OPINION: The Rules of Golf Need Updated After Fitzpatrick-Driver Fiasco

The rules of golf are in need of severe updating and improvement — a point that is evident after this past weekend’s incident with Matt Fitzpatrick and an obviously compromised and admittedly damaged driver head. 

The entire incident could have been resolved in minutes. Fitzpatrick said he had two additional driver heads in his locker, and it was obvious his playing partner Scottie Scheffler had no problem with a replacement. Scheffler had also admonished the rules official for what Fitzpatrick called an “outrageous” ruling that made him play with a three-wood the rest of the day, putting him at a competitive disadvantage at what the PGA TOUR and media marketed as the “longest course in PGA TOUR history”:

⛳️ Castle Pines Golf Club
⛰️ Average altitude of 6,200 feet
📏 8,130-yard par 72
👀 Longest course in PGA TOUR history

Behold the beauty @BMWChamps. pic.twitter.com/k2bYrg5Vw5

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 21, 2024

It was wrong. It was not like Fitzpatrick had fallen victim to his emotions and snapped a driver shaft or thrown a club into the water, or slammed it on the tee box after missing a fairway. It was either evidence of long-term use or a simple manufacturer defect — something that is nearly unavoidable in some units with the volume golf OEMs put out.

Fitzpatrick fell victim to the USGA’s Model Local Rule G-9, known as “Replacing Club That is Broken or Significantly Damaged,” which states:

“Rule 4.1a(2) allows a player to repair or replace a club that is damaged during the round, except in cases of abuse. But a Committee may adopt a Local Rule to restrict replacement of a club to cases where the club is broken or significantly damaged, which does not include a club that is cracked.”

The fine print goes on:

“A club is “broken or significantly damaged” when:

• • • The shaft breaks into pieces, splinters or is bent (but not when the shaft is only dented)
    • The club face impact area is visibly deformed (but not when the club face is only scratched or cracked)
    • The clubhead is visibly and significantly deformed (but not when the clubhead is only cracked)
    • The clubhead is detached or loose from the shaft, or
    • The grip is loose.

Exception: A club face or clubhead is not “broken or significantly damaged” solely because it is cracked.”

Fitzpatrick’s ruling unfortunately fell under the “exception,” but it is no secret the club was compromised from a performance perspective after the next tee shot was a duck hook that fell abnormally short.

Matt Fitzpatrick, 36th in the FedExCup entering the week, called for a ruling for a driver crack.

Under the USGA’s Model Local Rule G-9, a club is not replaceable solely because of a crack, and he was not permitted to replace it at the time due to lack of significant damage. pic.twitter.com/X5kEPkee1q

— PGA TOUR LIVE (@PGATOURLIVE) August 25, 2024

The entire event was embarrassing. Embarrassing for Fitzpatrick who was forced to be at a competitive disadvantage by playing with 13 clubs. Embarrassing for the PGA TOUR, who, while following the USGA’s rules, had not made any past attempt to update this outdated and potentially career-changing mistake.

There should be no question the rule should be updated, made so that if a crack comes without any instance of abuse or as a result of anger or emotion, the player should be able to replace their club to the same settings without adjustment.

It is time to recognize that damaged clubs are rare, but unfortunately, they make their way into a player’s bag. If you break your club or shaft, or cause damage to it because you can’t control your emotions, you should not be able to replace it.

In Fitzpatrick’s case, he is being treated the same as someone who slams a driver on the ground after a bad tee shot. They are hardly comparable or in the same league. 

What happened this past weekend is an embarrassment.

Cover Image via Golf Digest