Illegal/Hot Golf Balls and Clubs

I voted no to all of them but I would potentially buy a sleeve of "illegal" balls just to mess around with. I would never want to spend as much money as it would take to buy a club that is illegal. I don't see the fun in cheating and if you played a round with your buddies or whatever and were keeping track of score then I think it would be pointless.

Why not?

Sometimes I move from the tip to blue or white when I am in slump

Golf should be entertaining from time to time so I am all for it except these being used in competition

[quote name='caller' timestamp='1331760010' post='4508561']

Sometimes I move from the tip to blue or white when I am in slump

[/quote]

That's not cheating though. A better comparison would've been that you move from either the blues or whites to the reds.

[quote name='omahasker' timestamp='1331760699' post='4508623']
[quote name='caller' timestamp='1331760010' post='4508561']
Sometimes I move from the tip to blue or white when I am in slump

[/quote]

That's not cheating though. A better comparison would've been that you move from either the blues or whites to the reds.
[/quote]

That isn't cheating either...and in fact most golfers should probably move up to the reds seeing as how most people can't even break 80 let alone par.

To the point of the poll, cheating is cheating. Even though most may not care about "following the rules to the T" most people also play in scrambles/tournaments or small money games in which case their lackadaisical attitude towards the rules really does screw those of us who do follow them.

Also most of us still using non-conforming grooves has nothing to do with not following the rule to the letter. The rule explicitly states that we are still within the rules to be using them until they become illegal for the level at which we are playing.

x4 No's.

I just wouldn't want to have a great round or make great a great shot, but then know that the club is outside of USGA requirements and deemed "illegal". It would tarnish the round/shot in my head. But thats just me. I know I'm not a PGA Tour Player, but its as bad as not playing by the rules in my eyes. Abide by USGA rules of play, but disregard their rules for equipment? To each his own though.

[quote name='Rohlio' timestamp='1331760924' post='4508643']
[quote name='omahasker' timestamp='1331760699' post='4508623']
[quote name='caller' timestamp='1331760010' post='4508561']
Sometimes I move from the tip to blue or white when I am in slump

[/quote]

That's not cheating though. A better comparison would've been that you move from either the blues or whites to the reds.
[/quote]

That isn't cheating either...and in fact most golfers should probably move up to the reds seeing as how most people can't even break 80 let alone par.
[/quote]
Dude...playing from the women's tees is cheating. If you have testicles then you should not consider that legal.

I don't understand why anyone would want to play with equipment that isn't legal.
What would you gain from it other than massaging your own ego?

[quote name='omahasker' timestamp='1331761841' post='4508725']
Dude...playing from the women's tees is cheating. If you have testicles then you should not consider that legal.
[/quote]

Are you saying the red tees don't have a slope/course rating like the other tees do?

I play skins and make friendly wagers with friends and to use illegal equipment to win is dirty. Bets are only for a few dollars but still, can't do it.

Frankly, I think the demand would be far too small for a major OEM to risk their reputation.

4 x no

how many times have we all seen it, spin doctor wedges used to report hdcp, league play, scrambles. same with the chippers and cheater balls. most have no idea of the rules, but it just pisses those off that do.

I guess it falls in the same category as foot wedges, dropping on the other side of water hazards, grounding your club in a bunker, and giving yourself putts. just because it happens every day doesn't mean I have to like it.

Most times the Reds have no posted Mens slope and course rating.
I don't know if you can get one from the pro shop or calculate it based on the Womens or not.

I wouldn't consider it cheating. If you want to break par why not try it. You may or may be able to post is as a handicap round. But practice rounds are permitted under the rules.

A high school in my home town sends many players D1. In fact a few years ago 5 seniors went D1 the same year. Several to one of the most prestigious golf schools in the country. Anyway the golf coach has a rule for team players that they must play the Red tees each year until they shoot under. Then the whites until they shoot under and so on until they reach the back tees.

Might be fun to try in the spring. Depending on your skill level you might want to move back when you break 40.

Simply, its a gentlemen's game...gentlemen dont cheat.

[quote name='daveltb' timestamp='1331767152' post='4509231']
4 x no

how many times have we all seen it, spin doctor wedges used to report hdcp, league play, scrambles. same with the chippers and cheater balls. most have no idea of the rules, but it just pisses those off that do.

I guess it falls in the same category as foot wedges, dropping on the other side of water hazards, grounding your club in a bunker, and giving yourself putts. just because it happens every day doesn't mean I have to like it.
[/quote]

What's wrong with chippers?

Also voted 4 x no.

I voted no X4, but that's just how I feel. I don't really care though what other people are playing, UNLESS it is an event that requires USGA rules. Then everybody should be on the same playing field.

Illegal Distance ball in a scramble, sure. I'm sure that someone else would be using them if they were predominately available. I know there are supposed to be illegal balls out there now but I never see distance gains and hit my normal ball off the tee better anyway. So I said i would try them but never in a normal round.

Probably wouldn't ever use it in a round, but I'd be tempted to buy a driver capable of hitting it 350-400 just for the hell of it, dick around with at the driving range or something. That's about it though.

No, and you won't get a lot of yes's on this site. If you go to the WITB section there are tons of guys who won't be playing in a tournament situation where conforming grooves are required yet they are using the conforming wedges rather than the superior non conforming ones. Wrxers seem to like conforming equipment whether they need it or not.

