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USGA tells Bryson DeChambeau’s his compass violates Rule 14-3a

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Bryson DeChambeau’s use of a compass (in conjunction with his yardage book to find “true hole locations”) at last month’s Travelers Championship was initially a source of amusement in the social media sphere.

Then, the situation became anything but funny for DeChambeau himself, as the PGA Tour and USGA began a discussion about potential rules being broken and whether he ought to be able to continue to to use the device.

The PGA Tour had temporarily given DeChambeau permission to use the device while putting the ball in the USGA’s court. Yesterday, the USGA announced DeChambeau’s compass use is a violation of Rule 14-3a.

The USGA released a statement to GolfChannel.com: “At the request of the PGA Tour, the USGA and the R&A reviewed Bryson DeChambeau’s stated use of a drawing compass to assist him in determining ‘true’ hole locations, and jointly determined that his specific usage would be in breach of Rule 14-3, if used in a future round.

“The Rule prohibits a player, during a stipulated round, from using any artificial device or unusual equipment, or using any equipment in an abnormal manner, that ‘might assist him in making a stroke or in his play.’ Because a compass is not a usual piece of equipment in golf, and Bryson clearly stated that he had used the device to assist him, the USGA, R&A and the PGA Tour agreed it was in the best interest of the game to share this determination with Bryson immediately. In doing so before his next round, we have made every effort to assist Bryson in avoiding possible disqualification and provide clarity to the PGA Tour and other players in the field.”

According to Golf Digest’s Joel Beall writes, John Bodenhamer, USGA senior managing director of rules, competitions and equipment standards, spoke with DeChambeau for 45 minutes on July 3.

“With some of these sorts of devices, it can be difficult lines to draw on what’s permissible and what is not permissible,” Bodenhamer said. “But here, we drew the line there with Rule 14-3.”

The text of Rule 14-3a states

14-3. Artificial Devices and Unusual Equipment; Abnormal Use of Equipment

Rule 14-3 governs the use of equipment and devices (including electronic devices) that might assist a player in making a specific stroke or generally in his play.

Golf is a challenging game in which success should depend on the judgement, skills and abilities of the player. This principle guides the USGA in determining whether the use of any item is in breach of Rule 14-3.

Except as provided in the Rules, during a stipulated round the player must not use any artificial device or unusual equipment, or use any equipment in an abnormal manner:

a. That might assist him in making a stroke or in his play

This is DeChambeau’s second run-in with U.S. golf’s governing body. In 2017, the USGA ruled DeChambeau’s sidesaddle putter non-conforming.

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25 Comments

25 Comments

  1. Pingback: Can PGA Players Use Rangefinders? (2022 Update) - fungolf.co.uk

  2. Ell

    Jul 9, 2018 at 4:14 pm

    My required fields were marked!

  3. Man

    Jul 9, 2018 at 2:18 am

    I will have a GPS tracker plugged into my brain that tells me from the Google maps GPS satellite where I am standing on the planet

  4. Bob Parson Jr.

    Jul 8, 2018 at 11:39 am

    And the USGA wonders why their membership is in decline…..

  5. Daniel Whitehurst

    Jul 8, 2018 at 1:39 am

    So he’s trying to find the true hole location. So he obviously found a discrepancy between the hole sheet and the actual location. So how is it an advantage if he finds the true location? It would be a disadvantage to not try to find it. Way to go USGA using common sense again in rules decisions. The next decision you make just do the opposite and all will be good. You’re welcome

  6. Bruce Ferguson

    Jul 7, 2018 at 7:57 pm

    Whatever frivolous advantage in knowledge he might gain regarding the true hole location, he still has to make the shot. Excessive hair-splitting in the rules department, IMO.

  7. Pete O'Tube

    Jul 7, 2018 at 4:02 pm

    Have a look at the putt, your first look is the best. Then just hit it for goodness sake. Bin the encyclopedias in the back pocket and GET ON WITH IT!!

  8. Richard Douglas

    Jul 7, 2018 at 10:44 am

    There’s a prominent player on Tour who keeps a strip of white medical tape on a particular finger. This shows the player where his hand is on the grip. This sort of alignment tool for the grip is against the rules, yet this player’s use of it has been tolerated for more than 2 decades.

