The Rules Of Golf Copyright© 2005
The United States Golf Association

Apendix II, 4B
(ii) Irons and Putters
A Guide To The Rules On Clubs & Balls

When the clubhead is in its normal position the dimensions of the head must be such that the distance from the heel to the toe is greater than the distance from the face to the back.

While the above Rule covers both irons and putters, it is more relevant to putters in practice. For traditionally shaped heads, these measurements should be made as shown in Figure 31 - at the outer extremities of the head.



The Rules goes on to state that, for unusually shaped putters, the toe to heel dimension should be made as close as possible to the face of the club - and certainly no more than halfway back from the face.

However, since the introduction of this Rule, we have developed four new dimensional guidelines to more clearly define the permissible size and shape of a putter, making the application of the above provision rare.

These new guidelines can be listed as follows and are illustrated in Figure 32:

(i) The distance from the heel to the toe of the putter head must not be greater than 7 inches (177.8 mm);

(ii) The distance from the heel to the toe of the putter face must be no less than 2/3 of the distance from the front to the back of the head;

(iii) The distance from the heel to the toe of the putter face must be no less than 1/2 the distance from the heel to the toe of the head;

(iv) The distance from the sole to the top of the putter head, including any features, must not be greater than 2.5 inches (63.5 mm).


It is important to note that appendages are not permitted if their sole purpose is to meet the dimensional specifications above.