The greens at Pinehurst No. 2 are extremely difficult. Some claimed that although the course seems longer visually it is witnessed to be shorter once someone hits a ball. Given such conditions does the USGA allow its field members to use distance-measuring equipment such as rangefinders?
The USGA has a very meticulous and long list of rules and clarifications. From making sure that repairs are done in certain ways to letting the players know that many of them can share one bag, USGA has pinpointed every possibility and encompassed it in its rulebook. According to their Use of equipment rule, there are limitations to using ‘green-reading’ materials. “Rule 4.3 limits the use of equipment and devices that might help a player in their play, based on the principle that golf is a challenging game in which success should depend on the judgement, skills and abilities of the player,” said USGA.
According to USA Today, USGA has allowed laser rangefinder usage since 2006 but only for casual play and tournaments. It was later banned by local rules. They also reported, “At elite professional levels of play, the devices still have not been embraced for competition rounds, though they have been allowed in the U.S. Amateur since 2014. They are still not allowed during competition rounds at PGA Tour events or at the U.S. Open and British Opens.”
USGA limits a putting green map image to only a ‘scale of 3/8 inch to 5 yards or smaller’. Additionally, as per its size limits, the image or map can be ‘4 1/4 inches x 7 inches’. Interestingly, the permission to use a rangefinder can be easily ruled out as USGA restricts the use of any magnifying equipment. It states, “No magnification of putting green information is allowed other than a player’s normal wearing of prescription glasses or lenses.”
Furthermore, the USGA does not allow any handwritten or hand-drawn information regarding the putting greens unless it meets the size limits and is written by either the player or the caddie. There are also limitations to the alignment devices. The rulebook states, “If a player places an “alignment device” (see definition in Equipment Rules) to show the line of play and then positions their ball based on the direction of that alignment device, the player is in breach of Rule 4.3a.”
The PGA of America has enabled the use of distance-measuring devices in three of its major championships since 2021. Along with the PGA Championship, it also lets the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship use such advantages.
The then president of the PGA of America, Jim Richerson had previously stated, “The use of distance-measuring devices is already common within the game and is now a part of the Rules of Golf. Players and caddies have long used them during practice rounds to gather relevant yardages.”
PGA of America is a standalone association that allows using such equipment. Using devices that provide insights on elevation change is a prohibited practice but using a rangefinder is not. For the devices that already have the feature inbuilt, the golfers keep it turned off.
