If you have been observant enough whilst watching US Open, you might have noticed that Phil Mickelson almost always wears a large watch.
And it doesn’t even seem to affect the swing!
Many golfers would never wear something so heavy and conspicuous to the course.
Hence, Should You Golf with Your Wedding Ring On?
Yes, but you probably shouldn’t. To elaborate – you may play golf with your wedding ring if it doesn’t affect how you play. But it will likely create a few challenges and even expose you to a risk of injury, so you probably shouldn’t wear it. Rings can be troublesome sometimes. They get caught in loose fabrics and seams depending on whether they fit snuggly on your finger. And since some people use engagement rings as wedding rings for some reason, the risk increases significantly because engagement rings normally feature a protruding precious stone, oftentimes polished diamond.
Three Reasons Why You Should Take Off Your Ring
Generally, it is recommended that you remove your ring when heading out for a round of golf, especially if you will be wearing a glove (gloves are near standard in golf).
You have two options:
- either leave it and every other stuff you don’t need at home
- or put it in your car as you would with anything else in line with your usual “pre-golf routine”.’
If neither of these appeals to you, carry a sizeable carabiner-type clip that you can clip onto your belt and slip your ring in there.
Here is why you probably shouldn’t play golf with a wedding ring:
1. Diamonds Don’t Mean Forever
Some wedding rings feature a precious stone or rare metal.
Indeed, diamonds don’t scratch, unless you scratch them with another diamond.
However, that doesn’t mean diamonds are entirely scratchproof.
Just so you understand, imagine a thin wafer-like sheet of the hardest caramel you could imagine.
Of course, to inflict a visible scratch, a person would need another object that’s harder than caramel itself.
However, if you hit your caramel with something sufficiently sharp or pointed, even if the material is a little softer than the caramel itself, the sheet is more likely to break.
Diamonds may be tough on the outside but have weak points in their structure which allows a certain degree of
Diamond rings aren’t cheap.
You could destroy yours trying to take a tee or something.
Gold rings too could sustain damages or get scratched as they rub against the golf club.
It’s always a good thing to take good care of the most precious things you own, including pricey wedding rings.
2. If The Ring Doesn’t Fit Snuggly, It Might Hinder Your Performance
Deciding how tight your wedding ring should fit is super difficult.
It may feel quite alien during the first few months of wearing.
If it slides easily onto the finger but has to be worked on your knuckle, there’s a slightly higher risk it will come off and get lost.
This means you’ll need to constantly readjust it back into position when you should be concentrating on the game.
While it’s perfectly normal for wedding rings to produce visible marks on the finger with time, rubbing it on your golf club as you take the tee could worsen the mark and even turn it into an excoriating pain.
Remember that your ring is part- or whole-metallic while your finger is mere fresh.
Small tight-fitting wedding rings as worse than their sagging counterparts and may ruin your experience as well.
Rings are worn almost constantly, resulting in a smooth impression under them.
Clenching your hand often while holding your golf club and going about the normal activities can increase the strain on your finger.
If your finger is clearly swollen or is prone to swell, then your wedding ring is obviously too tight to play golf with it.
3. Rings Shouldn’t Be Worn Under Certain Gloves
Another reason why you should think before golfing with your ring is the danger a golf glove may pose to it and the general comfort of your finger.
While golf gloves are seldom made from latex, such materials as synthetic rubber, synthetic fabrics, and leather don’t get along with rings either.
Gloves made from latex and similar materials can build pressure and tension from the resultant tightness, causing the prongs that hold the precious stone(s) to loosen.
If the stone on your ring falls, that’s the end of your investment!
Also, these prongs may puncture the gloves regardless of the material.
Just as bad, your diamond ring can be easily caught within the seams of your glove, especially when there’s a prominent setting.
A loose ring can come off as it rubs against the glove and may get lost later.
What If You End Up Losing the Ring?
Removing the ring so that you can play unbothered cab be a great thing to do, but one that can be regrettable if you end losing it.
You have no idea how easy it is to misplace something so precious yet so tiny.
It happened to my father.
As a teen, whilst climbing in the Appalachians, we returned home from a long day of hiking only to discover my dad’s wedding ring couldn’t be traced.
He looked worried and we had to accompany him back into the mountains, something that took us hours.
We had to return home without it – dad would never get over it.
There have been numerous instances involving wedding rings getting lost whilst gardening, playing golf, and even kayaking.
The Daily Mail told one such story.
How to Play Golf with A Ring
You don’t really need to remove your ring and leave it at home or car just so you can play golf unbothered.
You may have seen the bride switch the ring from one hand to the other immediately after they’ve exchanged the vows or shortly thereafter.
Oftentimes, it’s because they feel the ring will interfere with their day-to-day activities if left on the usual hand.
Why not give it a shot?
If you are left-handed, you can switch it to the right hand and go about with your round of golf.
Here are more options:
1. Buy Ring Friendly Gloves
Golf gloves may give you a hard time if your wedding ring doesn’t fit properly or has a protruding stone.
Such a ring will require special gloves designed to accommodate finger accessories.
These gloves are sometimes designed to leave a hole for fingernails and rings or feature little pouches to accommodate them.
An example is Lady Classic Solar Nail/Ring Glove.
2. Just Wear It
Only remove your wedding ring, if it’s apparent to you that it will hamper your skill or playing experience.
As mentioned earlier, if you often feel an itch after a round of golf that you played without removing the ring, consider removing it during your next match.
Never remove your ring for the sheer fun of it – your partner might never be very happy about it.
Conclusion
Should you golf with your wedding ring on? Yes, but you probably shouldn’t.
To elaborate – you may play golf with your wedding ring if it doesn’t affect how you play.
But it will likely create a few challenges and even expose you to a risk of injury, so you probably shouldn’t wear it.
Rings can be troublesome sometimes.
They get caught in loose fabrics and seams depending on whether they fit snuggly on your finger.
Related
References
A ring should never be worn over a glove
5 Places You Should Never Wear Your Ring