Anyone switched sides?

[madcityscott]

I am seriously frazzled about my swing. Seems like no matter what I do I can't stop going across the line at the top, coming across the top, etc. I think I have so many bad habits from years of bad play that I just can't get rid of them. (I've even taken tons of lessons.)

Tonight I was playing around with swinging lefty and was shocked at how good it looked on video: club on plane through the whole swing. Of course it felt awkward as heck and I only did it a couple of times, but it was enough to tempt me into buying a left-handed club and experimenting.

Anyone ever switched sides? How did it go?

[xTsUnAmI]

I seriously was thinking about it about a month ago. I was a switch hitter in baseball, through a ball right handed but always hit better from the left side. I also write left handed. Like a lot of players right handed clubs were around and that's what I learned on. I've never hit a full shot left handed, but swung a left handed club some. The only reason I decided not to go for it is because I didn't wanna drop a bunch of money on it. But maybe getting a lefty 7 iron and trying it out.

My father in law was exactly like me, he just switched maybe a year ago to lefty and is already increased his game considerably. He was like a 7 I would say he's around a 4 or 5 at the end of last year skill wise. So it worked for him.

[B Keller]

I am a lefty but do almost everything right handed. I have thought about trying to go left handed before, but when I get the club I just feel lost.

[Big_M]

  madcityscott said:

Anyone ever switched sides?

No, that's just not right...

  madcityscott said:

How did it go?

Like I said, sexual experimentation is not for me... at least not taking it to that degree... but all the girls I know who did that went back to the other side after college.

Wait a minute...you were talking about golf, my bad I actually dated a girl with lefty clubs way back in the day, and I could hit them pretty good, but I could always switch hit in baseball a little bit too. madcittyscott - aren't you the guy I sold my 3-wood to... are you still playing it? I still have a matching driver out in my shed.

[iammpspeer]

For some odd reason this applies quite regularly. For instance putting left handed I have a beautiful pendulum stroke. The reason I don't do it is because I don't like that type of stroke.

I played basketball and soccer in high school (2.5 years ago), and I received DII offers for both sports, but decided against playing either. My form on my left footed shots with a soccer ball is impeccable, though I am right footed. It seems as though I can place it wherever I want. I am also an exceptional left handed free throw shooter.

I don't know what it is, but it seems, sometimes, that people can just "start over" with the opposite hand and gain beautiful form doing so without all the bad habits.

[shortgamewiz]

I can understand the temptation to do this. I actually thought about it because of an injury, and just in terms of
overall wearand tear I thought it would be good to even things out. Also, once this guy in the office had a lefty putter, and I tried putting with it, and
I couldn't miss. It was crazy. Anything I aimed for I hit. I think most of it has to do with getting out of your own way (yes it's mind mumbo jumbo time).
I would say, if you are so inclined, go for it. What the heck. Have fun. It would be interesting to post your progress.
But on the other hand, those so called "problems" you have.. I don't know if I would
necessarily classify them as faults necessarily.
There are pros who do those things and made tons of money and shot tremendously low scores. :))

[Ruckus]

I am thinking that this would not be a good idea. I know from my vantage point, it would be like writing with my left hand. Every time I have tried to do this, it looked like I was having a seizure with a pen in my hand. Unless you are somewhat ambidextrous, I'm sure there are other ways to cure your swing woes.

Another thing to consider is most manufacturers have limited availability of options when it comes to left handed equipment, especially putters. Lofts and other customizable options are right handed only.

[DaSportsGuy]

I do everything right handed but when I'm on the fringe I actually flip my putter around and hit it left handed so it pops up and down quickly and rolls like a putt.

[jamo]

This is funny, over the weekend i was at the indoor range and my sister filmed me playing around lefty without me knowing.

[iacas]

When the Golf Evolution academy opened here, I took my friend Dan (and Joe ERC7.5, and my brother in law) to the media day the day before it officially opened. Dan's a Lefty and I was on the news twice that weekend hitting shots lefty. Got two different swings on a few different local news programs. No righty swings, but two different lefty swings...

Interestingly I had almost the same swing flaws as my original (long ago) righty swing.

I think I would have a reasonable shot at breaking 100 lefty if I could practice for an hour or so first. Most of the short-game shots should still be awfully similar.

[jamo]

  iacas said:

Most of the short-game shots should still be awfully similar.

Yeah, I've actually considered putting lefty, but never crosshanded, it doesn't feel right. I've actually beat a lefty in a game of 21 while is was using his putter, lefty.

I think because you are still using the same large muscles as righty, it isn't that hard to switch your short game. It also isn't as exacting as full shots, which require many small intricacies that would take some time to emulate as a lefty.

[Big_M]

  jamo said:

Yeah, I've actually considered putting lefty, but never crosshanded, it doesn't feel right. I've actually beat a lefty in a game of 21 while is was using his putter, lefty.

You just want to do that because you saw it on playing lessons (Mark Wahlberg).

Actually a guy I played hockey with was right handed, shot left in hockey (which is common for a righty) and played golf righty, except putted left, but cross-handed. He said it just felt right to him.

[HotSauce]

  jamo said:

Yeah, I've actually considered putting lefty, but never crosshanded, it doesn't feel right. I've actually beat a lefty in a game of 21 while is was using his putter, lefty.

Try crosshanded for a while. I probably do it once every few seasons. It takes forever to get used to, but really simplifies your stroke for you. Lefty on the other hand, seems bizarre to me.

[Mr Eagle]

thought this was going to be a thread about Italians

[jamo]

Update: I messed around putting lefty at Golfers Warehouse today, if i didn't love my putter and didn't mind buying a new one, i would definitely putt lefty. I'm a righty at everything (except hockey, never could figure that out, though i'm not very good), but i can do a lot of things lefty like play baseball, throw short, and my writing is about the same lefty (though thats not saying much) it just takes me a long time. For whatever reason, putting lefty just feels natural,

[flopdarock]

my brother is left handed and started playing golf left handed when we were kids... then he found it incredibly difficult and sorta expensive to find the exact clubs he wanted so he switched to swinging righty... he can bomb balls... wonder if he could hit as far if he swung lefty?

i on the other hand have only tried putting left handed... nothing else

[Cody Hancock]

After a tournament last year me and a few buddies were on the range and I grabbed a right-handed 8 iron. I threw a couple balls in the rough and hit two beautiful draws that went around 160. Let's just say I seriously considered switching at that point.