Golf wouldn’t normally strike you as a hugely dangerous game but I’m here to tell you differently. I’ve been hit by a golf ball. I can tell you it hurts.
And if you’ve ever hit a wild one into a thicket, you’ll know you’re flirting with chaos as you dive in headfirst to try and find your ball.
I have come out bowed and bloodied – without even mentioning what a bunch of prickles and thorns can do to your clothing.
So if you want to avoid a potential shredding, is there anything you can do? What if you wanted to add some protection as you go into battle with nature? Can you use your golf towel to shield yourself from a potential wounding? Can you don your waterproof jacket to give yourself some extra protection?
Can you use a golf towel to protect yourself?
Have you ever heard of the cactus rule? Well, this is it! That’s partly because the cactus – being particularly thorny and troublesome – is the plant that happens to be outlined in the rules, but it can really apply to any prickly situation you might find yourself in on the course.
You might be surprised to learn you can take steps to protect yourself if you think you’re going into harm’s way.
That can be with a golf towel, or any fabric you’ve got at your disposal. You could stick on your waterproofs if you thought that would do the job.
So how is this outlined in the rules? Obviously, it’s not simply a case of covering part of the bush with a towel. If that improved the conditions affecting the stroke – most likely your area of intended stance or swing – you’d be in breach of Rule 8.1a (2) and would get a two-stroke penalty.
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But you are allowed to don protective clothing to help you against the elements. It’s outlined in Rule 10.2b (5) and there is a clarification to that which shows you what is possible.
It says you can wrap a towel around your body to protect yourself against a cactus. You can extend that principle to any thorny obstacle, whether it be a holly or bramble bush or even a particularly tricky tree.
There is nothing in the rules specifying size, either, so maybe pack a big beach style golf towel in your trolley bag. You never know when you might need it.
Got a question for our expert?
Despite the changes to the Rules of Golf in 2019 and 2023, there are still some that leave us scratching our heads. I’ll try to help by featuring the best of your queries in this column.
What do you think of this golf towel rule? Let me know by leaving a comment below, email me at s.carroll@nationalclubgolfer.com or get in touch on X.
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