• 11 months ago
In this video, Neil Tappin and Jezz Ellwood look at the tech so many golfers now use on the course. They highlight the rules-related do's and don'ts!
Transcript
00:00 As in every area of life, tech has become a really important part of the experience of playing golf for many players.
00:06 And in this video, we're going to take a look at the rules of golf and look at what you are and are not allowed to use tech for while you're out on the golf course competing.
00:15 So this might be apps on your phone, laser range finders. We're even going to look at adjustability within golf clubs and even training aids as well.
00:22 Now, the advice in this video comes courtesy of Jez Elwood. He's the Golf Monthly Rules Guru.
00:27 He'll be able to tell you exactly what you are and are not allowed to use tech for while you're competing out on the golf course.
00:33 Right, we're here at the London Club. Let's get started.
00:35 Right, so the first thing to say is that this is quite a technical, quite a complicated part of the rules of golf.
00:42 Yeah.
00:43 If you are interested in finding out exactly what all the details are, go to Rule...
00:47 4.3a and you'll have to do it in the full rules, not the player's edition. It won't have all the detail in there.
00:54 You can find the full rules on the RNA's website.
00:56 OK, so let's start, Jez, with looking at weather conditions, in particular, I guess, wind.
01:01 Wind, yeah.
01:02 There's some things that you are and are not allowed to do when it comes to judging the wind.
01:05 What are you not allowed to do?
01:07 What you're not allowed to do is have something at the course with you that actually measures wind direction and speed on the ground.
01:14 At that given moment?
01:15 Yeah, so an app on your phone that tells you it's blowing from the northeast and it's 15 miles an hour.
01:21 As of right now. So you could be stood on a par three thinking, "Oh, this is into the wind."
01:24 But how much is the wind? You can't find that information out.
01:27 But you are allowed to look at weather forecasts, aren't you?
01:29 Yeah, you could look at the BBC weather forecast and it would say today's wind is 20 miles an hour from the northeast.
01:35 That's fine because that is a forecast rather than what is actually happening on the ground live.
01:41 Yes, and there's also a slightly strange element in this rule about using an artificial, something artificial to judge the wind.
01:50 Yes, I think we'll all have seen, we'll all have done throwing up the grass or whatever to try and work out where the wind's coming from.
01:56 That's fine.
01:57 That is fine. With the rules, what you can't do is use anything artificial to do that same thing.
02:02 So the example it gives is powder.
02:04 I've never seen anyone throw up powder to measure wind speed and direction, but maybe some people have done.
02:10 You can't do that. But no problem in whipping out a light piece of grass from somewhere, throwing it up and seeing what's going on.
02:16 Yeah, I think the advice here from us would just be, be careful if you're using your phone while you're out on the golf course and don't use an app that tells you live wind speeds.
02:24 That's probably the only scenario where you're likely to come unstuck here.
02:27 Right, so the next one is all about lasers.
02:29 And I think for the most part, people know that these things now are legal within the rules of golf.
02:34 They don't need to be a part of a sort of local rule enabling you to use them or a competition rule enabling you to use them.
02:41 But there is something that you need to be slightly careful of here.
02:44 Jess, what is it?
02:45 Yeah, there is. With the rangefinder, a lot of them now are pretty clever devices.
02:49 They can adjust the distances for slope.
02:52 So if you're playing 150 yards shot uphill, it might tell you, yes, it's 150 yards, but effectively it's playing 165 yards because of the slope.
03:02 You cannot use that feature in competitive golf.
03:05 A lot of rangefinders have that functionality and you just need to be careful that it is switched off before you play.
03:11 It's the sort of thing that can happen. It can accidentally be flicked on during the course of a round of golf.
03:15 Just be wary of it because it's the sort of thing where if you accidentally use it in a scenario, you could get caught out,
03:21 even if you're not trying to gain that advantage by finding out what it is going up or downhill.