    • Daniel Whitehurst

      Jul 8, 2018 at 1:34 am

      If your referring to Tiger you couldn’t be more wrong. 1 he does that because that’s his high pressure point on his right hand and 2 not 1 good player with a good grip or pro needs a piece of tape on his hand to tell him where to grip the club, gimmie a break . That’s why they “allow it”. Plus grips come available with ridges up the back called reminders.

    • OninTwoDowninOne

      Jul 8, 2018 at 2:22 am

      Richard…yep. What an Richard comment. A pro needs tape on a finger to determine hand placement, does it work for you?

  9. Josh

    Jul 7, 2018 at 1:33 am

    BAN GREEN READING BOOKS THEN TOO

  10. Wiger Toods

    Jul 6, 2018 at 8:57 pm

    Also, did no one call them out for the awful quote, “…it can be difficult lines to draw on what’s permissible…”

    Jerks.

  11. Wiger Toods

    Jul 6, 2018 at 8:56 pm

    I hope he ties two pencils together. This is an absolute crock. Bryson, get a super-bendy two sided pencil!!

    Google “Bencil”

  12. Brad

    Jul 6, 2018 at 6:57 pm

    The USGA hates Bryson Dechambeau. They hate that he is playing well and will take every opportunity to undermine him anyway they possibly can. If Tiger Woods wanted to use an abacus and measuring tape on the greens they would probably allow him to do so.

  13. JN

    Jul 6, 2018 at 5:31 pm

    No looking at the sun either!

  14. Fingers

    Jul 6, 2018 at 4:15 pm

    So is it now illegal to walk off yardages if a person knows what a 1 yard stride is or if someone wants to get real technical and their shoe is exactly 12″ are they banned from using that as a measuring device too? Im asking for a friend…. And does plumbobbing fall under this measuring device rule too?

  15. Roy

    Jul 6, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    So a book that details every possible break in the green is legal, but 2 6 inch metal sticks stuck together are not???

  16. Jeff

    Jul 6, 2018 at 2:50 pm

    This is just silly. The USGA is tripping. You still have to putt the ball. If a protractor is a helpful with green reading, putting stroke or getting my ball started on line then I would understand the ban but come on.

  17. Ray

    Jul 6, 2018 at 2:38 pm

    There goes my green lantern secret decoder ring and my use of the North Star…seems the USGA can prohibit any and everything with the language unusual…they are as ridiculous as the NCAA…

  18. Jamie

    Jul 6, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    Guess we won’t get to see the gyroscope to measure the earth’s rotation. Whew! A few hundred people would have laughed themselves to death.

  19. Adam

    Jul 6, 2018 at 12:41 pm

    Why do I have the feeling DeChambeau is/was trolling the USGA just to see what their idiotic response would be?

    • Richard Douglas

      Jul 7, 2018 at 10:47 am

      This is an excellent observation/speculation. I still haven’t heard what the real use of this object is–saying it’s for locating pin locations is an inadequate (and nonsensical) explanation.

      The only problem with this hypothesis is that it would take a very long time for anyone at the USGA to wake up and notice its use; Bryson would have to troll them for quite some time. Hard to imagine spending time on a practical joke when he’s trying (and succeeding) to win tournaments. Still….

  20. JJD

    Jul 6, 2018 at 12:31 pm

    Next up… star charts.

  21. Brian

    Jul 6, 2018 at 10:10 am

    I’m surprised DeChambeau hasn’t brought in survey equipment at this point.

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News

Morning 9: Wyndham Clark on back injury | DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take | Houston Open photos

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By Ben Alberstadt with Gianni Magliocco.

For comments: [email protected]

Good Thursday morning, golf fans, as day one of the Houston Open gets underway.

1. Wyndham Clark hurts back…still hopes to play

ESPN’s Mark Schlabach…”Reigning U.S. Open winner Wyndham Clark injured his back while working out at home Monday, but he hopes to play in this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, which starts Thursday at Memorial Park Golf Course.”

