Most golfers have spent countless hours shopping for a new, top of line golf club that will hopefully change their game for the better. While many golf club manufacturers promise that their club will take some strokes off of your score, practically none make promises like the creator of the Hammer Driver.
According to the creator, this club will increase your drive by 50 yards and take 10 strokes off your game, GUARANTEED! With crazy claims like this, it can’t be legal…or can it? In this article, we examine the specs of the Hammer Driver to see if this club is actually legal.
Is the Hammer Driver Legal? According to the USGA, the Hammer Driver is illegal as driver club heads are not allowed to have holes in them. The Hammer Driver has two holes, going from the crown to the sole of the head, making it an illegal club to use at any level (amateur, pro, and PGA).
Golf balls: does anyone know if the advertised “hammer” golf driver is legal to use in a tournament or match play? http://bit.ly/aC0ddW
— Doug Segovia (@golferballs) April 27, 2010
Why Is The Hammer Driver Illegal?
The USGA has a plethora of rules when it comes to club heads. These rules are generally in place so that player’s can’t use an insanely modified club on the course. With the Hammer Driver specifically, it is the holes in the club head that ultimately make it illegal.
Under the USGA’s rule, specifically rule 2.4a(i), all club heads are considered ‘non-conforming’ if they have a hole through the head. While this rule has exceptions for certain putters and irons, there are no exceptions to this rule for woods and drivers.
This is the example that the USGA provides when referencing what a non-conforming driver looks like. As you can see, there is a hole in the club head going from the top through the bottom, making the club essentially see through. While the Hammer Driver does not look exactly like this example, it does have clear holes through the top and bottom of the club head, thus rendering it illegal.
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Above is what the Hammer Driver looks like (courtesy of the creator himself). When you compare that to the USGA’s non-conforming example, it is pretty clear that the Hammer Driver resembles the look.
Should You Get The Hammer Driver?
Now that we know this club is illegal, does that mean you shouldn’t buy it? After reading some reviews, it seems that the Hammer Driver really underperforms on many of its groundbreaking features. More specifically, claims that the club could increase your club head speed, ball distance, etc. have proved to not actually be true. With this in mind, this club is probably not the best investment for your golf game.
