Swing Advice for a Southpaw Playing Right Handed

[strangegrey]

Hey folks,

I'm new around here. I'm generally a lurker...but recent events have convinced me to post this question to see what you guys feel on the subject. I appologize in advance for a what I believe will be a long post....hopefully most of you guys wont mind the read.

I've been playing for about 10 years now. I'm left handed, but play right handed. I did this for the simple reason that the clubs I had at my disposal at the time, were righty clubs. Im also a guitar player that plays righty and the advantages for guitarists that play righty over lefty are vast (more instruments to chose from, etc). So I assumed, at the time, that similar advantages to right handed golfers existed.

Back in the winter I made a resolution...and over the past 6 months, I've been desperately trying to get my game out of the 90s and into the 80s. Ive gone through a series of lessons, a few minor equipment changes and even lost a whole bunch of weight. All aimed in some way, to getting my game out of the basement. The lessons came to a close about a month ago....The one improvement I seem to have made, is that I've increased my swing speed a good bit. I seem to be clearing my hips better...this increase in swing speed, has resulted in a few things...Off the tee, I'm alot longer. Unfortunately, my acuracy has gotten awful. simply awful...Any given tee shot will be a hard slice or hard hook. 30% of my shots are finding the fairway. The rest of them are so far to the left or right that I'm losing strokes just getting back to the short grass.

I recently came back from a trip to Myrtle Beach with the family and another family. The other father and I got out for 63 holes over the course of the trip. He plays left-handed. Throughout the trip, I struggled with my game....same scenario as mentioned above. The other guy (a left handed player), after hearing that I am a lefty that plays righty...imediately started suggesting to me throughout the trip that I consider making the switch....He played for 10 years as a right handed player before switching to left handed...and he feels it was the best move for him. What got me thinking was his assertion that he has more control, since his left arm is now the trailing arm (which he feels controls the swing). He also feels he has more power (not that it's that much of a concern for me) and his dominant left eye has less trouble on the golf course. I swung a bat from the left side of the plate in school and find that to be my natural swinging side...although these days, swinging a golf club lefty is awkward (although swinging a bat feels natural).

The big questions I have are the following:

Will I see more control if I switch to leftie? Is it a disadvantage having the trailing arm in a golf swing be the weaker arm?

I seem to be convinced that having my dominant eye low (i.e. setup leftie) might help with alignment both on the tee/fairway...and on the greens. am I wrong?

Has anyone made this switch successfully?


I'm willing to take the down time/starting over that this switch would result in...I dont mind spending a few months or half a year learning the golf swing from the other side, if it will result in an ultimately improvement...but I'm not yet sold it would work.

Any advice is welcome!

Thanks guys!

-Frank

[Spectrums]

Before I start, I'm going to point out that I'm a righty and have only played for four years.

From an article I've read, it is better for rightys to play LEFT handed because their dominant arm (right) is bringing the club back with the left hand trailing. For example, look at Mickelson. He is a right hander playing lefty.

If you've had lessons as a right hander, then there is no reason for you to switch if you've got a swing down that remotely works. The disadvantage/advantage is all on personal feel.

You probably would have better alignment since you are left handed with a dominant left eye.

So, keep trying and figure out what works for you!

- Ryan

[mcecki]

Like Mickelson, I am a rightie who plays golf left. I think this is mainly because I am a left handed hockey player.

When I first took a golf club into my hands it just naturally felt better swinging left handed the way i did with my hockey stick.

[strangegrey]

Hey guys, sorry to bump up an old thread...but this issue has bubbled to the surface for me again, as I'm starting to consider the pros and cons of this switch...which I haven't done.

I will say to the 2 generous posters that commented...I have had lessons as a righty swinger...but as I mentioned above, they have not really brought things around for me. In fact, one instructor (whom I left shortly after this admission) had me doing a handful of practice exercises....until realizing 2-3 lessons later that the exercises were detrimental to me, as a lefty playing righty.


I do understand the sentiment that a string leading arm can be an advantage in some ways....but I feel that the trailing arm (and please correct me if I am wrong here) is the arm that really governs the control of the golf swing. Control is my problem!

These days, I have zero predictability on the golf course...If I were lucky enough to simply adjust for a slice or a hook, I'd be happy camper. But I have ZERO idea where the ball is going to go...and lessons seem to have worsened this, not make it better.

My belief (again, correct me if I'm wrong) is that with the stronger/dominant arm trailing, I will get better control over how the clubface touches the ball on the downswing...and reduce the lost shots left or right.

I've been putting in the living room with a reversible putter and have found two immediate advantages in that my lower left eye (during a lefty putt) makes seeing the line easier...plus, I control the putt swing a HECK of a lot better with the trailing arm...more balls are reaching my target. I can see this as a potential advantage in chipping/pitching as well......wouldn't that advantage translate to a full swing?

