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Switching from hitting right to lefty

post #1 of 17
3/20/09 at 10:23am
Thread Starter 
I see Phil is right handed but hits lefty, and curious if others have switched?

Im right handed, hit golfballs from right and have very little coordination with my left hand/arm. It would seem that my move would be more powerful/consistant if I switched to hitting lefty.

Also being right eye dominant, hitting lefty (instead of right) would be more useful in putting and lining up shots.

Any opinions on this?
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post #2 of 17
3/20/09 at 11:12am

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

My Dad, who is a PGA Professional, is right handed but plays left handed. For him this was because the first clubs he played with were his father's, who was left handed and since left handed clubs where rare (and I guess expensive) at that time he learned to play with those. After he became a golf instructor he took up playing right handed for a year just to see if he could do it. He thought this experience would help him with teaching new golfers, plus he looked at it as a challenge. He got to the point of being able to shoot in the low to mid 80's, but since he was scratch at the time as a lefty he decided to give it up and went back to playing exclusively left handed (he does usually carry a right handed PW for trouble shots,though).

His thought about switching over was that since your stronger arm is your usually on the side of your dominant hand, by switching over the stronger arm becomes the arm that 'pulls' the club through the swing instead of 'pushing' through the swing as many amateurs do. He thought this could lead to a smoother swing and possibly more distance. As for putting, he usually still putted right handed because he said it just felt better to him.

I can't swing a club very well lefty and I can't putt left handed so I'll just stick to righty.
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post #3 of 17
3/20/09 at 12:40pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

I play hockey and swing a baseball bat left handed, but ended up golfing right handed because that was all I could find in a starter set back in the mid 80's. I think it has actually helped, as stated above my left arm does all the pulling in the swing and my right arm does very little.

Not surprisingly, in Canada, 30% of golfers are left handed because of all the people who play hockey left handed and just stick with that for golf.
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post #4 of 17
3/20/09 at 1:54pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

As a natural lefty who was basically forced to start out as a righty, I have no iea why you would even consider this route unless you were ambidextrous or had a signficant amount of play experience as a lefty in some type of swing based sport.
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post #5 of 17
3/20/09 at 2:09pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

Originally Posted by runwme View Post
I see Phil is right handed but hits lefty, and curious if others have switched?

Im right handed, hit golfballs from right and have very little coordination with my left hand/arm. It would seem that my move would be more powerful/consistant if I switched to hitting lefty.

Also being right eye dominant, hitting lefty (instead of right) would be more useful in putting and lining up shots.

Any opinions on this?

Sounds like one way to make a hard game even harder!

One item to consider. I play with several very good lefties, and every one has told me that they wished they weren't left handed. The reason being availability of good equipment, especially when it comes to demo availability. They can't even try out a buddy's driver on the range.
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post #6 of 17
3/20/09 at 2:19pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

I'm a righty, and I play golf right handed. But I play hockey left handed and did so long before I started playing golf.

I've played left handed once, my buddy who was left handed and I switched bags for 9 holes. It was a lot of fun, and neithe if as played all that bad. Would I switch, not unless I was forces to do so.
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post #7 of 17
3/20/09 at 2:49pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

Originally Posted by chriskzoo View Post
I play hockey and swing a baseball bat left handed, but ended up golfing right handed because that was all I could find in a starter set back in the mid 80's. I think it has actually helped, as stated above my left arm does all the pulling in the swing and my right arm does very little.

Not surprisingly, in Canada, 30% of golfers are left handed because of all the people who play hockey left handed and just stick with that for golf.
hmm interesting..

Im a lefty and I play hockey/golf left handed. I just cant go righty either way. Maybe if I had to due to lack of proper equipment I could.
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post #8 of 17
3/20/09 at 3:36pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

Originally Posted by chriskzoo View Post
I play hockey and swing a baseball bat left handed, but ended up golfing right handed because that was all I could find in a starter set back in the mid 80's. I think it has actually helped, as stated above my left arm does all the pulling in the swing and my right arm does very little.
Originally Posted by 87vert View Post
hmm interesting..

Im a lefty and I play hockey/golf left handed. I just cant go righty either way. Maybe if I had to due to lack of proper equipment I could.
I started when I was sixteen, and I never even thought about hitting left handed... (I probably didn't even know such a thing existed) My Dad had right handed clubs, so that's what I used. I wonder what would happen if you introduced someone to golf and just gave them a left handed set, they would probably learn just fine...
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post #9 of 17
3/20/09 at 3:39pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

I was recently thinking of taking up the game left handed. I thought it would be especially helpful in getting a good feel for the beginners I teach. Getting used to feelings in the swing totally foreign. I've tried a couple of swings, but I don't think the ankle I broke last year (my right) can stand up to the stress of the finish of the swing. Its been a while since I've tried, and I have built up considerable strength since, maybe I should give it another go... I just thank the day that it wasn't my left ankle that fractured. I'd have to be forced to learn to play left handed.
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post #10 of 17
3/20/09 at 8:26pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

