Raff’s Rules
Distance Measuring – The Ruling
Stroke play; the Local Rule for use of devices that measure distance only is in effect.
- Player A has a multi-functional device (iPhone) that has a compass and an app that measures slope on the putting green. Player A makes phone calls or checks his email inbox during the stipulated round but does not use the compass or the app that measures slope on the putting green.
**The Rules permit use of an electronic device, including a multi-functional device, as a phone or communications device as long as there is no breach of Decision 14-3/16.
- 2. Player B has a multi-functional device (iPhone) that has a distance-measuring app and includes a compass and an app that measures slope on the putting green. During the stipulated round Player B uses the distance-measuring app but does not use the compass or the app that measures slope on the putting green.
**When the Local Rule is in effect permitting use of a distance-measuring device, a player is in breach of Rule 14-3 if the device has the capability of measuring other conditions that might affect play. Player B is disqualified. See Decision 14-3/0.5, Part 5 in Appendix IV and the DMD Attachment.
- Player C has a multi-functional device (iPhone) that has a distance-measuring app and includes a compass and an app that measures slope on the putting green. During the stipulated round, Player C measures slope on the putting green near the hole location.
**Player C has used a device to make measurements that are not permitted in breach of Rule 14-3. Player C is disqualified. See Rule 14-3 and Decision 14-3/4.
- Player D does not have a distance-measuring device. During the round, Player D asks Player C (see #3 above) to provide him the distance from his (Player D’s) ball to the hole. Player C provides the requested distance using his iPhone.
**Player D is disqualified. Player D has requested and received distance information from a distance-measuring device that does not conform to the Rules of Golf. See Decision 14-3/0.7 and the DMD Attachment.
Damaged Club – The Rulings
A radio call from the starter included the following information. Two players in a group were both making practice swings in the teeing area when their clubs collided. Player A’s shaft broke near the clubhead.
**The radio call was the start of a series of discussions. Rather than place all the discussions/topics in a set of incidents, here is the rest of the story.
In the real-life incident, Player A had not started his round so no matter how his club became broken he may replace the club without unduly delaying play. The group must start on time. When the club was added (as a 14th club) by borrowing from the rental clubs in the shop, the father asked whether the club could be exchanged if it did not perform similar to Player A’s original club. – the answer is no. Later in the round, one of the officials was stopped by the father and informed that Player A now had 13 clubs since his son was declaring one of his clubs out of play. The father asked if now he could find another club for his son. As we know there is nothing in the Rules that permit a player to declare a club out of play so that a player may “swap out” one club for another. Player A had 14 clubs selected for play and is limited to those clubs (see Rule 4-4), unless Rule 4-3 applies.
Player A, prior to starting his stipulated round with the substituted club, could have removed another club from his bag so that he would have started the round with 13 clubs. With 13 clubs in his bag, if the substituted club was not satisfactory another club could be added.
[If Player A had begun the stipulated round prior to breaking his club with a practice swing, Rule 4-3a (also see Decision 4-3/1 and the Note to Rule 4-3a) permits replacement of the club. It is unlikely that the club could be repaired – see Decision 4-3/2. Once the player replaces the damaged club and makes a stroke with the club in his possession, the club has been selected for play and there are no additions unless the player has 13 or fewer clubs selected for play.]