03:25 Yeah, and I think some of the rangefinders, I believe, even have a different kind of front piece that you can put on it so that it shows your fellow players that it's in legal mode.
03:35 I know there's another device that has a flashing light on it that shows when it's legal versus not legal.
03:40 Again, that highlights to the playing partners whether you're using it properly or not.
03:43 So just one to be careful of if you're using lasers out on the golf course.
03:47 Now, there's quite a bit of tech out there that helps golfers figure out certain things about their golf game, for instance, how far they hit the ball.
03:55 And you just need to be a little bit careful when it comes to this information if you're playing in competition.
03:59 Jez, what do people need to look out for here?
04:01 OK, well, it's essentially a differentiation between information gathered before the round and information gathered during the round.
04:07 Right, OK.
04:08 So you can use your historical stats to look at during the round and work things out.
04:12 What you can't do is use any stats you've generated during that round to then affect what club you hit on a certain hole or how you decide to play a certain hole.
04:22 So, for example, you're playing that day and for whatever reason, your three was only going 200 instead of 220.
04:27 You therefore decide to hit driver on a certain hole because you know you're going to need that to clear a lake.
04:32 But because that's been based on information gathered during that round, that is not allowed.
04:36 It's strange because you would think that information is already logged inside your brain.
04:40 But what you can't do is use your technology to find out exactly how far each of those previous three wood shots have gone, right?
04:46 Yes, during that round.
04:47 You can look back on your previous record that you hit your three wood 215 on average or whatever it is.
04:52 Yes. So it's a fine line and it's a kind of it's a little bit of splitting hairs here.
04:56 But it's something that I think is important to know for all of those golfers that like to use this sort of tech to find out how far they hit the ball.
05:03 OK, so some of these rules are fairly niche, but they're well worth knowing about.
05:07 And the next one, Jez, we're going to talk about is video and audio.
05:11 So what are you allowed to watch and what are you allowed to listen to?
05:14 And what are you not allowed to watch and listen to?
05:15 Yeah, of course. Well, I think it says here that you are allowed to listen to video or hear audio on unrelated matters.
05:22 So you can catch up on the news in the middle of the round and it does say you can listen to background music.
05:28 So your speaker that you've got on the buggy, that's fine.
05:31 That can be playing music as long as.
05:33 Yeah, well, it then goes on to say what you can't do is listen to music or audio to eliminate distractions or help with your swing tempo.
05:40 So if you found the perfect song that has a drum beat that suits how you want to take the club away and get back to the ball,
05:47 you can't play that to help you take the club away and get back to the ball.
05:50 Yes. Now, I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure how that rule gets placed, but it's in there anyway.
05:55 It's in there.
05:56 The other important one to talk about is about video footage of the of the competition that you're currently playing in.
06:02 Yes, that's another interesting one.
06:04 It says you can't watch video footage of other players playing holes out on the course during that competition that might help you decide what club to hit or what strategy to adopt on a certain hole.
06:16 Again, not sure how often that happens.
06:19 I don't play in enough high quality profile events for that to happen.
06:23 People don't often video competitions that I'm playing in, certainly.
06:26 But it's in there, I guess, to cover all possible eventualities.
06:30 And it's in there for a reason, but it might be quite a niche reason.
06:35 Yes, there you have it. That's what you need to know when it comes to video and audio.
06:38 OK, so this one is about training aids and stretching devices, I guess you would say.
06:43 So things like resistance bands.
06:45 And so, Jez, you are allowed to use these things if you're stretching, right?
06:49 Yes, there's a specific exclusion.
06:53 It says you can use any equipment for general stretching other than making a practice swing.
06:57 Right. And herein lies the area you just need to be slightly wary of.
07:00 So if you, for instance, had some alignment sticks in your bag, you would be able to use them to help you stretch.
07:05 You might hold them to do some stretching, you know, rotations, whatever it might be.
07:10 But what you can't do is, let's say you want to hit a draw down this fairway.
