Amy's Red Hot Putter

Well sports fans, we have a new Rule of Golf to discuss. Last weekend, Amy Pazahanick played with our Weekend Golf Group and apparently was not putting too well. Toward the end of the round, she asked one of our other players (her Dad Andy Pazahanick) if she could borrow his putter.

It did the trick and her putting went from ice cold to red hot. You can see a picture of "Happy Amy" telling about her putting improvement but............ is it ok to borrow someone else's putter?

As you might guess, the answer is "It Depends". The rules of golf allow "sharing" clubs between partners but not between competitors or other random players on the course.

The penalty in a match play competition is different from the penalty in a stroke play situation and both penalties are limited to a maximum number of penalty strokes per round. Since we were playing individual stroke play, there was no opportunity for Amy to borrow a club during the round. She used the borrowed putter for the last five holes of the round but the maximum penalty in stroke play is four strokes per round so........Amy, add four strokes to your total and chaulk it up a "learning experience".

See the extract from the rules of golf below and enjoy the photo of Amy's reaction when she heard the ruling. Looks like someone needs to make an intra family used golf club deal with the owner of the putter in question.

Golf Rule 4: Clubs (From the Official Rules of Golf) Pinterest Pins Facebook Open Graph Tags Twitter Cards

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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 or she is limited to the clubs thus selected for that round, except that if he started with fewer than fourteen clubs, he or she may add any number, provided the 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.

b. Partners May Share Clubs Partners may share clubs, provided that the total number of clubs carried by the partners so sharing does not exceed fourteen.

PENALTY FOR BREACH OF RULE 4-4a or b, REGARDLESS OF NUMBER OF EXCESS CLUBS CARRIED: 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 hole just completed, and the penalty for a breach of Rule 4-4a or b does not apply to the next hole.

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