Can you look into a player’s bag to see what club they’re using?
We all know we can’t touch, but what if we just take a look? Our Rules expert has got you covered
Rules dramas used to be once in a blue moon on tour. Now it seems golf watchers are trying to play Sherlock Holmes on every shot. Gary Woodland appeared on social media in an image showing him peering into Justin Thomas’s bag before hitting his shot on a par-3 during the first round of the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
It was quite the gaze, with the former US Open champion giving JT’s bag his undivided attention for a few moments.
We know we can’t touch someone’s clubs, and we know the rules are going to come down on us like a tonne of bricks if we start talking to our playing partners about what we’re using before they’ve played their shot.
But what if you’ve just been a bit of a voyeur? What do the rules say then?
Woodland with a not so subtle peek into JT’s bag to see what he’s hitting off the tee at 16 pic.twitter.com/bdkC0OYupK
— Chris Murphy (@CS_Murph) February 15, 2024
Gary Woodland: Does looking into another player’s bag constitute advice?
If you’ve ever done this and are worried you’re breaking a rule, relax. You’ve done nothing wrong.
Rule 10.2a, on advice, confirms what we’ve outlined above. You’ll get the general penalty (two shots or loss of hole in match play) if you “touch another player’s equipment to learn information that would be advice if given or asked of the other player”.
That includes fiddling with another player’s clubs or bag to see what they’re using.
There is nothing, though, to stop you having a gander and finding out what you want to know. It really is a case of look but don’t touch.
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 about these rules on advice and how Gary Woodland looked in the bag? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
Steve Carroll
A journalist for 25 years, Steve has been immersed in club golf for almost as long. A former club captain, he has passed the Level 3 Rules of Golf exam with distinction having attended the R&A's prestigious Tournament Administrators and Referees Seminar.
Steve has officiated at a host of high-profile tournaments, including Open Regional Qualifying, PGA Fourball Championship, English Men's Senior Amateur, and the North of England Amateur Championship. In 2023, he made his international debut as part of the team that refereed England vs Switzerland U16 girls.
A part of NCG's Top 100s panel, Steve has a particular love of links golf and is frantically trying to restore his single-figure handicap. He currently floats at around 11.
Steve plays at Close House, in Newcastle, and York GC, where he is a member of the club's matches and competitions committee and referees the annual 36-hole scratch York Rose Bowl.
Having studied history at Newcastle University, he became a journalist having passed his NTCJ exams at Darlington College of Technology.
What's in Steve's bag: TaylorMade Stealth 2 driver, 3-wood, and hybrids; TaylorMade Stealth 2 irons; TaylorMade Hi-Toe, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
