Carrying one opposite club

[BG458]

If you are right handed can you carry one club in your bag that is left handed?

[Big Johnny69]

If you are right handed can you carry one club in your bag that is left handed?

As long as you don't exceed the 14 club limit.

[sillywilly]

yes you can but the storkes you will save by carrying that wouldn't even come close to the strokes you would save by carrying an extra wedge

[hackzaw]

But how about this to complicate matters. Let's say you end up on a cart path and are entitled relief. Let's also say that if you were right handed, and the closest point of full relief took you to a less than desirable location i.e. perhaps towards a tree lined dogleg blocking out your approach to the green, with your natural swing.

Could you take your left handed club, mark the position of closest relief (which just might give a more favourable approach shot, and then drop within two club lengths from that spot. Then, could you switch back to a right handed club.

For arguments sake, do you have to actually hit the shot with the same club that you used to determine closest point of relief? I'm guess that once you put your ball in play, you can do whatever you want. For example what if wind direction or strength changed, you surely must be able to change clubs for this. And if this is valid, then I would be inclined to say you could also probably change from that one left handed club, back to the right hand.

(All hypothetical of course, because I don't think there's enough of a reason to carry a left hander - I struggle with only picking 14 righties for pity's sake)

[Big Johnny69]

But how about this to complicate matters. Let's say you end up on a cart path and are entitled relief. Let's also say that if you were right handed, and the closest point of full relief took you to a less than desirable location i.e. perhaps towards a tree lined dogleg blocking out your approach to the green, with your natural swing.

Could you take your left handed club, mark the position of closest relief (which just might give a more favourable approach shot, and then drop within two club lengths from that spot. Then, could you switch back to a right handed club.

For arguments sake, do you have to actually hit the shot with the same club that you used to determine closest point of relief? I'm guess that once you put your ball in play, you can do whatever you want. For example what if wind direction or strength changed, you surely must be able to change clubs for this. And if this is valid, then I would be inclined to say you could also probably change from that one left handed club, back to the right hand.

(All hypothetical of course, because I don't think there's enough of a reason to carry a left hander - I struggle with only picking 14 righties for pity's sake)

Interesting question. I never thought of that.

[jvincent]

Could you take your left handed club, mark the position of closest relief (which just might give a more favourable approach shot, and then drop within two club lengths from that spot. Then, could you switch back to a right handed club.

For arguments sake, do you have to actually hit the shot with the same club that you used to determine closest point of relief? I'm guess that once you put your ball in play, you can do whatever you want.

This comes up frequently in the rules forum.

If it is "reasonable" for you to play a left handed shot, or a backwards shot, you are allowed to take relief based on that particular shot selection / intended direction.

If after taking relief you now choose to play a different shot, then you are free to do so. This is one of those cases where knowing the rules can be to your benefit.

The key is that the initial intention has to be reasonable.

[hackzaw]

Let's say you carried a left hand wedge, realistically, you could argue you would reasonably chip your relieved shot, especially if it happed to be closer to trees blocking out your flight of the ball, and the club of choice just so happened to be your left handed one. So then, because you're now using the left handed club, the closest point of full relief puts you in a position to have an unobstructed shot to the green. So now, after putting the ball in play, you can change back to the right handed club, and have a full shot to the green. Do I understand this correctly?

I played a round the other day with a fellow who chipped left handed, but only because he was a terrible chipper right handed (so he told me).

I think you could reasonably tell anybody anything. After all, what's reasonable to me, may not appear to be reasonable to anyone else.

[jvincent]

You are correct.

[BC MIST]

Could you take your left handed club, mark the position of closest relief (which just might give a more favourable approach shot, and then drop within two club lengths from that spot. Then, could you switch back to a right handed club.

When taking relief from the obstruction you must drop within 1 club length of the nearest point of relief.

[jvincent]

Good catch, I missed the two clubs in the original post.

[AAA]

When taking relief from the obstruction you must drop within 1 club length of the nearest point of relief.

But it may then roll upto two further cl away (not nearer the hole).
Which means you can sometimes take advantage of a nice slope !