FORE!

Question: Can I use my Yardage book that has a Green Heat or Putt Break Map?  How about my golf App that has these too?

Answer: Yes, but with one caveat: the putting green image has to conform to size and scale limits.

This is covered in Rule 4 The Player’s Equipment, specifically Rule 4.3a Allowed and Prohibited Uses of Equipment, AND even more specifically Clarification 4.3a/1 Limitations on Using Green-Reading Materials.

Basically, any commercially available yardage/green book that fits into your back pocket will be compliant.  The rule stipulates that the scale must be limited to a scale of 3/8 : 5 yards (1:480) or smaller and limited to 4 ¼” x 7” size.  No magnification of putting green information is allowed other than your normal prescriptive eye wear.

As to the digital maps available through various golf apps, like GHIN or GOLF Shot, a zoom feature to magnify the image must be disabled when in Rules Compliant or Tournament mode.

So, they’re legal to use in Eisenhower Golf Club and EMGA Tournaments/OPCs.  Their use can be restricted or eliminated if a competition committee chooses to invoke Model Local Rule G-11 or G-12 but currently, the Eisenhower Golf Club does NOT have either of these two rules. 

(Note: For the 2023 US Girls Junior Championship at Eisenhower Golf Club, the USGA provided the only allowable yardage/green book for player/caddie use.  The Green Map was very basic, only showing major green contours, nothing like the heat maps.  And the player/caddie could not use the book once their ball was on the green.)

See attached FAQ sheet for additional information.

Tom McKernan

Rules & Handicaps

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Attachments:

Green_Reading_Materials_FAQs_2023_-_Final_-_updated_20_Feb_2023.pdf