  • “Clark, the fourth-ranked golfer in the world, said he was lifting weights and “got caught in an awkward spot doing a lift and [his] back went.”
  • “It’s not something that happens regularly, but it happened and you live and you learn,” Clark said. “I’m trending in the right direction. I’m hitting it or feeling stronger and more mobile every day. I’m going to give it my best effort tomorrow and hopefully I can play and compete. If not, I’ve got to get ready for tournaments to come after this.”
Full piece.

2. DiMarco’s bold Champions Tour take

Our Matt Vincenzi…”While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.”

  • “We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
  • “Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
Full piece.

3. Charley Hull’s course management problem?

Our Matt Vincenzi…”Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.”

  • “After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.”
  • “While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.”
  • “I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
  • “The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
  • “In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else.
Full piece.

4. Sahith’s interesting idea

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”Which brings Theegala to his big idea: “There’s got to be something, like a fan challenge or – I think it would be awesome to see a scratch handicap go out and play like the Monday after a tournament, keep the same conditions and see what they would shoot just to put it into perspective how hard a PGA Tour golf course is.”

  • “Theegala loves the thought so much that he’d even come out and watch.”
  • “Shoot, I’d commentate on it,” Theegala added before continuing, “I have a pet peeve, sometimes when I watch golf on TV, a great example is hole 8 at Valspar last week. It’s a 230-yard par 3, the green’s 12 yards wide and someone will hit the middle of the green and, you know, they’ll be like, ‘Oh, really smart shot there.’ I’m like, ‘Well, no, he’s absolutely laced this 4-iron in the middle of the green, that’s right where he’s looking and to hit a 4-iron that straight is really, really hard.’ … Even like chipping, a lot of the stuff just looks flat on TV, but then when you get over the chip, like, oh, great, I have to land it over a mound on a downslope down grain?”
Full piece.

5. Top am Rachel Heck not going pro

Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine…”As Rachel Heck nears the end of her college golf career, she has decided that the LPGA isn’t for her.’

  • “Heck, the 22-year-old Stanford senior who won an NCAA individual title as a freshman and has climbed as high as second in the world amateur rankings, penned a first-person essay for No Laying Up in which she explained her reasoning for remaining amateur after graduation this summer and starting an internship not in professional golf but rather private equity. Heck, a political science major, also will be pinned as a lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force.”

Read her piece on No Laying Up: https://nolayingup.com/blog/why-im-remaining-an-amateur

Full piece.

6. DJ’s new LIV signing

Golf Monthly’s Elliott Heath…”Dustin Johnson‘s LIV Golf team 4Aces GC has announced former TravisMathew CEO Chris Rosaasen as the side’s new General Manager.”

  • “Rosaasen, who is a long-time friend of Johnson, is also the founder of the team’s apparel sponsor Extracurricular and has been CEO of the Omniverse Group for the past four years.
  • “He joins with more than 20 years of “brand-building, marketing, and business leadership” according to LIV Golf, which says his “record of innovation in the golf industry will strengthen and accelerate the growth of the 4Aces GC brand.”
Full piece.

7. Photos from the Houston Open

  • Check out all of our photos from this week’s event!
Full piece.
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Four books for a springtime review

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One thing that never changes over time: snowy evenings give purpose to reading (is it the other way around?) It has been a snowy 2024 in western New York, and I’ve had ample time to tuck into an easy chair with a blanket, coffee, and a book. You’re in luck, because despite the title of this piece, I’ll share five books and their worth with you.

There is great breadth of subject matter from one to five. Golf is as complicated as life, which means that the cover of the book isn’t worth judging. The contents begin the tale, but there is so much more to each topic presented within. If you’re like me, your library grows each year. Despite the value of the virtual, the paper-printed word connects us to the past of golf and humanity. Here’s hoping that you’ll add one or more of these titles to your collection.

        

Rainmaker

Hughes Norton interviewed with Mark McCormack for 20 minutes (30 if you count the missed exit at Logan International) while driving the founder of IMG from Harvard to the airport. The lesson of taking advantage of each moment, of every dollar, because you might not get another opportunity, is the most valuable one that life offers. I say to you, be certain to read this book, because another opportunity to bend the ear of Hughes Norton may not come our way.