I guess the question I'm trying to get answered is that ultimately, after a potentially frustrating and/or exhaustive relearning process (which I am prepared to accept and be diligent through) would I see any benefits to the switch.

I know there are guys out there that are not playing to their dominant side...mickelson is an example. The big difference is that could he have been a better player as a righty? No one will know because he has the benefit of David Pelz, Butch Harmon and Rick Smith at his disposal. I dont have those kind of resources...

But regardless, the large majority of players out there play to their dominant side...There are PLENTY of righties out there playing as a righty (same for lefties playing as lefties)....

It seems to me that if the better way for a righty to play, was as a lefty, there'd be a whole lot more lefty clubs on the market.

Just more food for thought...please, if anyone has any more insight, I'm desperate for additional info.

-Frank

[King Cobra II]

I don't think it could hurt to give the lefty clubs a try, but I don't think you'll see any real fast improvement either. I'm a lefty, or basically, I bat lefty, shoot left, played hockey lefty, but throw righty, and can write with either. I also played righty just because I had the clubs there at the time. I think that you should stick it out righty, since playing lefty will mean you'll have to go threw alota the struggles you've already gone threw from the right side.

[supercow]

I understand where you are coming from but believe me the switch is much more difficult than it sounds and looks. When I was back in high school and started playing baseball and other "throwing sports" one of the things which annoyed me was having the batter get home because I had to move on to my right side. I knew that if I could throw off my left hand side I would be able to inflict some pretty decent damage. Hence, I started to work on my other side. Problem is, is that your dominant side seems to be an inate behaviour while the less dominant side is not.

I had to train myself to think of what was occuring in my right sided throw and then transfer it to my left hand side. For the first few days, I was just an absolute mess and I couldn't do anything on either side without it feeling awkward and unnatural. I then began to better understand what was occuring on my right hand side and started to transfer it to my left hand side. However, even this was problematic because I was just so much weaker on my left hand side. For instance, while I could throw 50 feet at a certain pace and height on my right hand side I could only just barely muster half that distance on my left hand side and the trajectory was completely different.

I then thought that I had two choices. I could try strengthening my left hand side or I could try using my left hand side only on short throws. Since, I wasn't taking the sport too seriously I went with the later.

With regards to golf, I'm half decent off my right hand side and hit my 6-iron about 155 yards in still conditions. When I started doing the left sided thing the best that I was able to manage was about 120 yards. Most shots were of reasonable contact and like you I thought the accuracy learning off my left hand side as opposed to my right hand side was better. This was more likely due to me knowing more about swing mechanics though...

One thing I did find completely awkward though. I could never grip the club 'properly' as a leftie. Instead of the left going underneath I just used my right handed grip and used this when I took up my leftie stance/swing. Still felt very awkward though but is a very useful skill to have as I can flip a right handed club over now and play lefty when I'm in trouble (I can chip, pitch, putt, and swing left handed but I don't generate enough speed to get the woods and long irons off at a decent height).

As to how long this process can take, I have no idea what an average is (it only took me a few days to make consistent contact because I've always had reasonable hand/eye co-ordination). I know of someone who is lefty everything except for golf but he started to learn the game as a rightie as a kid (learned from playing with his dad's clubs which were righty, guess he's been playing for about 10 years?) and hence has been able to sequence the movements and build up strength on both sides of his body. He hits a long way (carries 270 yards off a 2 UK handicap) and hits the sweet spot a lot of the time but I wouldn't say he is the most accurate of players.

On the other hand, I'm more accurate than he is off of both sides (dominant and non-dominant) but I am also a heck of a lot shorter than he is (his swing mechanics are better than mine but mine repeat more regularly).

Overall, I have no idea whether a switch would be worth it. I've tried a lot of different sports on both sides (pretty atheletic kid) but the biggest problem for me has always been the strength issue off of the left hand side and I think that a lot of the same tendencies that you exhibit on your dominant side will still be present on your less dominant side as well (judging based on observation of myself and that other golfer that I was talking about).

[CheeseWedge]

I am a lefty who plays righty. Alot of people have told me that it should make me a better golfer because my dominant hand "is leading the way." I have found this to be true, but sometimes a dominant left hand can cause me to hit through the ball too quickly which causes all types of problems. When I was younger it seemed to cause me to take divots the size of beaver tails! Most people don't think of this, but I think being a lefty golfing righty helps with putting most of all, by promoting a nice strong follow through.

[strangegrey]

Thanks for the replies...

specific to Supercow, I am a natural leftie which has sparked this whole idea in the first place. The idea was that, given the fact that I'm a leftie, I could effectively become a better player hitting as a leftie than as a rightie.

I throw leftie, couldn't throw a ball rightie if my life depended on it...but for some odd reason, I can hit a golf ball pretty well righty...and the left handed swing feels about as awkward as my right handed throw. My thinking is that I would be able to work through this....however, given that I am a natural leftie.

