Carrying a left handed club

[sillywilly]

being a right handed player, am I allowed to carry a left handed club. (still not going over 14 clubs). I'm pretty sure the answer to this is yes.

I can hit a 6i left handed 150 yards, 15 yards less than my right handed swing. I've never had to flip my club over this year to hit a ball left handed, there is usually a shot every two rounds where I wish I had a left handed club in my bag.

For a right handed player who can hit a left handed club pretty well, are there any rules I can take advantage of by having this club in my bag? I know there is one rules that if I set up left handed and need to take relief I can.. and then hit the shot right handed... but I don't really understand it.

thanks

[Kiwi battler]

If the obstruction only interferes with your left handed shot , and if youd normally play a right handed shot , then even with a left handed club that you could hit , almost all rules officials will deny relief

Others might argue otherwise tho

[gbower]

It is legal. Last year I played with a guy in a tournament that had left handed clubs for his short irons and his 4, 5 and woods were right or it may have been the other way around as my old memory can't quite remember.

[BC MIST]

If the obstruction only interferes with your left handed shot , and if youd normally play a right handed shot , then even with a left handed club that you could hit , almost all rules officials will deny relief
Others might argue otherwise tho

Would you grant relief if the ONLY shot the player had was with the LH club?

Hypothetically speaking, if the player had a set make up as Gerry described above, why would relief NOT be granted as there is no side from which the player would NORMALLY play?

[sillywilly]

there have been times where I've been on the left side of the fairway very close to a tree and can't get a club on the ball without hitting a branch in my backswing. A left handed club would be perfect there. Other times I've had to back myself into a bush or treed area just to have a shot at the ball. A left handed club would have been awesome to have in those cases. I'm doing it for the above reasons since I don't have 14 clubs (once I dump the lob). In some cases I'll be able to take these 5-10 yard punch outs into shots at the greens or atleast a decent approach shot. If in the process I get to use some rules I normally wouldn't have gotten to use, then why not

[sillywilly]

If the obstruction only interferes with your left handed shot , and if youd normally play a right handed shot , then even with a left handed club that you could hit , almost all rules officials will deny relief

Others might argue otherwise tho

Ok, but if the smartest thing to do is take the shot left handed and there just happens to be an obstruction, ONCE i take relief the best option now is to play right handed.. can I do that?

[BC MIST]

Ok, but if the smartest thing to do is take the shot left handed and there just happens to be an obstruction, ONCE i take relief the best option now is to play right handed.. can I do that?

If the immovable obstruction was not there, would it have been reasonable for you to play left-handed or would the obvious stroke be a right-handed stroke with a different club?

If the latter, you ask - "If you make a right-handed stroke and take a normal stance, does the condition interfere?" If not - no free relief.

A player cannot say he would play an unusual stroke or use a left handed club or take a weird stance or play in an unusual direction, solely for the purpose of getting free relief from the immovable obstruction.

[sillywilly]

the only time I would want use a left handed club is if I can't take a stance right handed or if I have a tree above me right handed but not left handed. Also if I have to back into a tree to take a right handed shot and punch out, I'd rather hit left handed


If the immovable obstruction was not there, would it have been reasonable for you to play left-handed or would the obvious stroke be a right-handed stroke with a different club?

YES

"If you make a right-handed stroke and take a normal stance, does the condition interfere?" If not - no free relief."

I am confused by this...

[Kiwi battler]

If the ONLY reason you want to play left handed is to gain relief , then NO free relief

If you are backed into a scrub and cant play right handed , then the left handed shot is a reasonable one - IF you then are standing on a path , casual water or ground under repair etc then yes , you get a drop ...your nearest point of relief is found using the left handed stance , swing and club youd have used , you then measure 1 clublength from that nearest point of relief "using ANY club" and drop withen that area no closer to the hole
The ball may roll 2 more club lengths from the point it first struck the course
Once you have dropped , you CAN change back to a right handed shot and more relief is possible if you still have interference

There are a few other little things I havent mentioned in there , but that will do you for now

[sillywilly]

awesome, thanks guys. I'm putting a left handed 6i in the bag for next year. If i get relief, great, if I don't... still better than carrying 13 clubs

[gbower]

I wasn't really observant at first with the guy that had a mixed set and the only time I realized it was when a drive of his early in the round came to rest about 2" from the base of a tree and I was wondering how he was going to hit it and the next thing I saw was him with a left handed club setting up to hit. That's when I asked him if he always carries that club and he then told me that they were half and half.