[Slonopotam845]

I've always been under the impression that a wire brush or any brush of that sort could not be used during USGA play, based on rule 4-2.

When we played our local amateur tournaments here on the weekends, the tournament director told us we could never use these or even have them on our bags. The only thing we could use to clean the club was a tee or a towel.

I've since just resorted to using a tee or a towel just because I thought it was more kind to the face of the golf club.

Rule 4-2 is below. Has there been a ruling on this, if there has, I could not find it?

4-2. Playing Characteristics Changed and Foreign Material
a. Playing Characteristics Changed


During a stipulated round, the playing characteristics of a club must not be purposely changed by adjustment or by any other means.


b. Foreign Material


Foreign material must not be applied to the club face for the purpose of influencing the movement of the ball.


*PENALTY FOR CARRYING, BUT NOT MAKING STROKE WITH, CLUB OR CLUBS IN BREACH OF RULE 4-1 or 4-2:

Match play - At the conclusion of the hole at which the breach is discovered, the state of the match is adjusted by deducting one hole for each hole at which a breach occurred; maximum deduction per round - Two holes.

Stroke play - Two strokes for each hole at which any breach occurred; maximum penalty per round - Four strokes.

Match or stroke play - In the event of a breach between the play of two holes, the penalty applies to the next hole.

Bogey and par competitions - See Note 1 to Rule 32-1a.

Stableford competitions - See Note 1 to Rule 32-1b.

*Any club or clubs carried in breach of Rule 4-1 or 4-2 must be declared out of play by the player to his opponent in match play or his marker or a fellow-competitor in stroke play immediately upon discovery that a breach has occurred. If the player fails to do so, he is disqualified.


PENALTY FOR making stroke with club in BREACH OF RULE 4-1 or 4-2: Disqualification.

[poonnassunlix]

So you can't really clean the grooves on your clubs during play??

[Slonopotam845]

So you can't really clean the grooves on your clubs during play??

Not so much cleaning them, but what you were cleaning them with and that was my question.

Using the brush was the issue.

[BoomBully]

I'm not an expert by any means, but I wouldn't come to the conclusion that using a wire brush would fall under that rule. I don't see how a tee would be any different in that both could be used to scrape mud out of the grooves. I don't know that cleaning the club would be altering it, but I could (and have been on many occasions ) wrong.

[pBiRXp8u]

Not so much cleaning them, but what you were cleaning them with and that was my question.

Using the brush was the issue.

That's absurd. There is no such prohibition in the rules. The rule you quoted speaks only of changing the playing characteristics, and if you clean them so aggressively that you have done that, then yes, you have breached the rule. But it isn't the act of cleaning, or the method of cleaning, only the fact that you did so in a way that changed how the club plays. Normal cleaning, even with a brush, does not damage the clubface. With a normal two sided cleaning brush (which I carry and use at all times), even the brass bristles don't damage a steel club face (although that are those who try to tell you that it does ). Even forged 1025 is harder than brass.

Next time anyone tries to tell you this, make him demonstrate how you have changed the playing characteristics. It's up to him to prove his allegation. Just using the brush is NOT a breach of any rule.

[Slonopotam845]

I posed the question to the USGA. I'll let you know if I hear anything back on this.

Thanks for everyone's feedback.

This was the Auto Reply I received from the USGA.

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[marketheal]

Seems absurd to think a brass cleaning brush could alter the playing characteristics of a club but then again what do I know.Looking forward to seeing how the USGA responds.

[pBiRXp8u]

If by some chance you had an aggressive industrial wire brush that could rough up the clubface, then they might have a point, but that would also wear out the club quickly, so I can't see anyone really using such a thing just to clean his clubs.

The brushes sold in golf shops around the world can't possibly do such damage to a club.

[lovespellszz]

I thought the tolerance was something like .001 inches, which is what the new Cleveland CG15 wedges are laser milled to? I cant see a metal brush carving grooves deeper than those on the CG15.

[unatkot]

Fourputt is absolutely correct. The whole point of the brass bristles is the softer brass cannot harm the harder steel. That has got to be the dumbest statement from a tournament official I have ever heard.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[outfinofulpv]

We were told that the Frogger Brush was not allowed because of the strong pointed groove cleaner attached to the brush that is used to clean out grooves. It is a pretty sharp and hard point that could possibly alter grooves if you used enough force I guess.

[poonnassunlix]

Are they saying that the steel brush impedes the playing surface? But what the harm in having clean grooves all the time?

[StethyEntinic]

This same argument went on some years ago. The prohibitive answer back then was that you could clean foreign debris off the clubs, and club face with a wire brush. However, those ruling people in that tournament also stated that using a wire brush could also leave a coating of it's own type of metal on the club face, which in the strictest interpretation of the rule would mean the club face surface was indeed changed, which in turn could change the playability of the club. We were told then not to use a wire brush just be on the safe side. Yes, it was a very "picky" rules interpretation. But this was also a long time ago when the rules of golf were the holy grail of play. There were no "gray" areas, that we sometimes see today. A letter was sent to the USGA, and I am sorry to say I do not know what the answer was from their end.

However ask yourself this; How many times during a pro tournament have you ever seen a pro golfer's caddy cleaning his boss's club faces with a wire brush? If you have, then obviously the use of a wire brush is legal. If you have not seen this, then maybe there is something to the rule prohibiting wire brush cleaning in sanctioned play.