http://www.usga.org/rules/equipment-rules.html#!rule-14609 false Appendix II - Design of Clubs Appendix II - Design of Clubs Preamble As well as advising manufacturers that they should submit clubs to the USGA for a ruling as to their conformity, the preamble to Appendix II also states that: Where a club, or part of a club, is required to meet a specification within the Rules, it must be designed and manufactured with the intention of meeting that specification. This point can be illustrated using Appendix II, 2a, which states, in part, that "The shaft must be straight ..." For the purposes of the Rules, this means that manufacturers are expected to design their shafts with the intention that they will be straight. However, taking into consideration the materials commonly used to make shafts, and the manufacturing techniques involved, it is not always possible for them to be perfectly straight. The preamble to Appendix II requires that the shaft must be designed and manufactured with the intention of being straight (for further example, see Section 2b). As a result, when evaluating shafts for conformance, the USGA may incorporate a reasonable tolerance. Appendix II divides the club into five separate categories and describes the specifications that apply to each. The five categories are as follows: 1. The Club (in general) 2. The Shaft 3. The Grip 4. The Clubhead 5. The Club Face The following section will examine the preceding five categories in detail. Each sub-section will begin by stating the relevant rule (shaded in blue) and then explain what is meant by the rule, as well as how to apply it. When the explanations incorporate a specific ‘guideline' which has been adopted by the Equipment Standards Committee, it will be highlighted with blue text.