Can I check my heart rate during a round?
There is plenty of technology out there to track your health, but will it cost you on the golf course? Our rules expert has the answer
How many of you recently got a Fitbit? (Other fitness trackers are available, of course.) If you’ve got hold of a touch of wearable tech you’ll have noticed it can impart all kinds of interesting information: calorie counts, steps taken, heart rate, even the amount of oxygen you’re taking in.
All very worthwhile, of course, as we try and lead healthier lives. But if you’re planning to check your heart rate while golfing, there are some things you’re going to need to know…
Golf technology: Is it OK to check your heart rate while golfing?
Rule 4.3 covers use of equipment and if you’ve been taking a little peek at your heart rate after you’ve had a particularly nervy shot then you might be surprised to learn the following.
While you can record, for use after the round, playing or physiological information from that round – and heart rate is something that’s specifically mentioned – using “any physiological information recorded during the round” is not allowed.
On a wider issue, Rule 4.3b covers equipment used for medical reasons. If you were using equipment to help with a medical condition, you had a medical reason to use it, and the “committee decides that its use does not give the player any unfair advantage over other players”, then you wouldn’t be in breach.
You can read more about what you can do when you’ve got a golf injury here.
Now you might be wondering what all the fuss is about, but the penalties for breaching this rule get serious pretty quickly.
A first offence of Rule 4.3 comes with a two-shot penalty. A second, for a breach that’s unrelated to the first, means disqualification.
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 golf technology rules? Do you check your heart rate while golfing? 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; Caley 01T irons 4-PW; TaylorMade Hi-Toe wedges, Ping ChipR, Sik Putter.