A friend in the club is going to bring me a few Lefty clubs for me to try with from when he was younger and used a regular shaft ( now a senior shaft)

Ive noticed even with very little practice, swinging lefty I'm generating about 6more mph swingspeed. It feels odd now, but what they heck.. I will play a couple weeks with lefty clubs then make a decision if want to continue or not
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post #11 of 17
3/21/09 at 2:29am

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

I'm a lefty who plays righthanded. Huge mistake, although I certainly didn't choose it. My father and grandfather, like tens of thousands of other golfing parents, had only righthanded clubs. There are videos of me swinging a huge plastic club righthanded at about age 3.

By about age 20 my game had declined and become increasingly erratic, and I knew it was a major problem playing lefty. I should have switched on my own. It's by far my #1 golfing regret. I started putting lefty but never devoted the time, and the natural hacker's embarrassment of essentially starting over from scratch, to turn to playing every shot lefthanded. Also, the factor of so few lefty coaches is undeniable.

The lead hand should not be the strong hand. That lends itself to overactive tendencies, similar to topspin backhands in tennis or ping pong. The back of my left hand always wants to do too much while playing righthanded. When I putt -- and sometimes chip -- lefty, it's astonishing how quiet the back of my right hand is, so docile and willing to be the guide. I'm incredibly envious that players who have their weak hand in front get to experience that dynamic at all times. Doesn't seem fair.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Phil isn't exactly the most consistent player, with that stronger right hand in front.
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post #12 of 17
3/21/09 at 10:23pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

Originally Posted by David in FL View Post
I play with several very good lefties, and every one has told me that they wished they weren't left handed. The reason being availability of good equipment, especially when it comes to demo availability. They can't even try out a buddy's driver on the range.
Exactly. I am right handed but anything you do with 2 hands i do it left handed. Cant hit a buddy's driver or anything. It stinks when you go into a golf store, 99% of the stuff in the golf stores where I am is Right Handed. There are alot of things I look at online that isnt even offered Left Handed. Sure wish I was RH but oh well what can you do...
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post #13 of 17
3/21/09 at 11:48pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

Originally Posted by Khalua10 View Post
Cant hit a buddy's driver or anything. It stinks when you go into a golf store, 99% of the stuff in the golf stores where I am is Right Handed. There are alot of things I look at online that isnt even offered Left Handed. Sure wish I was RH but oh well what can you do...
yea it does make it harder especially when you shop the clearance or outlet sections

However when I do find something LH I can usually talk my wife into letting me get it since it is tough to find stuff
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post #14 of 17
3/22/09 at 2:22am

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

Originally Posted by runwme View Post
I see Phil is right handed but hits lefty, and curious if others have switched?

Im right handed, hit golfballs from right and have very little coordination with my left hand/arm. It would seem that my move would be more powerful/consistant if I switched to hitting lefty.

Also being right eye dominant, hitting lefty (instead of right) would be more useful in putting and lining up shots.

Any opinions on this?
well i can putt better lefty just cant find any good putters,as far as the full swing i have a left handed iron cause i wanted to try it its a smoother swing but not as powerful or accurae by anymeans.
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post #15 of 17
3/22/09 at 3:00am

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

As someone who plays lefty naturally (can play righty but it feels awkward), I'd encourage you to not switch unless you have a better reason than wanting to. The equipment selection for lefties makes life much, much harder. It's rare that I can try a club before buying it.
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post #16 of 17
3/22/09 at 4:33am

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

I am right hand dominant, but fairly use both pretty equally. Throw/Write with my right though. I do believe it is a comfort thing. When i first started golfing I didn't know which way to start. Left just felt more comfortable, probably because like the other guy said before, just like a hockey stick. When I played righty, I had a fairly comfortable interlocking grip, Lefty I have a baseball grip. But ultimately the left-handed clubs felt more natural. I'm right leg dominant (righties are usually left), I throw/write with my right, hockey left, baseball right dominant. So go with whatever feels right - or left.
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post #17 of 17
3/22/09 at 9:03pm

Re: Switching from hitting right to lefty

I am lefty all the way except writing because as a kid in catholic school that was the devils hand and you wrote righty.I started playing in the late 60's and lefty equipment was very scarse,my first set was Northwestern 3,5,7,9,pw-1&3 woods.Used to go to Hermans sporting goods to find an odd even iron and buy it.We had Bob Charles and thats it.When Phill came out of school Yonex came out with the first real good lefty equipment,I still have my forged irons just like Phill had and his 8802 knockoff putter.It is now only several weeks wait for clubs to be released lefty as even when the FT-3 came out it was not till Oct. when it was released in July righty.My advice is play the most confortable way as the equipment is allmost even now.
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