Golf Rules: Is it Legal to Putt While Puffing a Cigar?

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Transcript

00:00Golf rules. Is it legal to putt while puffing a cigar?

00:04But is that thick stogie just for show?

00:07Or could it be skirting the edges of the rules of golf as a sneaky training aid?

00:11According to rule 4.3a, players are prohibited from using equipment or objects to assist in making a stroke,

00:18including anything that artificially helps steady your body or guide your swing.

00:23But here's the nuance.

00:24If the cigar is in your mouth because you simply enjoy cigars, then puff away.

00:30But, and here's where the rules tap you on the shoulder.

00:33If that Churchill-sized cigar is there because you've noticed it keeps your head from bobbing and weaving on your putts,

00:39then you're flirting with a gray zone.

00:42Technically, if you're not consciously using it to aid your putting motion, you're fine.

00:46But if the stogie becomes a surrogate for a swing aid, and you start relying on it for putting consistency,

00:53then the rules start getting testy.

00:56Intent is the invisible line.

00:58And if you cross it, you might have a problem.

01:01Can you pause at the bottom of your stroke?

01:03Yes.

01:04Can you ditch the backswing entirely and just nudge the ball forward from a static position?

01:09The rules do not require a backswing.

01:12But they do require a proper stroke, meaning you strike the ball with the clubhead,

01:17not push, scoop, or scrape it along.

01:20The contact must be brief and clean.

01:22If you're successfully doing that, you're within the rules, even if it looks unorthodox,

01:28and frankly, a bit unsettling to your buddies.

01:31But if your stroke starts looking more like a shuffle than a strike,

01:35you'll be racking up penalties faster than you can say double bogey.

01:39Your buddies might not have seen it on tour, but that doesn't make it illegal.

01:44The pros aren't your rulebook.

01:45They're just the best at what works.

01:48As long as you're making a clean, legal strike and not crafting some Frankenstein's monster of a putting motion,

01:53you're good to go.

01:55And if the big, fat cigar stays lit and your score stays low,

01:59well, some traditions are worth keeping, even if they smell a little smoky.

02:02You're good to go.