What to do if your golf club breaks during a round

You can keep playing with the damaged club, repair it, or replace it with another club — no penalty — as long as the damage wasn't caused by abuse. The damaged club stays legal for the rest of the round.

What counts as damaged during a round

Any change to the club's playing characteristics caused by an act during the round counts — a stroke, a practice swing, dropping the club, leaning on it, or even someone else hitting it. Normal wear like a rattling clubhead, a worn grip, or a face depression from repeated strikes does not count as damage; the club stays conforming and you just keep playing. The rule also covers damage while play is stopped under Rule 5.7a, so if a tree branch falls on your bag during a weather delay, that's still "during the round."

Your three options

First, you can simply keep using the damaged club for the rest of the round — it's treated as conforming no matter how bent or cracked it is. Second, you can repair it: tighten a loose adjustable weight, re-attach lead tape that fell off, or straighten a bent shaft, as long as you don't change its playing characteristics to a different setting. Third, you can replace it with another club, but you must take the damaged club out of play immediately — before your next stroke — using the procedure in Rule 4.1c(1). If you replace it, the replacement club can be any club (even one you didn't start with), but you can't exceed the 14-club limit. The damaged club is done for the round; you can't put it back in the bag and use it later.

When you can't repair or replace

Abuse is the only hard no. If you snap your putter over your knee, throw a wedge into a lake, or deliberately bend a club to change its loft, you lose the right to repair or replace that club. You can still keep using the broken club if it's playable, but you can't swap it out. Deliberately changing a club's playing characteristics during the round — adjusting a movable weight to a new setting, adding lead tape mid-round, or putting a sticker on the face — also carries a penalty under Rule 4.1a(3) unless you restore it before making a stroke.

Exceptions that change the answer

• You damaged the club through abuse (throwing, bending in anger, smashing it) → You may not repair or replace it. You can only continue using it as-is.
• An adjustable feature moved on its own and you restore it to the original setting before your next stroke → No penalty, and the club may be used.
• A non-permissible external attachment (like a sticker on the face) is removed before the next stroke → No penalty, and the club may be used.
• The round ends and a stroke-play playoff begins → The playoff is a new round — the damaged club is no longer treated as conforming.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep playing with a cracked driver face?

Yes. The damaged club is treated as conforming for the rest of the round, so you can keep using it with no penalty.

What if I snap my putter in anger after missing a short putt?

That's abuse. You lose the right to repair or replace it. You can keep putting with the broken shaft if you want, but you can't swap in a spare.

Do I have to replace a damaged club immediately?

No. You can keep playing with it, repair it later, or replace it later — but once you decide to replace it, you must take the damaged club out of play before your next stroke.

Can I borrow a club from my playing partner to replace a damaged one?

Yes, as long as you don't exceed 14 clubs total and you follow the procedure to take the damaged club out of play first.

What happens if my club breaks during a playoff?

A playoff is a new round. The damaged club is no longer treated as conforming, so you'd need a conforming replacement or play without it.