Vaseline and the driver!

[Mizuno Guy]

Originally Posted by billpar

Sounds like a story of baseball players overusing pine tar on their bats. Or Sammy Sosa corking his bat.

Where does this guy get the idea that greasing up the club is in any ways allowable in fair play?

BTW it's been proven that a corked bat doesn't hit the ball as far as a regular one.

[jetsknicks1]

Got a buddy who used to use chapstick on his driver for the same reason. It did work but we gave him so much sh*t about it, he ended up having to stop.

[saevel25]

Oh Ferhety's new show last night, he was interviewing Lee Trevino. Lee talked about how he would play for money in Texas, and how the rules they played under were you didn't watch your opponent. That is you move the ball, and they would put Vaseline on the clubface to cut down on spin, then you just whip it off before the next hole. It was probably a one shot thing, but when your playing for your life savings, you go to do what you had to do to win.

[Chief Broom]

Cheating isn't necessarily as big a deal as some people make it out to be.  The nature of the game you are playing and the rules you all agree to are what matters.  Obviously I'm not talking about official sanctioned play or even play suitable for handicap posting.  In fact when using the handicap system if a guy always cheats then that is factored into his handicap as long as this person cheats consistantly.  I play in a league that maintains their own handicaps for league play.  It doesn't bother me a bit that the majority of those guys roll the ball and routinely use the foot wedge, because as they do this it effects the number of points they have to pull.  I can play the ball down and by the rules and still feel confident that I am playing these guys at no disadvantage because everyone's style of play is reflected in their league handicap.  In this format the only form of cheating that isn't accounted for is when the guys claims a lower score on a hole than what he actually shot (bogey instead of double, par instead of bogey, etc.).  There are guys who have done that but they get spotted pretty quick and if they try and do it they get called on it or are kicked out of the league.

[Kieran123]

Originally Posted by clubchamp

Chapstick on the driver and life savers under the ball were both huge when I was in high school. Although once one kid got caught and kicked off his team which cost them the match nobody did it anymore.

Lifesavers under the ball - how does that help?

[Paradox]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

Lifesavers under the ball - how does that help?

teeing it up from the fairway

[anotherday]

Originally Posted by Kieran123

Lifesavers under the ball - how does that help?

Might have been on here that I heard about this.. same place as the OP on the topic of lifesavers heard it... but basically, teeing up the ball on the fairway and also, during the follow-through the player was so used to cheating like this, he could make the lifesaver shatter on impact so it was almost undetectable - in the sense that someone casually watching his swing didn't see a green lifesaver fly up into the air. Of course, if he was ever suspected of it, it wouldn't take a whole lot to catch him.

[act0fgod]

How would you get the ball on the lifesaver in a high school match without being seen and quickly called out on? This one seems kind of weird.

[dreygolf]

Originally Posted by inthehole

Last night on Feherty, Travino said he used to vaseline up his towel & everybody thought he was just cleaning his driver, but he was lubing it up to reduce spin (in his amateur hustler days)

Didn't you find it strange that Feherty never asked Trevino if he ever used it in a PGA event?

Here's the facts: foreign substances that effect the spin of the ball have always been against the rules, but never enforced. I personally know for a fact that players have greased their clubs in professional events for the past 40 yrs. Every pro knows about it. So, its very odd that Feherty acted as if he had never heard of it before.

Now there are several companies out there that sell products specifically made to reduce friction / side spin. A couple look like they are just lotion or vaseline, another one claims that its a nano golf club coating. I guess they're trying to take advantage of the fact that not too many amateurs know about this trick.

[zipazoid]

Just for shits 'n giggles I experimented with vaseline on the driver face a couple months back - just in a practice round by myself - here's what I found out -

The ball comes off a little lower & it 'knuckles' out there - you can just tell there's a lot less spin on the ball - there's no 'lift' to the shot. It tends to go straighter too. You end up with less air time but more roll, and I did pick up maybe 10 more yards all told.

As has been posted, it's an old hustler's trick, and in money games it's all fair. The only real rules are, play it down, hole out all putts. Aside from that, put whatever the hell you want on the face. Obviously, illegal for tournament play. But so is more than 14 clubs, and in a cash game they don't care if you carry 20 clubs. Just have enough cash on you the cover the bets.

[LBlack14]

If I caught ya cheatin' in a money game, you and me would have some serious issues.

[zipazoid]

Play it down, hole out all putts. You do those two things you've taken care of 90% of the rules. So what I'm saying is, if you play it down & hole out everything most money players could care less if you got vaseline on your driver face.

[LBlack14]

Play it down, hole out all putts. You do those two things you've taken care of 90% of the rules. So what I'm saying is, if you play it down & hole out everything most money players could care less if you got vaseline on your driver face.

Not sure I agree with you totally. The stuff and chapstick makes a BIG difference. I've witnessed it 1st hand and it is cheating. Casual round, do what you want. Money game, flat wrong. JMHO.

[dreygolf]

Originally Posted by zipazoid

Play it down, hole out all putts. You do those two things you've taken care of 90% of the rules. So what I'm saying is, if you play it down & hole out everything most money players could care less if you got vaseline on your driver face.

Not sure I agree with you totally. The stuff and chapstick makes a BIG difference. I've witnessed it 1st hand and it is cheating. Casual round, do what you want. Money game, flat wrong. JMHO.

Then you probably shouldn't be playing in any big money games, because every big money player that I have ever played with use's it. Get over it!

[Ignorant]

Originally Posted by dreygolf

Then you probably shouldn't be playing in any big money games, because every big money player that I have ever played with use's it. Get over it!

Now I'm puzzled. So in money game you accept use of vaseline even though it is against the Rules? Do you also accept use of chalk on iron clubheads to increase spin? How about kicking the ball in the grass? Any other Rules violations you accept when playing for money? Throwing your ball out of an unplayable llie with no penalty?

Where is the line drawn?

[mayu]

It's funny to see some people would only prefer avoiding flaw rather than correcting it.

But any way. Will be a good try only if he is greasing his own balls .

[camper6]

But vaseline doesn't optimize spin.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by camper6

But vaseline doesn't optimize spin.

It eliminates it, or at least reduces it. You hit knuckleballs. That's why shots don't curve as much.