Hughes Norton was with Tiger Woods for waaayyy fewer years than you might guess, but they were the critical ones. Be warned: not all of the revelations in this tome are for the faint of heart. Some, in fact, will break your heart. Golf was a sleepy hamlet in the 1990s, until the 16-lane interstate called Eldrick “Tiger” Woods came into town. Everything changed, which meant that everything would change again and again, into eternity. Once the ball starts rolling, it’s impossible to stop.

My favorite aspect of this book is its candor. Hughes Norton is well into his time on Planet Earth. He has no reason to hold back, and he doesn’t. My least favorite aspect is that George Peper got the call to co-author the book (and I didn’t.) Seriously, there is no LFA for me, so this is the best that I could do.

Decision: Buy It!

The Golf Courses of Seth Raynor

Michael Wolf, James Sitar, and Jon Cavalier, in abject partnership, collaborated to produce a handsome volume on the work of gone-too-soon, engineer-turned-golf course architect. Seth Raynor was pulled into the game by Charles Blair MacDonald, the crusty godfather of American golf. Raynor played little golf across the 51 years of his life. His reason? He did not wish to corrupt his designs with the demands and failings of his own game.

Jon Cavalier began his photography career as a contributor to the Golf Club Atlas discussion group. I met him there in a virtual way (we still have yet to shake hands) and have exchanged numerous emails over the years. Despite the demands of his day job, Cavalier has blossomed into the most traveled and prolific course photographer alive today. His photography, both hand-held and drone, makes the pages pop. Michael Wolf invited me and two friends to play his home course, despite having never met any of us in person. His words, melded to those of James Sitar, are the glue that connect Cavalier’s photos.

My favorite aspect of the books is the access it gives to the private-club world of Raynor. Fewer than five of his courses are resort or public access, and knowing people on the inside is not available to all. My suggestion? Write a letter/email and see if a club will let you play. Can’t hurt to try! My one complaint about the book is its horizontal nature. Golf is wide, but I like a little vertical in my photos. It’s not much of a complaint, given the glorious contents within the covers.

Decision: Buy It!!

Big Green Book from The Golfer’s Journal

Beginning with its (over)size, and continuing through the entire contents, there is no descriptor that defines the genre of the Big Green Book. It is photography, essay, layout, poetry, graphics, and stream of consciousness. It harnesses the creative power of a lengthy masthead of today’s finest golf contributors. Quotes from Harvey Penick, verse from Billy Collins, and prose from John Updike partner with images pure and altered, to immerse you in the diverse golf spaces that define this planet.

One of my favorite aspects is the spaces between the words and photos. Have your friends and others write a few notes to you in those blank areas, to personalize your volume even more. One aspect that needs improvement: the lack of female voices. I suspect that will be remedied in future volumes.

Decision: Buy It!!!

Troublemaker and The Unplayable Lie

Books that allege discrimination and mistreatment check two boxes: potentially-salacious reads and debate over whose perspective is accurate. In the end, the presentation of salacious revelation rarely meets the expectation, and the debate over fault is seldom resolved. Lisa Cornwell spent years as a competitive junior and college golfer, before joining The Golf Channel as a reporter and program host.

Despite the dream assignments, there were clouds that covered the sun. Cornwell documents episodes of favoritism and descrimination against her, prior to her departure from The Golf Channel in 2021. Her work echoes the production of the late Marcia Chambers, who wrote for Golf Digest in the 1980s and 1990s. Chambers took issue with many of the potential and real legal issues surrounding golf and its policies of access/no access. Her research culminated in The Unplayable Lie, the first work of its kind to address issues confronted by all genders and ethnicities, and immediately predated the professional debut of Tiger Woods in 1997.

My favorite aspects of the two works, are the courage and conviction that it took to write them, and believe in them. My least favorite aspects are the consistent bias that many groups continue to face. Without awareness, there is no action. Without action, there is no change.

Decision: Buy Them!!!!

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Tour Photo Galleries

Photos from the 2024 Texas Children’s Houston Open

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GolfWRX is on site in the Lone Star State this week for the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

General galleries from the putting green and range, WITBs — including Thorbjorn Olesen and Zac Blair — and several pull-out albums await.

As always, we’ll continue to update as more photos flow in. Check out links to all our photos from Houston below.

General Albums

WITB Albums

Pullout Albums

See what GolfWRXers are saying in the forums.

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