strangegrey

Im sorry to resurrect this thread...but its touched a nerve. I've been tempted to make the switch for a few years now. Been playing for about 12 years, righty. I'm a natural left, my dominant eye is my left eye, I throw lefty, bat lefty, write lefty....However, I started playing righty because that's the clubs that were available to me. I've tried my buddies lefty clubs and they are darn awkward. But I'm convinced thats because of a lack of muscle memory. I am also convinced that I would have more control and power if I swung from the left side. I've been basically a high 90s player for the past 10 years. No amount of lessons have been able to get me to crack 90. My biggest problem is control. I suffer from massive misshits. 1 in every 20-25 swings is a flush swing. The rest are awful. So I'm slowly trying to muster up the courage to try this....it would have to be a leap of faith, as I can't afford to keep my righty clubs and get lefty clubs....and I suspect the lefty clubs would be far less sellable, if the experiment is a failure... regardless, I'd love to hear from others that have made the switch from right to left...in an effort to return to their natural side.

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?

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!

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

LOL....reminds me of my first trip to Myrtle. My friend, a real cheap bastard, bought one of those golf ball grabbers at Martins the 2nd day down there and was like a kid in a candy store. Every water hole....every course...he was slurping balls out for his bag. On Diamondback on the last day, he's teeing up this brown ball that he found while down there....we're commenting on how nasty it looks and he's going "Perfectly good...like new!" He smacks it, and it sails 50 yards and drops to the fairway. The sound the ball made as it sailed away for its short flight was no different than taking a wet sponge and slapping it against the wall....like water getting wrung/squeezed from a shirt. We couldn't stop laughing at him the rest of the day....

I still find it amazing that after Joe Jackson got banned for baseball for merely being suspected of wrong doing, that Bonds hasn't been thrown out of the sport on his injection bruised glutes. The power of the players union has really changed this game...and sadly, with respect to this, for the worse...

2007 Honda Accord EX

Well, I enjoyed myself plenty on Aberdeen....but the case of beer we went through was more the reason...granted, my game might have been a tad better from the ladies tees on that course...

When I lived in NYC back in 99, Chealsea was a rip off then...20 bucks for 80 balls....Good Lord!

Woah!!! I think I just added a few more yards to my driver...

I've been slapping together my own clubs for years...but never really got beyond the 'check the swingweight' and glue it all together aspect of it...

Be careful swinging those clubs in really cold weather without stretching/warming up, etc. I injured my back on a munitrack back in 2002...took me a year of not swinging a club to heal....just because I went out in early march in the snow!

It seems that the 22* is the more logical 3 iron replacement....

I got a pair of FootJoy's this past spring and they are the most comfortable pairs of golf shoes I've ever owned...

So today, I walk into Golf Galaxy and start banging away with drivers in the used bin....First, I pull a tittie 905R with the YS6+ shaft....my current driver... and start comparing it to other drivers. TM Quad R7, Nike Ignite 450, TM 580XD, Callaway Big Bertha, Cleveland Launcher...etc... Well, I walked out of the store with the Nike Ignite. I hit the club farther than any of the other clubs, including my current titleist....but the killer was the forgiveness factor. I simply couldn't misshit the club now matter how bad I tried. The 'misshits' were fades and draws...not bad hooks and slices. I need to now take both my titleist and the used Nike to the range and give it a good showdown....but I'm excited. I never thought I'd be excited about a Nike club!! The best part was that the club was 40 bucks!

LOL! Is that a joke?

I would love to get out one more time....but I haven;t had the time since I returned from Myrtle in July. I've played approx 10 full rounds this summer....only one here on Long Island. The other 9 down in Myrtle over the course of two trips. It's depressing. I had made 2007 the year I was going to break 90 and actually start making use of my equipment (which I must say, for my handicap, is beyond me...). I'm not only thinking of packing it up for the year, but I'm thinking about selling my current set and getting a set of easier to hit clubs...I just dont get out often enough to get all I want out of the current set. depressed!

I know the drivers, wwoods, hybrids have really changed the game for the weekend wariors... But I have to say, irons don't seem that different. My first set of irons was a Taylor Made burner irons with steel shafts. I gave them to my brother years ago...and started cycling sets every few years. Went to Berthas, then to Titleists, then to golfsmith heads then back to titleists. Recently, I was at my brother's place and I pulled out my old set of Burners and smacked a few balls at the nearby range. I haven't hit such sweet, perfect shots in years... I simply cant get the same satisfaction out of my titleist 762s. Is buying the latest and greatest, with respect to irons, all that it's cracked up to be?

Gotta go to Myrtle...!!!

I've been to Myrtle 4-5 times...twice this past summer. I've got alot of advice. First off, golfdesk.com is a GREAT way to book both room and greens. Ask for Mark Stoneking....he was fantastic! OK, the car thing. Call the rental agencies and ask about a surcharge fee for under 25 rentals...they may have it. In my opinion, you can't do Myrtle properly without a car. However, having said that...the guys at Golfdesk do have some non-car suggestions. Legends resort has 4-5 courses all on site...and you can either get a shuttle or cab there. But, and I stress but, the problem with that is that you miss out on all that Myrtle has to offer in terms of eateries, night life, etc. If you're 22, there's ALOT of fine looking girls that walk around the Myrtle Beach Downtown area (basically an outdoor mall). Definitely a place to go to for dinner and early evening browsing....if you strike out with the girls that troll that place....you can take a short drive to the Masters and waste some dollar bills! ;) On to Golf...as already suggested Legends and Barefoot offer one stop golfing, if you're hamstrung on the car thing. Otherwise, I sugest you look at the Master's package w/golfdesk. You'll get 5 rounds for the price of 4...including one at King's North, for approx $200!!!!! Aberdeen (great budget track) is included in that package as well as Willbrook (great plantation course), River Club, Litchfield, Long Bay, etc. I highly recommend staying away from Myrtle Beach National West or South....King's North is the only worthy track at MBN, IMHO....and it's SO good, it's a MUST PLAY. Other really great courses: Caledonia (I finally played this place this past summer. Every hole, every shot, every vantage point, is a postcard waiting to happen. Simply the most breathtaking course I've ever played). Long Bay - Nice northern Myrtle course. Oster Bay - Nice northern Myrtle course. Heritage - STUNNING south myrtle course. Black Bear - nice, budget northern myrtle course. Arrowhead - nice budget mid-myrtle course. Wizard - great starter course, easy track, wont lose alot of balls, inexpensive. Hope that helps....

The get in the hole thing is so rediculous...it's been screamed at golf tourneys since as far back as I can remember....I mean, heck, the chances of any tour player holing out a 3-iron...even if he's within striking distance of the pin, are so slim that the exclamation is rather amusing... it's almost as bad as "you da man!"

If Tiger can figure out how to stop blocking his drives (and the PGA was a good start) I think Tiger will end up with 23+ majors.... if he carries this swing fault through his later years as a pro, I don't believe he can catch Jack...

I beg to differ, I hook the crap out of my 585H....but granted, I hook the crap out of everything I hit!

90...I shot 90 something like 8 times!!!!! Can't begin to tell you how many 2 foot putts, skyed drives or shanked 8 iron shots I lose sleep over...knowing full well that just one properly executed one would have gotten me an 89!

My irons are Titleist DCI 762s with s300 steel shafts....but I might be selling em and getting something a bit more forgiving...I simply can't get out enough to make these things sing.