True story: An amateur golfer had his son clean his golf clubs the night before a round. The son, not a golfer, wanted to do a really good job and make them nice and shiny.
He used Armor All on the grips.
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Pro tip: Windex helps remove it. But setting that well intentioned disaster aside, today’s topic is something you might have seen over the weekend at the Barracuda Championship near Lake Tahoe. If you didn’t get your golf fill after Scottie Scheffler’s performance in the Open Championship, you might have noticed one golfer repeatedly using powder to keep his hands dry on the grips of his clubs.
His name is Jacques Kruyswijk (above, right), and he’s done this at more than one event to avoid a slip that could lead to a bogey or worse. With the money that pros play for, it’s certainly understandable that he would want to leave nothing to chance.
If you’ve never seen anyone do that, you might wonder what the Rules of Golf has to say about whether that gives a player an illegal advantage. Turning to Rule 4.3, you’ll find it says it’s against the rules to use “equipment (other than a club or a ball) that artificially eliminates or reduces the need for a skill or judgment that is essential to the challenge of the game.”
When you watch players battle the elements on a rainy Irish afternoon, you might notice that they can’t hit shots while their caddie holds an umbrella over their heads. Staying dry while other players are getting wet would definitely be an advantage. So how is powder on the hands any different?
Well, it is according to the rules, Rule 4.3(a)5 to be specific. You can use resin, powders and other moisturizing or drying agents, or even wrap a towel or handkerchief around the grip. If the answer to why this is allowed isn’t obvious, you must have forgotten about Judge Smails throwing a golf club in “Caddyshack” and nearly killing a nearby member having lunch.
Believe it or not, safety does play an important part in how the rule book has evolved. It’s why you don’t have to hit a shot next to a sleeping alligator and it’s why you don’t have to swing a club that might turn into a javelin. Getting back to Kruyswijk, he used the powder at the Magical Kenya Open on the DP World Tour and still managed to drop the club!
