Question on relief options

I understand your point but the subjective part is whether I could have reasonably done better if I tried to play the shot left handed. Yes, I know the outcome of playing it right handed since that is what I did. Could I have done better playing it left handed? That's the subjective part. I KNOW I could have done better with a left handed club. I do think I could reasonably swing well even with a turned over right handed club. Could I still make the same contact as I did? That's a guess and hence the subjective part.

Well, since only you know what type of right handed stance you were able to take, and what yardage you produced from that position, my suggestion is to take a few left handed swings at the range with one of your right handed clubs. This will give you an idea of the type of shot you are able to produce, and you may use that for future reference.
 
As long as the shot and stance is reasonable, then yes, you can do exactly what you state. You can setup to hit the shot left-handed, and if the cart-path interferes, you can take relief. Now, if there's absolutely nothing in your way and you want to claim that you'd play the shot left-handed just so you'd be standing on the cart path, that would not be reasonable. Nor would it be considered reasonable if you say stuck one leg way out behind you to be able to touch the cart path and then claimed interference. But as long as the shot is somewhat reasonable given the situation, you can take relief. Note however that the nearest point of relief would likely still be on the side of the cart path where you dropped. You would just some extra space. However, that extra space might be enough to get you on the other side of the tree, and then you could turn around right-handed and play the shot.
WW is correct about the reasonableness test. IMO it's not remotely reasonable for a RH golfer to suddenly claim he intends to hit a LH shot. Last year or maybe the year before a golfer made such a claim at the last web.com event. His tour card was on the line. The official said no dice, it wasn't reasonable to claim the LH shot.
 
WW is correct about the reasonableness test. IMO it's not remotely reasonable for a RH golfer to suddenly claim he intends to hit a LH shot. Last year or maybe the year before a golfer made such a claim at the last web.com event. His tour card was on the line. The official said no dice, it wasn't reasonable to claim the LH shot.

To satisfy the "reasonable" test we would have to know what type of stance and shot the OP was able to strike from his normal right handed orientation.
For example, if from his normal right handed orientation the player could barely take a stance and, or, likely either whiff or advance the ball only 10 yards or less, then it is "reasonable" to claim he could (and would) do better swinging left handed.
But if from his normal right handed orientation he could take a stance adequate enough to swing and advance the ball 20 or more yards, then a claim that left handed orientation would do better is likely unreasonable.
This type situation is a common way that Tour players find to cheat. I remember a couple of years ago Bill Haas was on a slope 10 yards off the green facing a difficult pitch shot. He tried to claim relief was due him from a nearby sprinkler head . This was unreasonable because the sprinkler head was in the ground a foot ahead of his ball, and on a swing path that was not likely his intended path.
Haas himself knew he was reaching, but when Jason Day came over and endorsed/supported Haas's claim, the Tour Official reluctantly allowed relief.
 
firstly..we dont get to chose which side of the cart path to take releif. It has to be the closest point of relief and that is not the ball per say but includes dexterity.
here is a couple vids

Great videos, thanks for sharing!

I learned something there.

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