Left handed playing right hand golf

[Salty Dog]

Any golfer out there who is born left handed but playing right hand golf?

Any particular difficulty that you need to over come and how did you overcome it? Please share your view.

[TheDre]

I'm a lefty and I golf right handed. I don't think it caused any more problems than anyone else that is new to golf. I think I actually learned faster than most. If you're just starting out, I would definately suggest watching the Shawn Clement instructional videos. They're free on his website. It's definately what helped me improve the most.

http://web.mac.com/shawnclement/Site...ube_Shawn.html

Enjoy!

Dre

[underparnv]

I'm a natural lefty and play golf right handed.

The story goes that I received a righty three iron when I was 12 or 13. Since I swing a baseball bat lefty, I gripped a golf club the same way (cross handed for righty...). I was able to hit the ball pretty well this way for quite some time.

One day while practicing my bunker shots, the head pro at the course saw me and came out to ask me about my grip. I told him that I was a lefty and this felt most comfortable to me. He straightened me out, and I've been a better golfer ever since

[FlopShotArtist]

I'm left-handed and play golf right handed.

It started when I started baseball when I was 6. I was a switch hitter, but saw the ball better RH and hit better RH so I switched to RH. When I took up golf, I couldn't golf lefty when I was used to swinging a bat right handed all the time.

I do everything lefty except for golf and hitting in baseball.

[worst_shot_ever]

I am strongly left-sided at everything I do, including baseball, however I've often wondered if I should consider trying to learn to golf right handed. Interestingly, I just figured out that my right eye is my dominant eye, and I've been lining up my puts a little better since making that discovery.

[bepo]

i'm ridiculously ambidextrous, it's almost a split between my hands. righty: golf, tennis, writing. lefty: throwing, hockey, lacrosse. When I started golfing I actually practiced both ways, and eventually decided to be a righty because clubs are more available and easier to find, lol.

edit: why is my name pink?

[bleach]

I was a switch hitter in baseball, left side for control and placement, right for power. The first time I played golf played with a friends clubs (righty of course), never looked back. I do everything left handed except golf. Not that I'm a good golfer, but I couldn't imagine playing golf left handed.

[polodinks]

i play lots of sports im a born lefty but golf righty, bat righty, catch lefty, play pool lefty, use a mouse on the computer with my right, ive just learned that way and no problems with it....... and who ever says lefties cant drive stick thats a lie cause ive drove stick since ive got my license

[CG031]

I believe my Uncle is left handed, and plays right handed golf...I think that may be a reason he has such a lack of power in his swing...

[polodinks]

I believe my Uncle is left handed, and plays right handed golf...I think that may be a reason he has such a lack of power in his swing...

im lefty but golf right and no problem with power at all then again im 6'3 and 19 years old

[joshtpa]

When my father took up golf, years and years ago, there was just a lack of left handed equipment, and it tought him to play right handed. He is 70 now, but still a 12 handicap. Can hit it from either side, but plays 99% of shots from the right side.

[MonkeyClaw]

I'm a lefty but play righty. I two-hand swing everything as a righty. Gives me a wicked backhand in tennis. No issues with golf. My instructor even gives me different instructions due to this. I think there are a lot of pros that are the same. I was told that Phil Mickelson ('Lefty') is a righty that plays lefty

I can write mirror image, too. Many lefties can. Give it a try.

[mrgilmore]

a guy that i no, used to play lefty then shattered his wrist i was told he wouldnt be able to play golf anymore left handed so he taught himself to play right handed and now he's off 12

[Awsi Dooger]

I'm lefthanded but play righty. Huge mistake. I'd love to do it all over again and encourage my parents to find lefty clubs. Nicklaus and others are correct to advise Mike Weir and other lefties to stay put with their natural side. I played righty because my grandfather had a huge back yard, more than an acre, and built a small course. He had nothing but righty clubs. This was in the late '60s and lefty clubs were even more scarce than now.

There are videos of me at age 1 and 2 swinging plastic clubs lefthanded. It makes me ill to look at them. I was a very good low handicap (3-4) player as a junior but have been stuck at 8-12 handicap for 2+ decades. I'm convinced it's partially due to my strong and dominant hand being out of place as the lead hand. Feels like I can twist and turn at any point with my left wrist, so very little margin for error. I'm an extremely wristy player. When I reverse and swing lefty the lead weaker hand stays put and everything seems so simple, like stealing. I can't imagine being a spray hitter lefthanded. It's just that I never put the time into it and that angle feels bizarre. I bought a lefty 8 iron and can hit it decently but without power. Weird because I do everything else lefty, other than swing a baseball bat which is so similar to the golf swing.

I putt lefthanded the majority of the time and it's smooth as can be. Playing partners always comment that my nerves on that side look like a teenager. Technically I switch putt depending on the break but I'll default to lefty when it's a straight putt, or a long putt. Only on decisive right to left sliders do I putt righthanded. I'm okay on that side but again my left hand wants to do too much. I primarily go crosshanded when putting righty, to try to minimize my left hand influence.

Oh yeah, the guy who wrote about a wicked backhand in tennis is correct. That's the one definite edge in playing righty at golf and getting accustomed to that angle of attack. From that side I've always been able to whip a topspin backhand in tennis or ping pong and the opposition is never ready for it.

[FlopShotArtist]

I can write mirror image, too. Many lefties can. Give it a try.

Heh, I can do that too..I aswell am lefty.

[King Cobra II]

I'm right handed, but I shoot a hockey stick lefty, a basketball lefty, and bat lefty. How ever I do golf righty. It's a similar story to that of an earlier poster. I began playing just a few times a year with my dad when I was like twelve, how ever didn't have any clubs so I used some spares we had lieing around. These of course were right handed clubs so I learned to play righty. I don't think it's any easier or harder. Best of luck to you.

[Dent]

Some of my friends think this is weird:

Im a righty, but play Hockey Left and Golf Right.

[iacas]

There are videos of me at age 1 and 2 swinging plastic clubs lefthanded. It makes me ill to look at them. I was a very good low handicap (3-4) player as a junior but have been stuck at 8-12 handicap for 2+ decades. I'm convinced it's partially due to my strong and dominant hand being out of place as the lead hand.

I doubt that it's got much to do with your "dominant" hand. "Hand" dominance doesn't matter much in the full golf swing, and you can find endless debates on whether the golf swing is a pulling (lead arm) or pushing (trailing arm) action. (More people tend to believe it's a pulling action.)

Very few people talk about the trailing WRIST - it's almost all about the left wrist for righties, which is your "dominant" hand. In other words, left wrist position is the subject of far more instruction articles than right wrist position (for righties). So you may in fact have a small advantage. More likely your handicap has to do with other flaws that have become exposed because you play less than you did when you were a junior. I suggest you get a series of lessons. Being "wristy" in the golf swing involves both wrists, so placing the blame on playing from one side or the other strikes me as nothing more than an excuse. Also, I don't know if it's been mentioned, but Phil Mickelson is a natural righty who plays left-handed.