Ah, the good old British weather. One minute it’s scorching, the next it’s absolutely tipping down. And getting caught in a downpour on the course led Dave McGinlay to email me the following question about the humble golf umbrella…
“Playing a casual round the other day, it started raining as we were walking to the green. One of our players had hit his approach shot to about six inches.
“He walked up to his ball with his umbrella in one hand and his putter in the other and proceeded to putt one-handed while holding the brolly aloft to keep himself dry. This led to long discussion. Would this be allowed in a competition?”
Can you wield your golf umbrella in this way, or are you going to come a cropper? Let’s reveal all…
Golf umbrella rules: Can you hold an umbrella and putt?
Yes, it’s fine. Rule 10.2b (5) allows a player to hold an umbrella over their head while making a stroke.
Where it becomes a problem is if someone else is holding the brolly.
If a caddie, or any other person, was to hold the umbrella over the player’s head while they putted – or deliberately position it in any other way to give protection – it’s an action that’s going to come with the general penalty attached.
That’s two strokes, or loss of hole in match play – quite a sanction to keep a few rain drops off for a couple of seconds.
If you read this rule, it goes a bit wider than just a small shower. It covers sun, wind, or any other element and any object or person that could give protection. So while you can shield yourself against the vagaries of Mother Nature, don’t let anyone else get involved when you’re making a stroke.
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.
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What do you think about these golf umbrella rules? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
And if you want to upgrade your umbrella check out our buying guide – Best Golf Umbrellas: Stay dry and shielded from wind with these top picks
