Despite my experience with different putter styles, I’ve never come across an illegal putter. I’ve honestly never even seen one before writing this post, and this idea really piqued my curiosity. So, I decided to do some research and find out what putters are illegal. I collected some examples of illegal putters for those who are also interested. All of the examples featured below provided by the USGA.
Examples Of Illegal Putters
This putter has multiple striking faces that are not identical to one another. A putter is allowed to have more than one striking face, which is what makes a bullseye putter legal, but the striking faces must all be identical in their dimensions and surface material.
This putter has no striking face at all, which makes it unusable. However, what makes it illegal is the way in which the shaft enters the head of the club. More specifically, the shaft must enter the head of the club at at least a 10 degree angle, whereas this club enters the club head without any angle change (a fully vertical shaft.).
While there is nothing wrong with the head of this putter, it has two necks. In order for a putter to be considered legal, it must have only one neck that enters the head of the club.
Another restriction that applies to the neck of the club is that it can not have any type of feature that extends more than .84 inches beyond the face of the club. This also provides an unfair ‘aiming’ advantage to the person using this club.
At first glance, this putter may not seem illegal, however, the neck has holes in it, which means it is non-conforming. More specifically, a putter can not have any holes in it as it then violates the rule that all putters must maintain a ‘plain’ appearance.
This is one of the strangest putters I came across and what makes this illegal is that the spiral of the neck is too close to the sole of the putter. A putter neck/shaft must be straight from the sole of the putter head to 5 inches above the sole of the putter head.
The neck of this putter is protruding in front of the face. As I mentioned above, no part of the putter can extend in front of the putter face more than .84 inches. So, this club is considered illegal.
While convenient, this putter that holds 3 balls is surprisingly illegal. Once again this is the type of putter that violates the ‘plain’ appearance. As nice as it would be to own this putter, it is unfortunately illegal to use.
Just like the putter above with the holes in its neck, this putter has holes on the face of the club. This putter is illegal for the exact same reason. A putter is not allowed to have any holes as it does not conform to the ‘plain’ appearance that putters are required to have.
This putter has a laser dot feature on it, which quite obviously is not allowed. A putter can not have any type of electronic accessory featured on it. The main reason for this is that it provides an unfair advantage to the player using it.
What Makes A Putter Illegal?
There are many things that can make a putter illegal. While the USGA has criteria for all golf clubs, putters generally have their own set of specific rules that do not apply to other types of clubs and vice versa. Below are the general rules a putter must follow in order to be deemed legal.
Loft
- A putter must have a loft between -15 degrees and 10 degrees. If a putter’s loft exceeds these parameters, it is deemed illegal. Additionally, if an adjustable putter is able to exceed this range, it is also not allowed to be used.
Shaft
- A putter with an adjustable shaft must be used in its expanded form. The putter can not be used in its collapsed form, otherwise it is not allowed to be used.
- A putter shaft must not be vertically integrated into the head of the club. The shaft must enter the clubhead at some kind of angle. More specifically, the shaft must enter the clubhead at at least a 10 degree angle (and 25 degree angle at most). This is to prevent ‘croquet’ style putters from being used.
- The putter shaft must be straight from the sole of the head to 5 inches above the sole. The rest of the shaft above this region does not have to be straight (within reason).
Putter Face
- A putter must have at least one striking face. This means that a putter can only have one flat side that can be used to strike the ball. The one exception to this is that a putter can have two striking faces if both faces are identical in dimension, shape, and material. This also means that a putter without a striking face (one that is entirely rounded without a flat surface) is also illegal.
- The face must be smooth and contain no sharp edges or raised edges.
Neck
- If a putter has a neck or socket that the shaft goes into, the top of the neck must not be more than 5 inches above the sole of the putter.
- The neck or socket must not stick out in any horizontal direction more than .84 inches from the center of the club head.
Grip
- A putter’s grip must be relatively symmetrical and shape and not have any substantial curves or bulges. Basically, a putter must have a relatively similar shape throughout the grip.
- If a putter has two grips (like a long putter), the upper grip must be at least 5 inches long and both grips must be similar in shape.
Clubhead
- The clubhead must resemble a putter in some sort of way. The shape and design of the head of the putter must not resemble anything other than the look of a standard putter.
- The putter must also not have:
- Holes in the face or head of the club
- Accessories that are solely for the purpose of fulfilling dimensional specifications
- Accessories that extend into or ahead of the putter face
- Accessories that are substantially higher than the head of the club
Hardness
- The putter must score at least an 85 on a durometer (a tool that measures the hardness of a material).
Illegal Putters: Final Thoughts
Chances are, unless you are going out of your way to purchase one, your putter is not illegal to use. Regardless of what era your putter was made in, it most likely follows the various restrictions that a putter must follow. As technology advances though, it will be very interesting to see how these boundaries are pushed and what kind of designs will come out next.
