For Immediate Publication - Tuesday 4 October 2005
R&A PUBLISHES LIST OF CONFORMING DRIVER HEADSThe R&A, golf’s world governing body and organiser of The Open Championship, today
announced the publication of a List of Driver Heads that will conform to the new Rule limiting‘spring-like’ effect to be introduced from 1 January 2008. Driver heads which currently conformto the Rules of Golf, but which will become non-conforming on 1 January 2008 as a result of
the new Rule, are not included on the List.
Work began on the development of this List a year ago, after a formal proposal received
enthusiastic support from the Professional Tours, The R&A's Affiliated Unions and equipment
manufacturers. The List, which has been compiled and refined in close collaboration withmanufacturers, will be an essential guide for golfers preparing for the 2008 Rule – whether it beto ascertain the status of their current driver or to help them in their future purchasing decisions.
There are approximately 1700 models, dating back to 1999, on the List at the current time. Aclub manufactured before 1999 is considered to be conforming and on the List unlessspecifically ruled otherwise. The R&A already publishes a list of driving clubs that will become
non-conforming in 2008.
Commenting on the launch of this List, The R&A’s Director of Rules and Equipment Standards,
David Rickman, said "The publication of this List should help ease the transition towards the2008 Rule change. We are appreciative of the support that we have received frommanufacturers and we are confident that this List will be of assistance to the golfing public."
The List will be updated weekly and will be maintained jointly with the United States Golf
Association. It can be accessed from The R&A’s website (www.randa.org) by following the links
to ‘Rules’, ‘Equipment’ and ‘Driving Clubs’. A publicity campaign to increase awareness of theList is planned for individual Golf Clubs in Great Britain and Ireland and via The R&A’s 125
Affiliated Unions worldwide.
The decision to introduce a limit on the ‘spring-like’ effect of driving clubs was first announcedin August 2002 and The R&A introduced a test in January 2003. Since 2003, the Rules haveallowed Committees to introduce a Condition of Competition requiring driving clubs tocomply with the 2008 Rule. Initially, this Condition was only used in Professional events, but inrecent years it has been used in top Amateur events. From 1st January 2006 until 31stDecember 2007, the Condition will be revised to allow a Committee to require driving clubs tohave a head which is detailed on the List of Conforming Driver Heads. For most competitions
and all recreational play, the use of this Condition is not recommended. Further details of thisCondition of Competition and its recommended use are attached, along with further detailsof the workings of the List.
Questions on the above should be directed to David Rickman or Claire Bates.
LIST DETAILS
1. The R&A and the United States Golf Association (USGA) will jointly maintain a single List ofConforming Driver Heads.
2. The List will include information on driver heads only.

3. For the purpose of the List, a "driving club" will be defined as a club that is designed,primarily, for use when hitting from the teeing ground. Club design features such as loft,
head size, face dimensions, head weight and club length will also be considered, as well as
any apparent or declared intent of the design.
4. A driver head will only be included on the List if it has been submitted The R&A by themanufacturer and it has been determined to conform to the Rules of Golf in all respects.
Driver heads submitted to the USGA will be added to the List by the USGA.
5. Only driver heads submitted and/or manufactured from 1999 onwards will be individuallylisted. A club manufactured before 1999 would be considered conforming and on the List
unless that club has been ruled non-conforming by The R&A or determined to be nonconforming by a Tournament Official.
6. The List will be updated weekly, by 00:01 (GMT) every Monday.
7. If the design of a driver head is modified from the club as submitted, The R&A reserves theright to review the conformance status of that club. Additional samples of the club may beobtained and evaluated for the purposes of verifying its conformance.
8. At present, there will be no expiration date for a club included on the List. However, aclubhead included on the List may be removed if it no longer conforms to the Rules of Golf
due to a subsequent Rules change.
9. For the foreseeable future, The R&A will continue to maintain and publish the list of driving
clubs that will become non-conforming from 1 January 2008.
DETAILS OF CONDITION OF COMPETITION
From 1 January 2006, Committees may introduce the following Condition:"Driving Clubs
The driver the player carries must have a clubhead, identified by model and loft, that isnamed on the current List of Conforming Driver Heads issued by R&A Rules Limited.
Note: Any individual driver on the List, if tested on pendulum testing apparatus approved byR&A Rules Limited, must not have a characteristic time greater than 257 microseconds.
Penalty for Breach of Condition: Disqualification"
Further details of the administration and use of this Condition are as follows:
1. As with the Conforming Golf Ball List, this Condition would only be recommended for use by
Committees in charge of competitions involving expert players (including top Amateurevents).
2. The Condition specifically refers to driver ‘heads’. However, any driving club that a player
carries must conform to all other rules for golf clubs.
3. It is the player's responsibility to carry clubs which conform to the Rules of Golf, and all
relevant Conditions of Competition. Therefore, players and manufacturers alike should takecare to ensure that any modification made to a driver head does not alter the playing
characteristics to such an extent that it becomes a different head to the sample submitted
for evaluation and which appears on the List.

4. If a driver fails any on-site test (e.g. for characteristic time, grooves, etc.), the individual club
would be considered non-conforming and may not be carried by the player even if thatmodel of driver appears on the List.
5. Driver heads manufactured prior to 1999 are exempt from the requirement of this condition.
Further Information: David Rickman, Director of Rules and Equipment Standards
Claire Bates, Assistant Director – Equipment Standards
The R&A
Tel: 01334 460000