I want to play by the rules 100% of the time. Type of round does not matter. Its all golf to me. Me versus the course. Taking shortcuts would not be me versus the course. It would be something else. The attitudes surprise me a bit on this subject.
 
Illegal equipment, mulligans, nudges of the ball... they all just flip a switch in my head and turn off my competitiveness against that particular player. Of course we "play against the course" but everyone knows we play against each other too. It doesn't bother me. My step dad will hit 3 balls in the water and still somehow walk away with a 6.. doesn't bother me. Even when he says he shot better than someone else. Everyone knows and you just move on with your day.

The same goes for myself. I will play a straight round, but if my ball is in a bunker full of rocks or comes to rest on some roots that could hurt me I will move the ball. Similarly, my round is not a legitimate round - but my clubs are in tact and I didn't have to go to the hospital.

Long story short - illegal equipment users don't bother me. Golf is so complicated on its own without having to consider how someone else plays.
 
I actually encourage it. I play with mostly weekend golfers who try to play with regulation equipment and everything, and watching them struggle isn't great at all. Not only does it make me not want to play with them when they're getting mad about things like not holding greens, but it makes the game less enjoyable for them as well. If you ask me, I think you should use any equipment that makes the game enjoyable to YOU! And personally, even when playing for money, I'd rather have to lose money and have fun than win money and have my opponent in a bad mood all day.
 
I play with a lot of guys who only play a few times a year and practice very little if at all. So if they are playing with a ball that helps them keep it in play no biggie. If they are playing with a club that gives them a little extra distance or keeps them closer to the fairway and out of big trouble so be it.

I play with them cause I have fun hanging out with them on the course and off the course. So if they chose to play with a piece of equipment that makes the game a little more enjoyable for them so be it.

Now if they are using it in competition or in a league where there is a prize at the end then I have a problem with it.
 
Darren K. said:
I actually encourage it. I play with mostly weekend golfers who try to play with regulation equipment and everything, and watching them struggle isn't great at all. Not only does it make me not want to play with them when they're getting mad about things like not holding greens, but it makes the game less enjoyable for them as well. If you ask me, I think you should use any equipment that makes the game enjoyable to YOU! And personally, even when playing for money, I'd rather have to lose money and have fun than win money and have my opponent in a bad mood all day.
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Exactly. The rules were created to keep things even and fair in competitions. For the recreational golfer they only apply as each person sees fit. If a beginner had to follow all the rules, a lot of them would quit before they ever improved enough to want to follow them as an added challenge. The only time I would suggest a beginner or recreational golfer learn all the rules and use all legal equipment is if they are planning on joining a league or getting into competitions in the future. That way they won't have so many bad habits to break later on.
 
I must say I'm a bit surprised at some of the replies here.
For me, following the rules and using correct equipment is an important part of Golf. It separates Golf from so many other activities where the only sin is getting caught. If I went out there with a shaved driver and a foot wedge, then ..... well I really wouldn't be playing Golf. So what's the point?
I taught my sons from day one that the rules and the etiquette were as important as how you hit the ball.
But, then, I'm old ... and maybe old-fashioned. I still call it the Ancient and Honorable Game.
 
It's been mentioned on here a couple of times, but what exactly is a foot wedge ?
 
EJ333 said:
It's been mentioned on here a couple of times, but what exactly is a foot wedge ?
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Heh. You haven't seen that Mickleson commercial where he catches the guy improving his lie/position by kicking his ball when nobody is looking?
On a short list of commercials I like <g>
 
HoosierGolfer said:
I think the thing I hate the most about illegal equipment is that there are just way too many players out there that will do the wrong thing with it. I know a guy with a driver with a shaved face that gives him 20/30 yards extra distance, and he uses it all the time and I'm pretty sure he uses it in his league. Not my place to "rat him out" but I would just as soon see it all go away, for this very reason. The temptation is just too great for many people. It stops being "golf" at that point. Golf is about honesty and integrity. When I play, I want to play by the rules 100% of the time. Type of round does not matter. Its all golf to me. Me versus the course. Taking shortcuts would not be me versus the course. It would be something else. The attitudes surprise me a bit on this subject.
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I absolutly agree with you. However the difference here is the guy you know is doing it in a league and probably plays more than once every couple of months where my friend well lets just say the only league he would qualify for is The quick diaper change league. I think the courses of these leagues or tourney's should take a look at peoples equipment to make sure it's legit. But that is about honesty and integrity of the game and for another thread
 
EJ333 said:
It's been mentioned on here a couple of times, but what exactly is a foot wedge ?
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Just when you use your foot to nudge your ball into a better lie. Not an actual club.
 
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I thought it might be that. However, most guys I know just use their club to get a better lie. It doesn't bother me, because the game is even tougher when you have a bad lie. Sometimes, I view hitting out of a bad lie as good practice so I can build my confidence when I come across the situation again. Other times, I just don't feel like hitting out of a bad lie, so I improve it. Bottom line is nobody I play with really cares. If it helps us enjoy the casual round better and helps to avoid potential embarrassment from hitting out of a bad spot and speeds the pace of play I'm okay with it. Of course if one is playing to maintain a handicap or in a tournament, it should not be improved unless it follows local rules or the rules of golf.
 
grambo said:
I must say I'm a bit surprised at some of the replies here.
For me, following the rules and using correct equipment is an important part of Golf. It separates Golf from so many other activities where the only sin is getting caught. If I went out there with a shaved driver and a foot wedge, then ..... well I really wouldn't be playing Golf. So what's the point?
I taught my sons from day one that the rules and the etiquette were as important as how you hit the ball.
But, then, I'm old ... and maybe old-fashioned. I still call it the Ancient and Honorable Game.
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I get where you're coming from, I just disagree. You are applying your beliefs about how golf should or shouldn't be played. People were enjoying this activity long before the R&A or the USGA put rules around it - when the rules were finally designed, they were designed for competition. And if you look at the history of golf equipment, there were some crazy ideas out there on how to make the game more accessible. If we're playing for handicap or competition, I'm against it. However if some hacker wants to go out and enjoy a round without being overwhelmed by frustration, I'm all for it.
 
First, to touch up the the OP post, you answered your own question there, with the use of the word "recreational", as in, for fun.


d_in_la said:
I get where you're coming from, I just disagree. You are applying your beliefs about how golf should or shouldn't be played. People were enjoying this activity long before the R&A or the USGA put rules around it - when the rules were finally designed, they were designed for competition. And if you look at the history of golf equipment, there were some crazy ideas out there on how to make the game more accessible. If we're playing for handicap or competition, I'm against it. However if some hacker wants to go out and enjoy a round without being overwhelmed by frustration, I'm all for it.
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And I agree completely, if the guy just wants to play a bit of golf, does not care about score, is not using any illegal equipment for some sort of financial gain, and is really out there just to pass the time and not trying to do more than what he really needs to, to just be able to enjoy a few rounds a year, then there is no reason that he should/ should not use anything he wants, legal or not.
 
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