Can a blind golfer set down a club to help aim?

Yes, a blind player may set down an object such as a club to help with aiming or stance, but it must be picked up before the stroke. If the object stays down during the stroke, the player gets the general penalty under Rule 10.2b(3).

What the rule allows

Rule 25.2c modifies Rule 10.2b(3) so that a blind player, their caddie, or their aide can place an object on the ground to show where to aim or where to position the feet. This applies anywhere on the course — tee, fairway, rough, bunker, or green. The object can be a club, an alignment stick, or anything similar that helps the player line up.

The one condition: remove it before you swing

The object has to be removed before the stroke is made. If the player makes the stroke while the object is still on the ground, the modification no longer applies and the player incurs the general penalty (two strokes in stroke play, loss of hole in match play) for breaching Rule 10.2b(3). There is no exception for forgetting; the penalty is automatic once the stroke is made with the object in place.

Who can place the object

The player, the caddie, or the aide may set the object down. An aide has the same status as a caddie under the Rules, and a blind player may have both an aide and a caddie at the same time. Either one can help with aiming, but whoever places the object is responsible for making sure it is removed before the stroke.

How this differs from the aide-standing-on-line rule

Rule 25.2d lets an aide or caddie stand on the line of play behind the ball during the stroke to give verbal alignment. Rule 25.2c is different: it lets them place an object on the ground as a physical aiming reference, but that object must be gone before the swing starts. The two rules work together — the aide can stand on the line calling out adjustments while also having placed a club on the ground initially — but the object must be removed even if the aide stays in position. For the standing-on-line rule, see Can a blind golfer's aide stand on the line of play?.

Exceptions that change the answer

• The object is not removed before the stroke → The player gets the general penalty (two strokes or loss of hole) for a breach of Rule 10.2b(3).

Frequently asked questions

Can a blind golfer leave a club on the ground while putting?

No. The club or any other aiming aid must be removed before the stroke is made. If the player putts with the club still on the ground, they get the general penalty.

Does this apply only on the putting green?

No. The modification applies anywhere on the course — tee, fairway, rough, bunker, or green — whenever the blind player is making a stroke.

Can the caddie or aide hold the club in place instead of setting it down?

Rule 25.2c specifically covers setting an object down. Holding a club or touching the player to indicate aim is covered by other parts of Rule 25.2 (help with aiming and stance), but the object-on-the-ground allowance only works if the object is placed and then removed before the stroke.

What if the wind blows the club onto the ball after it was set down for aiming?

The player must still remove the object before the stroke. If the object moves and the player makes a stroke without removing it, the general penalty applies. The player should wait and remove it, or replace it and then remove it, before playing.

Can a sighted player ever set down a club to aim?

No. For sighted players, Rule 10.2b(3) prohibits setting down an object to help with aiming, stance, or swing. Doing so incurs the general penalty. This modification is only for players who are blind under Rule 25.2.