USGA Official Reveals the Strangest Golf Rules Questions Ever Asked by Players
Bildnummer: 04560162 Datum: 17.06.2009 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI Fahnen der United States Golf Association (USGA) wehen im Wind - PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY (Icon4390906175446); Vdig, quer, Schriftzug o0 Golfverband US Open 2009, PGA Tour Bethpage / Farmingdale Golf Herren Einzel USA Totale Randmotiv Objekte Image number 04560162 date 17 06 2009 Copyright imago Icon Smi Flags the United States Golf Association USGA blow in Wind PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY Icon4390906175446 Vdig horizontal emblem o0 Golf Association U.S. Open 2009 PGA Tour Bethpage Farmingdale Golf men Singles USA long shot Rand motive Objects
Bildnummer: 04560162 Datum: 17.06.2009 Copyright: imago/Icon SMI Fahnen der United States Golf Association (USGA) wehen im Wind - PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY (Icon4390906175446); Vdig, quer, Schriftzug o0 Golfverband US Open 2009, PGA Tour Bethpage / Farmingdale Golf Herren Einzel USA Totale Randmotiv Objekte Image number 04560162 date 17 06 2009 Copyright imago Icon Smi Flags the United States Golf Association USGA blow in Wind PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxHUNxRUSxSWExNORxONLY Icon4390906175446 Vdig horizontal emblem o0 Golf Association U.S. Open 2009 PGA Tour Bethpage Farmingdale Golf men Singles USA long shot Rand motive Objects
If you’ve ever sent a Rules question to the United States Golf Association, there’s a strong chance it landed on Jerry Lemieux’s desk.
The 2026 Joe Dey Award winner has handled thousands of inquiries. In fact, the USGA receives roughly 20,000 rules questions every year through phone, email, text, and its app. Some are technical. Others? Memorable.
“I’m Jerry Lemieux and I’ve answered thousands of rules questions coming into USGA,” he says. One caller knew anchoring a long putter against the body is prohibited under Rule 10.1b, but had a creative workaround.
“He wanted to know if he could hold it against his beard while he putted.” Lemieux laughed. “I figured that came from ZZ Top or something.”
If you've ever asked us a Rules question - and we get approximately 20,000 of them a year via phone, email, app and texts - the odds are high you've interacted with our 2026 Joe Dey Award winner, Jerry Lemieux! pic.twitter.com/vBfmzo9rqg
— USGA (@USGA) March 2, 2026
The anchoring rule is clear: a player cannot anchor the club against the body or create a fixed point. A beard attached to the body would not change that interpretation.
But the questions don’t stop there.
“Maybe the best one I got was a guy who wanted to keep in the theme of birdies, eagles, albatrosses,” he recalls. The suggestion? If someone is about to pick up your ball on another fairway, you should yell, “Cuckoo, cuckoo.”
“I figured we’d let the staff handle that one.”
In fact, a serious operation stands behind the humor. Every query is thoroughly vetted since the Rules of Golf are universal. Moreover, as Lemieux's narratives demonstrate, golfers are not only fervent but also very inventive.
What Rule 10.1b Says About Anchoring
The question Jerry Lemieux referenced around the anchoring rule, covered under Rule 10.1b of the Rules of Golf by the United States Golf Association and The R&A.
Since 2016, players haven't been allowed to anchor the club while making a stroke. Anchoring happens in two ways:
- Direct anchoring: It is a situation when a golfer deliberately presses the club or a gripping hand against a certain part of the body (such as the chest or stomach) to have a fixed pivot point.
- Indirect anchoring: It means that a player presses a forearm against the body to support the club and make a stable anchor point.
The club should swing without any restriction, and it is not allowed to be supported by the body. In the beard example, facial hair is attached to the body. Putting pressure will form a 'support point' that is against the rules.
Do you have any bizarre Golf rules questions? Share them in the comment section!
Read more at Daily Club Golf!
Written by
Dolly Bhamrick
Edited by
Kalp Thaker