Is it legal to label my clubs with my yards? Rules Guy

The Rules of Golf are tricky! Thank you, we have a guru. Our Rules Guy knows the book from front to back. Have a question? You have all the answers.

During the lesson, the teacher said I should add a piece of tape to my club to measure the distance I hit that club. Now I use tape on the bottom of my putter to guide my hands. Are any of these tape jobs legal? —John Fogarty, Troy, NY

The Rules Guy was ready to make a clever Credence Clearwater Revival reference when he noticed that Fogarty has an “a” and not an “e” — bad luck, son! (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

You must scotch the tape, otherwise you close the Rules, which say that such external attachments are verboten. Make a stroke with any of these altered clubs and you are immediately disqualified under Rule 4.1a.

Instead, think about referring to your pocket and the distances of your club, which can be completely legal and, you know, just learning how to put your hands on the club correctly … you got this!

For more rules guidance from our guru, read on…

I always draw a line on my ball to help with placement. If the shot fouls that line, is it considered a damaged ball that I can replace immediately or do I have to wait until I finish the hole? —Don Kent, Anthem, Ariz.

Don, your reputation would be tarnished if you tried to run away from the ball because of this insult, which under Rule 4.2 does not give you the right to do so.

I have an old TaylorMade Spider putter but I didn’t like the white line on the black clubhead, so I taped a piece of white tape to the head and drew a red line with a Sharpie. Is this legal? -Vince Zachetti, via email

Confession, Vince: Over the past half century, Rules Guy’s father, Tinker Guy, has killed countless inmates in his basement workshop, called “The Lair,” including sawing off Scotty Cameron’s toe. Hot torches on the pipe, Wite-Out painted on, sliding chairs stuck to the soles, balls shoved down the shaft and into the shaft: We’ve seen sticks suffer from all kinds of questionable plastic surgery over the years.

Never once did Tinker Guy ask if he was breaking the Laws, and out of respect for the child, and this knowledge was never laid upon him. Now it can be said: The tape attached to the putter is a non-conforming external attachment and makes the club non-conforming. Under Rule 4.1a, if you make a stroke with a specified group, you are disqualified.

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Have a question about the Rules? Ask the Rules Guy! Send your questions, confusion and comments to rulesguy@golf.com. We promise he won’t throw a letter at you.