However...I went to Golf Galaxy yesterday...and spent some time in the simulator taking hacks with some used leftie clubs. I had SIGNIFICANT trouble....my max swing speed on a 7 iron was 50mph. Comparitivately speaking, a right handed 7 iron off the way, I was getting into the high 80s low 90s....That same simulator showed weak shots from the left going no more than 120 yards with zero control. Whereas, my right handed shots were sailing 190-200 yards...now, I *dont* hit my 7 iron 200 yards. I honestly think that simulator is yardage borked. But it still shows the huge disparity in clubhead speed...and control.


As of now, a very large part of me is thinking that I need to look to other areas of my game to find where I can improve...and forget this idea of going 'leftie'.

Something tells me that my current equipment, which is mostly titleist stuff, isn't giving me the forgivness that a guy shooting in the mid 90s needs. I tend to spray balls all over the place and the scores are misleading. I recover ALOT of shots on the greens because Im a very good putter. But my long game is very much representative of a guy shooting in the 100s.

So perhaps I would benefit from some irons that are a little more forgiving and some easier to hit woods/hybrids.

Regardless, thank you everyone...for the good advice in this thread....I appreciate it greatly!

[strangegrey]

but sometimes a dominant left hand can cause me to hit through the ball too quickly which causes all types of problems...

Interesting...one of my major flaws seems to be that I'm too quick in transition...and as a result, I get snap hooks or push slices. Would you care to comment on what problems you've had to overcome as a leftie playing rightie?

[supercow]

Came across a video you may be interested in...



Turns out he plays half right/half left set in some tournaments as well...

http://www.golflearningcentre.com/about-us/

[stowswings]

I am a natural lefty - right eye dominant.  My father had me take up golf right handed.  I learned a swing and, at my best, was about an 18 index - broke 90 a few times.  I got frustrated and quit a couple of years ago.

Over the last year, however, I've periodically worked on a left-handed swing-- starting with a reverse grip and moving to a conventional one.  It has taken some time but I've developed a left-handed 'throw' swing.  Not super reliable.  But, I'm significantly longer with my irons left-handed.  I have about an extra 20 yards with irons from the left side when I strike the ball well.  My body seems to sequence the swing much better from the left side.  I can load into my left leg easier and it's easier to begin the swing with the lower body, but it has taken quite a bit of time.  Plus, being right-eye dominant, I see the line much better.  I've putted left-handed for a number of years.

I'm still working on the longer clubs.  I haven't really developed a swing for the driver and fairway woods.  So, that's next.

I'm encouraged by the additional swing speed from the left side and the ability to line up shots.  Obviously, some guys can flip around and play great from the 'opposite' side (i.e., Mickelson et al).  I could never generate significant power.  I think some was due to a lack of overall coordination -- it just wasn't natural.  Undoubtedly, some of it was due to poor technique (i.e., continual flipping). 

[gannonP]

This is so long out of the date range for this topic I hope somebody [specifically strangegrey] is still on board and able to reply.

Strangegrey, you nailed the problem.

I am an Aussie [but don't hold that against me 🤣] who couldn't hit the side of an aircraft carrier with my right hand.

Anything that is done one handed I use my left but everything that is two handed I do as a right hander [for instance if I pick up a tomahawk I do so with my left but an axe I pick up right handed. If I pick up a baseball bat I am right handed but if I pick up a tennis racquet I am left handed.] This is simply natural instinct for some reason and has not been taught. I can also only kick left footed. I can't even understand anything I try to write with my right hand. The only change to that is I hold a pistol left handed but also shoot a rifle as a lefty. Perhaps that is because my left eye might be more dominant? [never even thought of that one oddity until now]

I have picked up a left handed club but know instinctively I could never use it. I Have a lot of trouble trying to get the ball in the air for [I think] several reasons. I tend to go on to my dominant leg too much in the forward swing, and at address I line up with the club in my left hand only which tends to have me standing too far forward and also reduces the pitch angle on the club [they are my theories anyway].

I can't afford coaching, can''t waste time starting again [at 80 years of age]. Almost on a weekly basis my distance is getting less and less. Average drive now wouldn't be much more than 180 yards and I had to go to a 13° Big Bertha to achieve any height. I have, except for 8 iron and above] gone over to 19°, 21°, and 25° hybrids to replace my 3 wood and 3, 5, 6, and 7 irons. Found this works far better for height, distance, accuracy, and consistency. [not that I am too flash at golf. mid to high 90's with the occasional flash of brilliance in high 80's on a fairly easy course]

I still toy with the thought of "I wonder how I would go left handed" though.

I realise the thread is [as I am now reminded] now almost 1300 day old but I don't want to start a new one and go through it all again, but rather to see if your experience since posting has taken any dramatic changes for the better or worse.

How did you end up? Anything in what you learnt that would be of assistance.

PeterG

 

Edited May 10, 2021 by gannonP
just a bit more information