Another Rules question

With the influx of adjustable heads over the past few years. If a player carries a total of 13 clubs, is he/she allowed to make an adjustment to any adjustable club one time without penalty?

A couple weeks ago our son attended a rules and etiquette training seminar which is mandatory for all high school golfers in this county, (which I thought was brilliant!). He raised the question and got mixed answers.

I believe it is against the rules.

Once the round is started you can not adjust the clubs.

This rule spells it out, I was wondering if its a loop hole if your only carrying 13. Which the gentleman explained to youngbuck that was the case. Because essentially the altered 13th club would become the 14th persay. But it sounds more like this guy gave out bad information to a group of about 250 high school golfers...

4-2. Playing Characteristics Changed And Foreign Material
a. Playing Characteristics Changed
During a stipulated round, the playing characteristics of a club must not be purposely changed by adjustment or by any other means.


b. Foreign Material
Foreign material must not be applied to the club face for the purpose of influencing the movement of the ball.


*PENALTY FOR CARRYING, BUT NOT MAKING STROKE WITH, CLUB OR CLUBS IN BREACH OF RULE 4-1 Or 4-2:


Match play – At the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round – Two holes.


Stroke play – Two strokes for each hole at which any breach occurred; maximum penalty per round – Four strokes (two strokes at each of the first two holes at which any breach occurred).


Match play or stroke play – If a breach is discovered between the play of two holes, it is deemed to have been discovered during play of the next hole, and the penalty must be applied accordingly.


Bogey and par competitions – See Note 1 to Rule 32-1a.


Stableford competitions – See Note 1 to Rule 32-1b.


*Any club or clubs carried in breach of Rule 4-1 or 4–2 must be declared out of play by the player to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play immediately upon discovery that a breach has occurred. If the player fails to do so, he is disqualified.


PENALTY FOR MAKING STROKE WITH CLUB IN BREACH OF RULE 4-1 Or 4-2:


Disqualification

I missed the 13 club caveat in the original post but I agree that the gentleman probably gave out some bad advice. I like the question though, thinking outside the box.

T2GRN18 said:

With the influx of adjustable heads over the past few years. If a player carries a total of 13 clubs, is he/she allowed to make an adjustment to any adjustable club one time without penalty?

A couple weeks ago our son attended a rules and etiquette training seminar which is mandatory for all high school golfers in this county, (which I thought was brilliant!). He raised the question and got mixed answers.

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You got it right. With 13 clubs you can add one as long as it conforms to the rules and doing so does not unduly delay play. You can add any club even one that is borrowed as long as the person you borrow it from is not playing at the time you borrow it.

[h=3]4-4. Maximum of Fourteen Clubs[/h][h=4]a. Selection and Addition of Clubs[/h]The player must not start a stipulated round with more than fourteen clubs. He is limited to the clubs thus selected for that round, except that if he started with fewer than fourteen clubs, he may add any number, provided his total number does not exceed fourteen.
The addition of a club or clubs must not unduly delay play (Rule 6-7) and the player must not add or borrow any club selected for play by any other person playing on the course or by assembling components carried by or for the player during the stipulated round.

T2GRN18 said:

With the influx of adjustable heads over the past few years. If a player carries a total of 13 clubs, is he/she allowed to make an adjustment to any adjustable club one time without penalty?
A couple weeks ago our son attended a rules and etiquette training seminar which is mandatory for all high school golfers in this county, (which I thought was brilliant!). He raised the question and got mixed answers.

Click to expand...

Not in the course of a round.....NO

Tedfroop said:

You got it right. With 13 clubs you can add one as long as it conforms to the rules and doing so does not unduly delay play. You can add any club even one that is borrowed as long as the person you borrow it from is not playing at the time you borrow it.

4-4. Maximum of Fourteen Clubs

a. Selection and Addition of Clubs

The player must not start a stipulated round with more than fourteen clubs. He is limited to the clubs thus selected for that round, except that if he started with fewer than fourteen clubs, he may add any number, provided his total number does not exceed fourteen.
The addition of a club or clubs must not unduly delay play (Rule 6-7) and the player must not add or borrow any club selected for play by any other person playing on the course or by assembling components carried by or for the player during the stipulated round.

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He can add a club if he starts with only 13 in the bag but he can't make an adjustment to a adjustable club regardless. I believe that was the question.

T2GRN18 said:

With the influx of adjustable heads over the past few years. If a player carries a total of 13 clubs, is he/she allowed to make an adjustment to any adjustable club one time without penalty?

A couple weeks ago our son attended a rules and etiquette training seminar which is mandatory for all high school golfers in this county, (which I thought was brilliant!). He raised the question and got mixed answers.

Click to expand...

Is it common for high school golfers to have to attend things like this? This is a brilliant idea in my opinion!

The point here being that making 1 adjustment would turn it into the 14th club. I never thought of that scenario. Regardless, it is against the rules to make adjustments during the round.

Matters not even if it is the only club in your bag. You can not make changes to a club during the round. I'd say this will in time, if not already be the number one broken rule in golf as more and more clubs become adjustable.

HoosierGolfer said:

Matters not even if it is the only club in your bag. You can not make changes to a club during the round. I'd say this will in time, if not already be the number one broken rule in golf as more and more clubs become adjustable.

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Either that or the rule will be changed to disallow adjustable clubs completely (not saying that they will - just a possibility if it becomes a problem). I don't see the rules ever allowing the player to change an adjustment during a stipulated round.

Not allowed to alter the adjustable club in any way once you have struck your first shot of the round.

However, I am almost certain that if one of the adjustable components works loose such as shaft or weights, you are allowed to re tighten the screw providing that no changes are made. Obviously under supvision of playing partners.

Smithfaced said:

Is it common for high school golfers to have to attend things like this? This is a brilliant idea in my opinion!

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this is the first one he's had to attend, but I agree it's a great idea. It was approximately 3 hours at one of the golf courses.

sadly not i adjusted my driver in a tournament the other week and got a 2 stroke penalty

wont be happening again

Richard Rodgers said:

Not allowed to alter the adjustable club in any way once you have struck your first shot of the round.

However, I am almost certain that if one of the adjustable components works loose such as shaft or weights, you are allowed to re tighten the screw providing that no changes are made. Obviously under supvision of playing partners.

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Yes, you can tighten loose weight's etc but no changes. Best to announce you have a issue before doing any work mid round.