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Carry 1 off hand club for emergencies?

millsan1

millsan1

I've figured this game out! Oh wait, no I haven't
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I was thinking how few clubs I could get away with and still play a reasonable semblance of my normal game.

Then I was thinking what could I do if I did pare down the number of clubs.

Finally arrived at the idea of carrying 1 off hand club for those situations where it would be needed.

I was thinking an off hand PW would be perfect. Most times you would need the club would be punch outs of some sort.

So am I fruitier than a nut cake, or is this the next great revolution in gold strategy?

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Think about the club in your bag you hit the least....

Then think about only hitting that club when you are in need of a opposite handed club for a punch out. I cant fathom that you would need this "offhand" club even a fraction of a percent as much as you would need the regular handed cluib that you hit the least. Theres no way i would ever carry an opposite handed club for this reason. Play what suits your game and your setup best for normal swings and normal play.
 
To each, his own.

If that works for you, then go for it !
 
Nope, I practice and I make my kids practice flipping a RH club over to hit that shot.
 
I don’t mind the idea. But in all honesty, I’ve only needed a LH club once in probably my last dozen rounds. At that rate, I’ll take my chances with a flipped RH wedge.
 
Not worth the bag real estate for me. Probably only see a legitimate need for a LH club about once every 200 rounds.
 
Firstly , what an "Emergency".......I mean its only golf right?

The day I ever become so consistently good at hitting all the shots and clubs in my normal dexterity , would then I even still have the need to give one of them up for the other?

I like what Jman says. practice a flipped club (if you want) but imo thats where it ends.

Like others say, even our least used club is still gonna get far more use than some "emergency" club. One can probably take a penalty drop and still be way ahead vs the times you no longer have the right shot/club you sacrificed for the emergency one.
 
Jman said:
Nope, I practice and I make my kids practice flipping a RH club over to hit that shot.
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^^

If you can hit an off handed club well enough to punch/rescue, you can do it with a flipped club.
 
I've thought about it before. But since we only get 12 clubs after putter and driver the cost of opportunity is just too high. Being forced to go oppo is so rare and almost every one of those rare times can be played just as effectively by flipping over a short iron or wedge or playing the back to target chop shot. A couple years ago me and a left handed buddy spent about 20 minutes messing around just to see. For little shots inside 50 yards, both of us did as well flipping over our own clubs (or playing back to target shot) as we did with an opposite hand club. I had a little more success at 100+ yards with his clubs but I was a LH shot in hockey and if I split my grip I could play an OK(ish) slapper. BUT in all my golfing life I can't remember a time I would've actually done it on the course if my score (or club health) mattered.
 
Jman said:
Nope, I practice and I make my kids practice flipping a RH club over to hit that shot.
Click to expand...

I don’t make my kids practice, but I also don’t coach a golf team. I haven’t practiced it in a while so I’d feel a bit uncomfortable with it the once every 50 rounds I’d use it.

As to the OP, I thought about it but for years I played driver and 3-PW and putter (including back when I could actually golf) so I had some space in my bag. That was an older set so the PW is basically my GW now as far as loft goes. I learned to hit every wedge shot with it.
 
No. Given how bad my left handed swing is, I'd be better off taking the "unplayable lie" and penalty and using a normal club. What's one stroke every 20 rounds?
 
I don’t think it’s a bad idea as long as 1) you have the open spot in the bag, and 2) you become as skilled with the off-hand punchout as you are from your normal side.

There is definitely the need once every couple of rounds. I have room for another club but don’t have the skill to swing a club left-handed.

(Of course, some who have watched me play might argue a lack of skill has never stopped me from swinging right-handed, so....)
 
I would rather turn the club around and play it that way than carry the additional LH club.
 
Jman said:
Nope, I practice and I make my kids practice flipping a RH club over to hit that shot.
Click to expand...
That’s exactly what I do. if I’m trying to hit an opposite handed shot it’s to advance the ball out of a bad situation, not hit the green.
 
InTheRough said:
No. Given how bad my left handed swing is, I'd be better off taking the "unplayable lie" and penalty and using a normal club. What's one stroke every 20 rounds?
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Honestly if someone tracked their scoring for these rare occasions I would be nearly certain that just taking an unplayable and the stroke would be much better in the long run than trying a lefty shot. If it's match play, fine go for the lefty shot, but in stroke play I would have to imagine that the probability of whiffing and/or still being in a bad lie after making contact left handed is higher than the probability of getting the ball back in play in a good position to score from. If that is the case then the penalty stroke and club length is going to result in less strokes.
 
I would first considering flipping a club over to hit the shot or I would consider an unplayable before I ever thought of carrying or using a LH club for this type of shot.
 
DataDude said:
Honestly if someone tracked their scoring for these rare occasions I would be nearly certain that just taking an unplayable and the stroke would be much better in the long run than trying a lefty shot. If it's match play, fine go for the lefty shot, but in stroke play I would have to imagine that the probability of whiffing and/or still being in a bad lie after making contact left handed is higher than the probability of getting the ball back in play in a good position to score from. If that is the case then the penalty stroke and club length is going to result in less strokes.
Click to expand...

The thing is you have to practice left handed swings. How often are you going to use them? I've played three seasons and haven't been in the position to use a left handed swing with a club. The previous season I took an unplayable lie. That's a lot of golf in between.

Unplayable Lie Rule 19.2

If you're taking lateral relief, you can take two club lengths (using your longest club) from the spot of the ball + 1 stroke. If you're taking relief behind where the ball ended up you can go as far back as you want and take relief 1 club length off the line + 1 stroke.

I used this in a tournament. I hit my drive on a short par 4 and it ended up in a spot where a tree was obstructing my chip shot to the green. The ball was very playable. The women in my foursome protested, but I quoted rule 19 that only the player can determine whether or not the ball is playable. Sure I could chip out onto the apron and chip up, but I chose to take an unplayable lie and drop because the first cut was real short but not as tight of a lie. I chipped up onto the green 1' from the hole and tapped in for par. Had I not done this I could have skulled the chip over the apron, or even duffed the chip and left myself a mess. Use the rules to your advantage.
 
Definitely not worth it. As many have said the ratio to how many times you'd actually need it compared to using the club you pull out of your bag to create the space isn't worth it. I've probably played upwards of 300+ rounds in my lifetime, I'm ambidextrous and I can say that I've only needed to hit an off-hand club once or twice. I actually started golfing righty and switched to lefty afterwards because my dad was a righty so I just used his clubs when I followed him to the range. Left is just more comfortable to me. Can hardly tell the difference from 7 iron down, but the longer clubs start to get messy when hitting righty.
 
I used to, but the number of times I reached for it didn’t justify the spot it was taking up in my bag. Now I just flip my club over.
 
I have considered it & my thoughts are that if you don’t carry a full bag it’s worth carrying one as you have the space. Having said that I still don’t carry one ?
 
When I played baseball, I could hit left or right. (More power right, but bunting left was 2 steps shorter to first.) No advantage in golf, so never bothered to hit left handed. Still don't see any reason to, I'd rather carry another wedge.
 
Interesting premise, but I have enough trouble hitting the stupid little white ball right handed. I hate to think of the damage I cause trying to hit a golf ball left handed. :whew:
 
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