By BRUCE MEADOWS  

  AUGUST 2022 

Good idea, but is it legal ? ? ?

    This happened quite a few years ago but it always stuck with me.

    I was playing golf with a good friend, a lefty.

    We both hit our drives on a par-4 hole, mine ending up against a tree on the left side of the fairway.

   The ball was really close to the big tree, and I tried to figure out the best way to move it a little bit down the fairway.

   I grabbed my right-handed 7-iron and turned it over, but I realized I wasn’t going to get much of a result.

      At that point, my friend, Jerry, suggested I used one of his left-handed clubs.    The more I thought about it, the better his suggestion sounded.

    Neither of us knew if me, a right-hander, using a left-handed club was legal, but the rules were not a big part of my game at that stage of my life.

  So I took Jerry’s 7-iron, sized up the shot and swung, sending the ball about 100 yards down the fairway.

 It got me to thinking: If a left-handed club could help extricate me from bad lies, why not just stick one in my bag???

   Jerry confirmed my thinking, telling me he always carried a right-handed club in his bag for similar predicaments.

   A few years later, I was playing with a friend, who is a golf pro, and asked him if me using a left-handed club was legal.

   He said yes, expressing some surprise.

   “As long as you only have 14 clubs in your bag, no problem,” he said.

   Since then, I have always carried a lefty 7-iron and have to admit it has saved me a lot of shots over the years.

   The other day, I came across something online that brought up those old memories, an article by “The Rules Guy,” that addressed the lefty-righty club issue.

  “Is it OK to carry 13 right-handed clubs and one left-handed club? 

  “ This would work for me rather than flipping over a club to get out of tough situations. – Paul Dziengelewski, Westfield, Mass. 

   “Knock yourself out, Paul.

   “There is no rule regarding the makeup of a set, only that you have 14 clubs or fewer. Seven lefty, seven righty? Sure. Fourteen putters? Have at it. As the kids like to say, you do you.”

   If you’ve never tried getting out of a tough spot by using a left-handed club – or a righty, if you are left-handed — you might want to think about it unless you’ve already made that decision with your golf clubs.

   I play a lot better now than when I tried using a lefty club for the first time, but I still occasionally find myself up against a tree or a fence, or something, that makes it tough for me to swing with a right-handed club.

  And being able to advance your ball 75-100 yards instead of a few feet can definitely save a stroke or more.

Steve Donner Golf  At Bennett Valley GC .  Operation 36 8-Week Academies: Classes every Thursday starting Aug 18th for 8-weeks: Adult Co-ed Class 1 (4:30pm – 5:30pm) Adult Co-ed Class 2 (6:00pm – 7:00pm) Every Friday starting Aug 19th for 8-weeks: Adult Women’s Class 1 (4:30pm – 5:30pm) Adult Women’s Class 2 (6:00pm – 7:00pm) Every Saturday starting Aug 20th for 8-weeks: Juniors ages 7-11 (4:30pm – 5:30pm) Juniors ages 11-17 (6:00pm – 7:00pm) Rypstick OverSpeed Training for Distance Every Saturday starting Aug 27th for 6-weeks: At the grass range at Bennett Valley Golf Course (8:00am – 8:45am) Upcoming Putting Clinics: Need for Speed  Saturday Sept 10th (1:00pm – 2:00pm) Groove Your Stroke  Saturday Sept 17th (1:00pm – 2:00pm) For all the information and to register go to stevedonnergolf.com. Fairgrounds practice green re-opens The popular practice chipping and bunkered green at Fairgrounds Golf Course, which has been closed for quite awhile  safety reasons, re-opens Aug. 15.     There will be a limit as to how many golfers can use the area – which is a REAL golf green and not a flimsy imitation – at one time, and also a time limit and a five-ball limit. Any golfer wishing to use the practice green must check in at the Pro Shop before using the green.   14th Annual B’nai Israel Tournament Foxtail Golf Club (Rohnert Park) Sunday, October 2, 2022 11:00 Registration, 12:00 Shotgun Start 5:00 (or so) Putting Contest, Dinner and Awards Golf and dinner contribution $135, per individual Golf and dinner for a foursome $500 Dinner only $30, No host bar      “You can pay online via credit card or using the link below, by mailed check or at the door on October 2nd (but do reserve!).  If you have any questions you may call me, or Cathy at 707-981-4994.  Below is the link to the online registration/donation form.   If clicking on the link below does not work for you, simply copy and paste the link in your web browser. Tom Isaak  https://www.bnaiisrael.net/membership-giving/donate-support/golf-tournament      Summer Golf Clinics  with Jessica Reese Quayle

Clinics are a great way to work on your game in a group setting that offers targeted instruction at a lower cost than individual lessons. Check out the list of programs at Santa Rosa G&CC:  To sign up, call the Santa Rosa G&CC pro shop at (707) 546-3485. Remaining camps Aug.  25 — Bootcamp #1 (Putting, Chipping, and Pitching) 9:30-12:00 Sept. 8 — Bootcamp #3 (Driver, Alignment and Pre-Shot Routine, and High Pitches) 9:30-12:00 Sept. 22 Bootcamp #2 (Sand, Short Pitches, Short Putts)

Let’s hear from you . . .

Thanks for your comments, questions, suggestions. I appreciate them and would like to get as many as possible. If you have information about anything golf-related, including upcoming clinics, activities, tournaments or sales, let me know. And if you have questions, complaints or compliments about golf in our area, let me know and I’ll make some inquiries. Email me at me at bmeadows4sports@aol.com

Thanks for your comments, questions, suggestions. I appreciate them and would like to get as many as possible. If you have information about anything golf-related, including upcoming clinics, activities, tournaments or sales, let me know. And if you have questions, complaints or compliments about golf in our area, let me know and I’ll make some inquiries.

Email me at me at bmeadows4sports@aol.com