There are plenty of golf infomercials out there, most of them showing you a club that will solve all of your golfing woes. The infomercial for the C3i wedge is no different, promising that you will hit every ball out of the bunker and onto the green. With claims like that, it’s hard to take this club seriously. A club like this has to be illegal, right? In this article, we dive into the legality around the C3i wedge, to find out if it conforms to the equipment rules of the USGA.
Is the C3i Wedge Legal? According to the USGA’s Golf Club Informational Database, all C3i wedges are legal for any amateur or professional tournament play. More specifically, the 55°, 59°, 65° C3i wedge models all conform to USGA equipment rules.
Above is a photo from the USGA’s golf club database, which stores basic information on thousands of clubs from various manufacturers. The sections regarding this club’s legality on the rows with ‘Meets Pre-2010 Rules of Golf’ and ‘Meets 2010 Groove Rules’.
This club passes the USGA’s rules in both of these categories, which makes it 100% legal to use in any type of professional, amateur, or casual play (this also includes use in the PGA as well).
What USGA Rules Does The C3i Pass?
There are two types of overarching categories that the USGA reports on when looking into the legality of the club – Pre-2010 Rules of Golf & 2010 Groove Rules. Every club that is considered legal must be passed through these two sets of rules. In this case, the C3i passes in both of these categories, but what do they mean?
Pre-2010 Rules of Golf: This set of rules takes into account a wide variety of the club’s design features. Each feature is analyzed to make sure it is not in violation of any equipment rules. This analysis of the club’s features includes:
- Shaft
- Grip
- Clubhead
- Face
The C3i’s features pass each of these tests. As long as there are no modifications made to the club, then it is totally acceptable to use in any type of golf tournament and play.
2010 Groove Rules: In 2010 the USGA released a special set of rules that regulated the grooves on golf clubs. It essentially prevented a manufacturer from putting too many grooves on a club face. Fortunately, the C3i wedge does not break any of the regulations put into place by this particular set of rules.
Unboxed the C3i wedge tonight and hit a few shots. Never put so much spin on an AlmostGolf ball that it stopped on a dime.
Impressive…
— Chuck DiSalvo (@DownZero17) May 17, 2017
What Makes The C3i So Special?
One of the unique features that this club has, which is also the main reason why so many people question its legality, is the ‘auto-glide’ sole on the club head. When this club is laid directly on its sole (the bottom of the club head), the leading edge is raised in the air a few centimeters.
This auto-glide feature prevents the golfer from hitting a ‘fat shot’. Many golfers have a tendency to swing the club head too far into the ground, which reduces the contact speed when the ball hits the club (which ultimately reduces the distance and lift of the ball).
This allows the club to ‘bounce’ and give much more lift and backspin on the ball. It is one of the factors making this club so forgiving. Essentially, the auto-glide feature gives the ball more height and more backspin, allowing the golfer to have more control of their bunker shots.