July - 2015

For those of you that understand the dynamics of balance that each one of your golf clubs require, it is absolutely in your best interest to make sure that every club you play with is properly balanced.
What does that mean?

I just bought irons and had different grips installed. Why wouldn't they be balanced?

Well, this is a problem that is very complicated, and hard to explain in a few words…
The simplest way to explain this incredibly important detail is this analogy that I came up with years ago-
Picture a guitar that has extraordinary detail and was beautifully made, a true work of art, and yet is completely useless until the strings are attached AND is properly tuned.
Golf clubs are like a guitar, great to look at, but until they are tuned, they will never work properly. To complicate this, to properly tune a golf club, it's different for every player!

Generally, clubs are balanced for swing weight using a 14-inch fulcrum point on a swing weight scale. The weight of the shaft, the weight of the club head, the weight of the grip all change the dynamic characteristics, or the FEEL of your golf clubs. No one can tell you what feels right to you, you have to figure that one out…

The pro shop can assist you to determine the swing weight that feels best to you, and often will add lead tape to the club head to achieve a consistent balance.

Every club I have is loaded with lead tape, and that's where this months rule is relevant.
Using a new driver that I balanced with lead tape, during a round, my head cover kept pulling the tape off, and I had to re-attach it every hole.
That got me thinking about the Rules, and how they cover that situation.



RULE 4, CLUBS AND THE BALL:

CLUBS: PLAYING CHARACTERISTICS

4-2/0.5 Lead Tape Applied to Club head or Shaft During Round

Q.  With regard to Decision 4-1/4, may a player remove, add or alter lead tape during a round?

A.  No. However, lead tape that becomes detached from the club in the normal course of play may be placed back onto the club in the same location. If the lead tape will not remain on the club in the same location, new tape may be used. Every effort should be made to restore the club, as nearly as possible, to its previous condition. Alternatively, the club may be used in its damaged state (without the lead tape) for the remainder of the round (Rule 4-3a).

If the tape is altered or damaged other than in the normal course of play, the club may not be used for the remainder of the round, under penalty of disqualification (see Rules 4-2a and 4-3).

      Derek Duesler