So, are golf shredders legal? The simple answer is YES. According to the USGA, a shredder is a legal club. If you`re thinking about adding a chipper to your golf game but want to make sure it`s legal, you`ve come to the right place. Below you will find some important information about shredders and when they are legal. Most importantly, you learn when they are not legal. Two-way golf shredders are illegal in competition and tournaments because they have two surfaces that can be used to hit the golf ball. Most of the time, you can see a stamp on the chipper saying “USGA qualified” to know if the chipper is legal in gameplay or not. Brands like Wilson, True Ace and Intech Golf make legal shredders. But despite what you might think, most putters have a loft between 2 and 4 degrees, and they can go up to 10 degrees while remaining legal according to usGA and R&A guidelines.
Such a drawing directly violates the 4-1d rule, as established by the Golf Association, the United States Golf Association, which states that a club leader may have “only one distinctive face other than putters with similar faces.” We already know the answer to the question: “Are golf shredders legal?” Since this is the case, this should not prevent you from using it. However, here are a few factors you may want to consider. Two-way shredders are illegal. The U.S. Golf Association, the governing body for the sport in North America, sets the applicable standard in Rule 4-1d. It states that a club head “can only have a distinctive face, with the exception of putters with similar faces.” While you can use illegal rackets like a two-way chopper in social play if no one in your group objects, it violates the rules and affects the accuracy of your disability. Finally, if it doesn`t bother your group, you can leave with a baseball bat or hockey stick. However, when it comes to the official rules of golf, the “exception” of social play makes no sense. In any competition played according to the rules of golf, Rule 1-3 states: “Players may not agree to exclude the application of a rule or waive an imposed penalty.” If you violate this rule, you will be subject to the most severe penalties – both players will be disqualified in the match play or all players in the group will be disqualified in the stroke play. Mickelson used putters with a seven-degree loft when playing on tour, which is the same loft as some riders! Although the illegality of two-way shredders has reduced their popularity – and prevented them from being used in official tournaments – some golfers still use them in recreational rounds due to their versatility. You can chip with them and hit shots for left-handed or right-handed people if your ball is near an obstacle that prevents you from approaching the ball as usual. For verification, golf shredders are legal to use.
However, traditional golfers don`t usually carry a grinder club in their pocket. Some experienced golfers mistakenly assume that these clubs are illegal or despise the people who use them. Because people with low disabilities tend to hit their shredding irons well, they may be opposed to new ideas or equipment that will help less experienced golfers. Putter lie is the angle formed by the sole of the head when placed in a neutral position when addressing the ball. The sleeping angle of most putters is usually between 70 and 72 degrees, which is considered the manufacturer`s standard. Single-sided shredders are legal on the PGA Tour, but you`ll never see a professional golfer use one. A grinder is a putter-shaped golf club that rotates like one. An easily recognizable difference is the handle, as a grinder must be grasped like any normal racket.
Further examination will also show that a putter has very little height (3~4 degrees), while a grinder has about 32~37 degrees. A legal shredder is seized like an iron or fairway wood, unlike the putter, which can have a handful of putters. Unlike the putter, a shredder can also be equipped with two usable sides, but the rules of golf do not allow this in official tournaments. Having a two-sided shredder is like carrying an extra racket. Most putters have a loft between 2 and 4 degrees, making it the lowest club in the golf bag. According to the USGA, the attic of a putter should not exceed ten degrees. So if your putter has a loft of 10 degrees or less, you can easily use it. The sand corner and lob corner are great corners, but both come with higher lofts that can be harder to use. A shredder, on the other hand, will almost always have a better failure than a higher corner. When buying golf clubs, always look for a disclaimer stating that the club does not meet USGA standards or anything like that. This means that the club is illegal and therefore should not be used in an official competition. Most popular golf club manufacturers (think Callaway, Cobra, TaylorMade, etc.) won`t have unauthorized clubs in stock, so if you`re buying from a big brand, you can be sure that these clubs are legal for you.
A grinder, often considered by many to be a “beginner`s corner,” is essentially a loft putter that makes it easy to put the ball in the air and roll over the green – with a punch – without the risk of hitting the thin or greasy punch. If you are adjusting a putter`s static loft, we recommend hiring a club fitter to make the changes on your behalf so that your putter remains legal after processing. When a golf club is legal, it is usually advertised and says, “Does not meet USGA standards.” It is not common for golfers to change the static loft of their putters, but it is possible to change the dynamic loft of your flat club. Dynamic Loft refers to the loft of your putter on impact, which can be modified by the way you grab your putter and set it up before you hit. Yes, putters in height are legal up to ten degrees. If you think about it, every putter is beaten. However, when customizing your putter, you need to make sure that it complies with USGA guidelines and strict rules for loft restrictions. Jim Thomas has been a freelance writer since 1978. He has written a book on professional golfers and has written magazine articles on sports, politics, legal issues, travel and economics for national and Northwest publications.
He holds a Juris Doctor from Duke Law School and a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from Whitman College.