07:14 You can't then put the alignment sticks on the ground in the direction that you want to be in,
07:18 practice it and then take the alignment sticks away and hit the shot,
07:21 because that would be giving you an unfair advantage.
07:22 Yeah, that comes under the not allowed in any other way,
07:25 creates a potential advantage by helping you prepare for a stroke.
07:28 Yes. I think that would also mean you couldn't put the resistance band under your foot
07:31 and make a practice swing with it, because it specifically excludes
07:35 making a practice swing when you're using stretching equipment.
07:37 So, yeah, I think that's the key distinction here.
07:39 And I think for a lot of golfers, they will have alignment sticks or maybe other training aids
07:44 stashed somewhere in the bag.
07:45 OK to use them to stretch with, not OK if you're using them to make a practice swing
07:50 or to prepare yourself for the shot that you're about to play.
07:52 That would be in breach of the rules.
07:54 OK, so for this one, we're going to talk about the tech that is within
07:57 a lot of today's metal woods, in particular, the adjustability that we see.
08:00 So the Stealth Driver that I've got in my hands here has a moveable weight
08:03 and it has an adjustable loft sleeve.
08:04 Now, Jez, when it comes to adjusting these on the golf course mid-round,
08:09 what do you need to be careful of?
08:10 Well, you need to be careful of the fact that you can't do it, essentially.
08:13 Yes. You know, tempting though it may be if you're hitting a weak fade that day
08:17 and you want to straighten it up a bit to move it across.
08:19 Yeah, that is not allowed under the rules.
08:21 Or if you've been to the range, been practising with the driver in a very specific setup
08:25 and then forgotten to put it back and you've already played two holes.
08:28 Uh-uh, you're not allowed to change that, I'm afraid.
08:30 No, you're not. What you can do is if a screw comes loose or falls out or whatever,
08:35 you can restore the club to the condition it was in at the start of the round.
08:39 Yes. That is the extent of any tinkering you can do.
08:42 Yes. So well worth remembering if you have adjustable, I think it's mostly woods,
08:46 but I think there's certainly some putters out there that you can adjust as well.
08:49 Jez, you've also got some quick fire little things around text for people to remember.
08:54 Yeah, I mean, if you're really wanting to get into the equipment side of it,
08:56 there's a whole 100 page document,
08:58 but that really covers what happens before the manufacture of the club effectively.
09:03 Right, OK.
09:03 What the comp, how the clubs have to be made to conform.
09:06 Yes. But three quick fire ones, which you may or may not know,
09:09 tees can only be a maximum of four inches long.
09:12 Right. Not sure who'd want, I suppose, maybe long driving people use high tees.
09:15 But yeah, possibly not covered by the rules of golf in those long driving competitions.
09:19 You can't use a two faced chipper.
09:21 So because a chipper is not a putter, it's needs to conform to the rules of other golf clubs.
09:28 And they can only have one striking face.
09:30 So yes, a two faced chipper is not allowed.
09:32 I attempt to know it may be.
09:34 And then putter grips.
09:36 Putter grips. Yeah. Putter grips.
09:37 You can only put them on putters.
09:39 So if you've developed a chipping stroke that is effectively your putting stroke
09:43 slightly extended and you want to put a putter grip on it to make it feel more comfortable.
09:48 You can't do that.
09:49 You need a normal golf club grip.
09:50 You need a grip with a round cross section.
09:52 Only putter grips can have that flat bit down the front.
09:55 Yes. So hopefully when it comes to equipment, hopefully that's helpful.
09:58 OK, so there you have it.
09:59 That's our look at tech within golf.
10:02 It's complicated at times.
10:03 It is a bit niche also at times, but hopefully there's some things in there
10:06 that you might find useful because there might be occasions where you encounter some of this stuff.
10:10 If you have any questions, please do leave them below.
10:13 We'd love to hear from you.
10:14 But that's it for now from the London Club.
10:15 Thanks for watching. We'll see you next time.
10:17 [MUSIC]