What are the rules about the putter's maximum lie angle?
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The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thank you, we have a guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book front to back. Have a question? You have all the answers.
Is the putter allowed to have a lie angle greater than 80 degrees from the perpendicular? Bryson DeChambeau's putter appears to be close to 90 degrees. —Jim Morrissey, South Bend, Ind.
Please be assured, Jim, that our reigning national champion does things by the book – especially the old religion, Golf Machine, by Homer Kelley. BDC is an innovator but not a joke; there is no doubt that his machines cut to the right standards.
In your design, the relevant part of the Equipment Rules, Part 2, 1d, reads as follows: “(i) the emergence of the vertical part of the shaft to the vertical plane with the toe and heel must differ from the vertical at least. 10 degrees…. If the overall design of the club is such that the player can effectively use the club vertically or near vertical, the shaft may need to be offset from vertical in this plane by 25 degrees.”
Rules Guy: I made my putter grip USGA compliant. Can I use it in a competition?
Rules Guy
For more putter-conformance guidance from our guru, read on…
I have an old TaylorMade Spider putter but I didn't like the white line on the black clubhead, so I taped a piece of white tape to the head and drew a red line with a Sharpie. Is this legal? -Vince Zachetti, via email
Confession, Vince: Over the past half century, Rules Guy's father, Tinker Guy, has killed countless inmates in his basement workshop, called “The Lair,” including sawing off Scotty Cameron's toe. Hot torches on the pipe, Wite-Out painted on, sliding chairs stuck to the soles, balls shoved down the shaft and into the shaft: We've seen sticks suffer from all kinds of questionable plastic surgery over the years.
Never once did Tinker Guy ask if he was breaking the Laws, and out of respect for the child, and this knowledge was never laid upon him. Now it can be said: The tape attached to the putter is a non-conforming external attachment and makes the club non-conforming. Under Rule 4.1a, if you make a stroke with a specified group, you are disqualified.
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