Rusty club face: OK?

[joekelly]

Took the old 3 wood, so called, out of the closet and found the face a bit rusty and pitted. The club says 'maraging' which is some kind of metal treatment, i think. Anyways, it's certainly rusty and i can feel the bumps on the surface.  Wondered if this is OK to play as not precisely conforming to specs, i guess. I would think the rusty pits/bumps  would help grip the ball cover and keep the ball on the face, a nanosecond longer.

Any ideas on this?

[Mulligan Jeff]

Can't see a benefit of clubface in that condition. 00 steel wool will do the trick Joe it should make rust disappear. Maraging or blending of materials was used some years ago to achieve a greater hardness in clubface.

[luu5]

Normal wear (scrapes, dings, rust) is allowed. IIRC rust increases grip on glub face, but not sure if you need that on 3W.

[jamo]

Post a picture. Rust isn't going to help you in any way, but if there's not much of it, it might not hurt a lot.

[Asheville]

Took the old 3 wood, so called, out of the closet and found the face a bit rusty and pitted. The club says 'maraging' which is some kind of metal treatment, i think. Anyways, it's certainly rusty and i can feel the bumps on the surface.  Wondered if this is OK to play as not precisely conforming to specs, i guess. I would think the rusty pits/bumps  would help grip the ball cover and keep the ball on the face, a nanosecond longer.

Any ideas on this?

4-1 . Form And Make Of Clubs

a . General

The player’s clubs must conform with this Rule and the provisions, specifications and interpretations set forth in Appendix II .

Note: The Committee may require, in the conditions of a competition (Rule 33-1 ), that any driver the player carries must have a clubhead, identified by model and loft, that is named on the current List of Conforming Driver Heads issued by the USGA.

b . Wear and Alteration

A club that conforms with the Rules when new is deemed to conform after wear through normal use. Any part of a club that has been purposely altered is regarded as new and must, in its altered state, conform with the Rules .