“Noticed a crack on my driver 2 mins before my tee time”: Michael Kim talks about the time he took advantage of an unusual rule

Michael Kim is known to be very active on X (formerly Twitter). He frequently posts content about his experiences as a PGA Tour player, as well as engaging with fans on topics related to the sport.

Such was the case on Sunday, November 3rd. Kim responded on X to a fan's comment about a controversial golf rule. His response was based on a personal anecdote that occurred at a tournament.

The fan's comment was about the rule that allows players to start a tournament with fewer than 14 clubs in their bag and add clubs throughout the round until they reach the required number (14). The fan's question was whether this rule had ever been used.

The application of this rule is so unusual that the fan turned to authoritative voices to find out if they had ever used it. They tagged well-known golf stats pro Lou Stagner and pro players Joel Dahmen and Michael Kim.

The latter made it clear that the rule is not only used, but useful. He did this by telling the following anecdote:

"I noticed a crack on my driver 2 min before my tee time and I teed off the first hole (par 5 with a 3 wood cuz the clubhouse was too far away. Caddie met me with a backup head on the fairway. I don’t see an advantage of starting off with 13."

The rule Michael Kim is referring to is 4.1b(1), which states in part (via the official United States Golf Association website):

"If the player starts a round with fewer than 14 clubs, they may add clubs during the round up to the 14-club limit. A club is considered added when the player makes their next stroke with any club while the added club is in the player's possession."

The allowance to add clubs to the bag has its limits, as stated in Rule 4.1b(4). They are as follows:

• Unreasonably delay play

• Add or borrow any club being carried by or for any other player who is playing on the course (even if the other player is playing in a different group or competition).
• Build a club from parts being carried by or for the player or any other player who is playing on the course (even if the other player is playing in a different group or competition).

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Michael Kim is no stranger to unusual rules

Michael Kim has a lot of experience in professional golf thanks to his 11-year career. This has allowed him to immerse himself in the rules of golf and use even the most unusual ones.

The most recent example was at the Black Desert Championship, where one of his tee shots hit a hole in the ground in the native area. Normally, he would have had to declare it unplayable and take a penalty stroke and a drop, but that was not the case.

Kim noted that the hole in the ground was made by an animal, for which Rule 16.1 provides a free drop. The player called for the rule to be applied and it was granted, allowing him to save par on the hole.