Was my bent shaft really saved?

[WalkTheCourse]

Put a slight but noticeable bend in my gap wedge when I hit a tree. I took it to the fitting pro, he took a look and said:

"Well ya know, there's no creases in it, I don't even think you need a new shaft."

He proceeded to grab a rolled up golf towel and work the shaft back into shape slowly but surely... it was like watching a blacksmith :).

He gave me back the club and quipped "There ya go, straighter than new. No charge." It was quite amazing. There is no perceptible bend in this club right now.

But therein lies the question... while the damage is perceptibly repaired, is my club okay? Keep in mind I'm a strictly recreational player. Even if the shaft is 0.01% bent, I don't think I'd notice a difference...

Feel free to share your thoughts on safety concerns, playability concerns, etc.

[WalkTheCourse]

Followup: It has worked really well on the course. No issues after a couple of rounds post-bending-incident.

Any thoughts, anyone?

[Fyearoldgolfer]

You will never know unless the shaft fractures at the bend point at some point in the future. I have broken three iron shafts with no apparent damages to them prior to catastrophic failure on downswing prior to impact. If the golf ball breaks during a attempt at stroke, free drop. If club breaks on down swing, one stroke penalty, if it impacts the ball add two stroke penalty, reduced to one, max penalty two strokes for any one stroke at ball.

[WalkTheCourse]

Well, not really worried about all the intricate golf rules (see "recreational player" in first post), but thanks for your wisdom on the potential hazards... I guess we'll see what happens.

[Fyearoldgolfer]

Yes, I understood the recreational golfer disclaimer, but I thought you should know of the potential in the future. Swing speed in combination with shaft loading can cause a shaft to break even when you are a recreational golfer. Yesterday, I heard in the pro shop of a brand new club that broke during its first round of play, it was inspected by three long term veteran golf pros who all could not come up with any explanation as to why the shaft failed. The Major Manufacturer immediately issued a RA number and the golfer will receive a factory reshafted club at no charge within 2 weeks, usually just one.

[David in FL]

You will never know unless the shaft fractures at the bend point at some point in the future. I have broken three iron shafts with no apparent damages to them prior to catastrophic failure on downswing prior to impact. If the golf ball breaks during a attempt at stroke, free drop. If club breaks on down swing, one stroke penalty, if it impacts the ball add two stroke penalty, reduced to one, max penalty two strokes for any one stroke at ball.

Huh? :-\ I think you may need to revisit rule 14-1 as well as decisions 14/1 - 14/5.....

[Fyearoldgolfer]

18-2 a. ii     Players equipment causes ball to move. One stroke .  If ball moved, it must be replaced, unless the movement of the ball occurs after has begun the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made.

Therefore the stroke is counted, and a additional stroke for moving a ball at rest. Replace the ball, commence with your fourth stroke.

[Fyearoldgolfer]

The violation occurred 5 - 8 years ago, I did not save my rule books from prior years, but was disgusted with the penalty being so severe for the difference between breaking a ball vs breaking a club in the normal course of play.

[David in FL]

18-2 a. ii     Players equipment causes ball to move.  [COLOR=FF0000]One stroke[/COLOR].  If ball moved, it must be replaced, unless the movement of the ball occurs after has begun the player has begun the stroke or the backward movement of the club for the stroke and the stroke is made. Therefore the stroke is counted, and a additional stroke for moving a ball at rest. Replace the ball, commence with your fourth stroke.

There is no penalty for the moving a ball while making a stroke, whether the club breaks or not. You simply count every stroke you make..... Nor is there, or ever has been, any penalty for breaking a golf ball. If you're referencing decision 14/4, you're misreading it. In that case there was no swing because the player stopped his swing. The broken clubhead (his equipment) struck the ball and as a result, he incurs a one stroke penalty under 18-2a or -2b. One stroke only. Replace the ball and play on.

[WalkTheCourse]

Here's my rulebook:

1 Hit ball.
2 Walk after it.

3 Repeat (1) and (2)until ball is in hole.

4 Remove ball from hole.
5 Repeat steps (1) through (4) 17 more times.

[M2R]

Originally Posted by WalkTheCourse

Here's my rulebook:

1 Hit ball.

2 Walk after it.

3 Repeat (1) and (2)until ball is in hole.

4 Remove ball from hole.

5 Repeat steps (1) through (4) 17 more times.

Fixing divots and pitch marks on the green (even if they might not be your own sometimes) is implied somewhere between 1 and 5 ... I hope

FWIW if a pro fitter thinks your shaft is OK I would tend to think it very likely is.

[WalkTheCourse]

Ya know... I didn't include things like "take warm-up swings" and "put ball on tee" and "crouch over golf ball to line up putt..." I think it's fairly obvious that what I wrote was a facetiously abridged version of my golf game...

But thanks for the advice, I suppose.

[M2R]

Originally Posted by WalkTheCourse

Ya know... I didn't include things like "take warm-up swings" and "put ball on tee" and "crouch over golf ball to line up putt..." I think it's fairly obvious that what I wrote was a facetiously abridged version of my golf game...

But thanks for the advice, I suppose.

I really liked your tongue-in-cheek version of the rules and thought it was clever and amusing.  I was attempting to reply in same tongue-in-cheek manner and hoped the smiley made that clear. In retrospect maybe that wasn't such a well thought through idea on my part.

[Fyearoldgolfer]

I did not say that I stopped my swing, I did not stop my swing,  I completed my swing with 1/2 of a golf club in my hands.

[David in FL]

Originally Posted by Fyearoldgolfer

I did not say that I stopped my swing, I did not stop my swing,  I completed my swing with 1/2 of a golf club in my hands.

In which case there's no penalty whatsoever.  You just counted the stroke and play the next shot as it lies.