Most major manufacturers have made drivers which are beyond USGA rules and they appear on the non-conforming list. Granted, most are not significantly hotter than what they're selling. Callaway started it with their ERCs ages ago. I think we're still a few years away from having a major manufacturer make an overly hot fairway wood -- RBZ is still easily below the limit. The quality control with thinner faces on a small fairway wood is still a challenge at high volume.
For fooling around, sure -- why not? For faster swingers, though, the real high COR drivers might not last very long. And if you're wild, those hot balls aren't going to help much, except in scrambles, and they're no help hitting into greens. I bought some component "illegal" wedge heads, made up the 52*. It does give more spin on full shots but I hit my irons pretty high, so I tend to land the ball pretty softly with less bite, and the extra backspin didn't really help me most of the time, so I don't game it. The 56* and 60* heads are still in the plastic. But they're fun to play with. And while you may get a few more yards out of a hot driver and ball, they don't help on the course quite as much as anybody hopes.

I think the most fun is taking the illegal wedge to the astroturf driving range and getting the ball to hold the "greens."

4xNo.


Illegal clubs/balls are like the foot wedge. You accomplish nothing by doing it.


But I guess if somebody wants to mess around with them I don't have a problem with it as long as they don't do it in any kind of competition (scrambles included... the rules still apply) and they qualify their score whenever they mention it in coversation.

[quote name='kmayer99' timestamp='1331768362' post='4509357']
Simply, its a gentlemen's game...gentlemen dont cheat.


[/quote]

Exactly...

At what point are you no longer playing golf? The rule exist to define the game... even if you don't agree with them, they are the rules. If you don't want to follow the rules, play Frolf.

[quote name='Myherobobhope' timestamp='1331938522' post='4521853']
[quote name='kmayer99' timestamp='1331768362' post='4509357']
Simply, its a gentlemen's game...gentlemen dont cheat.


[/quote]

Exactly...

At what point are you no longer playing golf? The rule exist to define the game... even if you don't agree with them, they are the rules. If you don't want to follow the rules, play Frolf.
[/quote]


+100.

Of all sports, golf is the one most defined by the rules.

A score on a card that was shot with non-conforming clubs would be the same thing (to me) as a score shot with multiple mulligans and foot wedges. The score would be meaningless.

i voted no, no, no and no.

i don't give myself gimmies, i don't use foot wedges, and i don't use clubs that aren't legal on the tour. am i on the PGA tour? of course not...but it was just a personal decision. i like to play by the rules, even though i know i don't have to.

do i care if people i play with people who use foot wedges or take gimmies? of course not. anyone i play can play however they want as long as we aren't playing for money...but when i look at my scorecard after a round, or a scorecard from a year or two ago that i kept, i like to know that is was my real score.

i just have a ton of respect for the game and like to play by the same rules the best players in the world play by.

I don't cheat.

I voted y, y,y and n. I'd buy the balls, the driver and Fw. I don't like to spin my wedges all that much, so there's a no to the wedges.

I've had the illegal balls and an illegal driver. For you all guys that hate cheaters, I never played them in tourneys', so don't go there.

The balls are a tad smaller and have more "rubber"....they don't help at all from what I found. I gained no distance even though they state 20-30 yards extra. In fact the dang thing was like hitting a rock. It was horrible.

The driver, 12* Integra SooLong 145, was a total blast to hit. 48" stiff shaft and driver face of 93 cor. The club was around 224 grams total. The thing was a monster. Not near the distance they claim but an added 10-15 yards not 20-30. I had it for about 8 months and cracked the face. It was replaced at no cost no questions asked.

They would be cool to use at the range for a couple of shots but other than that I would have no interest in them.

I voted no to all 4s.

Although I understand it's cheating, I still have a couple non-confrming wedges. The reasons being I already had them when the rules changed, I don't do any comptetition or betting of any kind, because I suck too much, and I simply don't have the money to buy new wedges when my old ones are still good.

I will say this though. When I made the decision I needed a 52* to fill the PW-SW gap, I had the option to get the non-conforming one, but I decided to get the legit one instead.

Equipment aside, interestingly enough, most of the people I've played with do not follow the rules, usually by not playing the ball as it lies. Most pick it up to see if it's really theirs, or just refuse to play out of "divots" or out of "crappy lies". To those people, I would suggest they buy Adams clubs

EDIT: Basing my opinion on pure logic, I would say that a man playing from the reds is cheating (unless the reds are also senior tees, in which case this applies to men under 50(?)) because the slope and rating are clearly adjusted for women/seniors (i.e. higher values than whites or yellows where I play)

[quote name='Thrillhouse' timestamp='1331799623' post='4511827']
No, and you won't get a lot of yes's on this site. If you go to the WITB section there are tons of guys who won't be playing in a tournament situation where conforming grooves are required yet they are using the conforming wedges rather than the superior non conforming ones. Wrxers [b]seem to like conforming equipment whether they need it or not.
[/b][/quote]


+1

I'm not indexed and don't play in tourney's that have rules.....so my vote doesn't really count.

Interesting though....my buddy and I were talking about this the other day on the range.....I thought most people wouldn't go for this type of equipment for the exact reasons listed here.....calling it cheating.....even when the rules only apply in handicap/tournament situations (etiquette and whatnot applies all the time).....and, to be frank, the majority of golfers aren't indexed and don't play tournaments.....HOWEVER, as Thrill points out....the majority of WRXers are handicapped and do play tournaments.....

I would probably buy the balls and the driver just to mess around with on the range and for non-handicap/fun rounds.