Hello Linda,
I heard that you can’t use the back of any club, whether
it’s a chipper, putter, or any club. Is this correct?
Kind regards,
Lou from Melbourne, Australia
Dear Lou,
No, that is not correct. You may hit the ball with either
side of the clubhead [Decision 14-1a/1].
Rule 14-1a requires that the ball be fairly struck at with the head of the club. It does not limit
which side of the clubhead may be used. It is not uncommon to see a right-handed
player use a left-handed stroke with a right-handed club to extricate his ball from
a difficult lie (e.g., near an out-of-bounds fence or close to a tree); this is
perfectly legal.
Be aware that clubs, other than putters, are limited to one
striking face [Appendix II, #4d]. Two-sided chippers are illegal.
Rules are better learned from research than from hearsay.
Linda
Copyright © 2016 Linda Miller. All rights reserved.
