marking your grip

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Revolt

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Wondering if it would be illegal to put a small line (prob spray paint.... with a template) on your grip to help with alignment?
 
There is nothing in the rule book that I can see to prevent you from doing so. Rule 4-2 relates to altering the club and it only mentions changing the clubface characteristics.

I'm sure Colin will be along soon to give you a definitive answer.
 
providing it's done before play, and is not moulded/raised, it won't be a problem.

many manufacturers grips have allignement marks - not all are still relevant after being fitted!!!
 
CliveW said:
Why not moulded or raised? There are grips available which have ribbed backs.
Click to expand...

From Appendix II of the rules:

3. Grip (see Fig. VII)
The grip consists of material added to the shaft to enable the player to obtain a firm hold. The grip must be fixed to the shaft, must be straight and plain in form, must extend to the end of the shaft and must not be molded for any part of the hands. If no material is added, that portion of the shaft designed to be held by the player must be considered the grip.
 
rosecott said:
From Appendix II of the rules:

3. Grip (see Fig. VII)
The grip consists of material added to the shaft to enable the player to obtain a firm hold. The grip must be fixed to the shaft, must be straight and plain in form, must extend to the end of the shaft and must not be molded for any part of the hands. If no material is added, that portion of the shaft designed to be held by the player must be considered the grip.
Click to expand...

And in addition

"(i) For clubs other than putters the grip must be circular in cross-section, except that a continuous, straight, slightly raised rib may be incorporated along the full length of the grip, and a slightly indented spiral is permitted on a wrapped grip or a replica of one."

and

"(iii) The grip may be tapered but must not have any bulge or waist. Its cross-sectional dimensions measured in any direction must not exceed 1.75 inches (44.45 mm)."
 
rosecott said:
From Appendix II of the rules:

3. Grip (see Fig. VII)
The grip consists of material added to the shaft to enable the player to obtain a firm hold. The grip must be fixed to the shaft, must be straight and plain in form, must extend to the end of the shaft and must not be molded for any part of the hands. If no material is added, that portion of the shaft designed to be held by the player must be considered the grip.
Click to expand...

From Appendix II
3. Grip (i) For clubs other than putters the grip must be circular in cross-section, except that a continuous, straight, slightly raised rib may be incorporated along the full length of the grip, and a slightly indented spiral is permitted on a wrapped grip or a replica one.
 
duncan mackie said:
many manufacturers grips have allignement marks ....
Click to expand...

Similarly putters have lines on them to assist alignment and drivers might have a mark on the top of the head to help you get the it directly behind that elusive sweet spot. And to digress on the latter, it was fairly recently that during a lesson, the pro reckoned I wasn't lining up the mark on my driver directly behind the centre of the ball. To me it looked as if I was, but he pointed out that when you address the ball you are looking at it from the side and therefore you have to adjust the position of the mark to allow for that perception. He was right and here's how to check: hold your club in its address position with your left hand while standing behind the ball and line up the mark with the centre of the ball. Then walk round the end of the club without moving the shaft and see if where the mark looks as if it is placed. For me it clearly looks clearly a centimetre nearer me.
 
CliveW said:
Why not moulded or raised? There are grips available which have ribbed backs.
Click to expand...

I was simply pointing out that there are restrictions on 'moulded and raised' whilst there aren't on markings.

In itself it's a complex subject, and despite the apparent clarity of the responses that followed they do not cover the situation fully as the introduction to Appendix II makes clear. In this particular case, for irons and woods, you would need to know that
grips on woods and iron clubs are allowed to deviate from circular by having a slightly raised rib running along the full length of the grip (often called a “reminder rib”).

“Slightly raised” is interpreted to mean that the maximum and minimum diameters of the cross-section at any point must not differ by more than 0.040 inches (1.016mm). Whilst this measurement can be taken using a pair of callipers, due to the nature of gripping materials, the results of these measurements should be interpreted with caution in the field. An additional requirement, mainly for the benefit of manufacturers, is that the dimension of the rib width, from edge to edge, should not exceed 50% of the grip’s internal diameter.
In the case of a standard length grip (approximately 10 inches (254mm) in length), the “full length of the grip” is interpreted to mean that the rib must extend to within 3 inches (76.2mm) of the tip. This should generally be enough to cover the span of the player’s hands on the grip.

Hence my initial response :)
 
Not sure if there is a definitive answer here yet, i was thinking of taking a white pen and marking where my thumbs should be lining up to give me the results i want, would this be ok ?
 
I played with a scratch golfer last year, and he'd had a grip on one of his clubs for so long that his thumb had worn an indentation in the grip.

Is it legal because it's only happened through normal use and the grip was legal when it was fitted, or is it illegal?
 
Normal wear and wear and tear is ok. It is deliberate changes to a conforming club that might make it non-conforming. See Rule 4-1b
 
Colin L said:
Similarly putters have lines on them to assist alignment and drivers might have a mark on the top of the head to help you get the it directly behind that elusive sweet spot. And to digress on the latter, it was fairly recently that during a lesson, the pro reckoned I wasn't lining up the mark on my driver directly behind the centre of the ball. To me it looked as if I was, but he pointed out that when you address the ball you are looking at it from the side and therefore you have to adjust the position of the mark to allow for that perception. He was right and here's how to check: hold your club in its address position with your left hand while standing behind the ball and line up the mark with the centre of the ball. Then walk round the end of the club without moving the shaft and see if where the mark looks as if it is placed. For me it clearly looks clearly a centimetre nearer me.
Click to expand...
and remember that when the club is swung it's unlikely to be sitting on the ground and your alignment might still be wrong ;)
 
rulefan said:
providing it's done before play

Why ?
Click to expand...

You are generally not allowed to make changes to clubs during a stipulated round. For example you can add or remove lead tape before a round, but not during it. If you have an adjustable driver you can't change the settings during a round.
 
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