The USGA began allowing the use of distance measuring devices (DMDs) by local rule in 2006, and today it seems like almost every player now has one. While the USGA still does not permit DMDs in their own championships, we do allow them to be used in all of our non-junior CGA championships. In the last five years, manufactures have developed an assortment of different types including Skycaddies, Range Finders, and there are even applications for cell phones. Also, many devices can come with a number of exciting tools that measure wind, slope, elevation, etc. These features, however, can cause serious problems for players when it comes to the Rules.
At the 75th playing of the CGA Stroke Play, which was played at CommonGround GC, a competitor lost his range finder during the play of a hole and asked a rules official to look for it. Luckily, (or unluckily as the case may be), the device was found and turned in by another player in the field. However, the the player told the official he returned the device to that he didn’t believe the display on the side of the unit was legal. The device had a screen on its side that formed a triangle and displayed numbers indicating the slope of the shot. When addressed, the player claimed he didn’t know how to use the feature and never paid attention to it. However, the local rule is specific–devices must measure distance only to be legal. If a device measures something other than distance, such as wind, gradient, slope, elevation or even direction via a compass, it is not permitted for use whether or not these functions are turned off or ignored. Unfortunately, the player learned that the penalty for using such a device is as severe as penalties get–disqualification.
There are other devices on the market that present a gray area, such as the use of cell phones as DMDs. As it now stands, phones that have a permanently built-in function contrary to the Rules, such as a compass or weather tracking app, are not permitted for use. But phones that do not have any contrary permanent functions are acceptable to be used as DMDs provided any user-downloaded apps that would be in violation have been uninstalled.
To be safe you should always check with the committee in charge of the event before using a DMD or an app on your cell phone. If you don’t, you could be disqualified on the first hole and have to find something entertaining to do for the next 5 hours in the surrounding area.
There’s an app for that, too.
