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RH who play golf LH; LH who play golf RH?

vicar

vicar

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Curious ...

how many people who are right handed, play golf with a left handed set ...

and how many people who are left handed, play golf with a right handed set ...

sometimes when I'm goofing around with a left handed club (I'm right handed and use right handed clubs), it feels more natural to swing the left handed club (with my right hand and arm leading the swing) ...
 
I wish I could play righty, but I just can't.
 
I am left handed- but I play right. I can swing the LH clubs OK, but I have been playing right since the first lesson- I can't imagine going left now.
 
Two did you start that way for a reason? Felt better? Someone suggested it?

I wonder if most right handed people play right handed, and left handed people play left handed, or if there is a lot of overlap.

One of the reasons I asked this, is because when my swing starts to break down (in particular I begin coming over the top), I grab a left handed club and swing it naturally with just my right arm.

Feeling what my right arm (and hand) does coming down into and through impact with the left handed club, gives me a feel for how my left arm should similarly move move so my swingpath is squared up.

And then I basically just copy that feeling.
 
I am right handed, and play right handed. However, knowing what I know now about the golf swing, if I were young and just starting out, I would give playing left handed serious thought. I do have some left hand clubs that I hit balls with from time to time which is fun to do.

Why I say this, is because it is my belief that a right handed golfer's left side controls the club through the down swing. Since they are right handed, part of the swing learning process means teaching the left, non dominant , control side to pull the club through. The right dominant side supposedly supplies the power in the downswing, but tends to over power the left side until the left side becomes stronger, and able to hold it's own, while delivering control to the golfer's swing.

If a right handed golfer learned to play left handed, then the dominant right side would be supplying the control first, with the less dominant left side supplying more power as it caught up, and became stronger. Thats the control first, distance later attitude. Most instructors, and players want to go the distance first, then control method.

I did learn to hit from both sides of the plate in baseball, and found that to be an advantage in some games. :D
 
ClairefromClare said:
I wish I could play righty, but I just can't.
Click to expand...

Nah you work that lefty charm and forget about playing righty. Why though would you want to play righty? It's not inherently better than playing lefty. More club selection? What?
 
I can't play any sports left-handed. A friend of mine writes and eats left-handed but plays all sports right-handed except for golf. He tried, but it didn't work for him.



vicar said:
Nah you work that lefty charm and forget about playing righty. Why though would you want to play righty? It's not inherently better than playing lefty. More club selection? What?
Click to expand...

I'm thinking that's it vicar.
 
provisional said:
... a right handed golfer's left side controls the club through the down swing. Since they are right handed, part of the swing learning process means teaching the left, non dominant , control side to pull the club through. The right dominant side supposedly supplies the power in the downswing, but tends to over power the left side until the left side becomes stronger, and able to hold it's own, while delivering control to the golfer's swing ...
Click to expand...

exactly what i meant about swinging left handed feeling better ... both in terms of the control over the club i feel in my hand ... as well as the power i can deliver with the arm ...

i better not pull a screwball move and go buy a set of lefty clubs this season :bulgy-eyes:
 
Smallville said:
I can't play any sports left-handed. A friend of mine writes and eats left-handed but plays all sports right-handed except for golf. He tried, but it didn't work for him.





I'm thinking that's it vicar.
Click to expand...

So you're left hand dominant but play golf right handed?
 
No, I'm right handed. Can't play any sports left handed.
 
I'm a lefty who plays right handed,probably because I picked up my dads clubs as a boy and learned to use them,I play everything else lefty though including racket sports and if I did then baseball as well.I think the left hand controls the club really well but the right delivers the power,hence I am not the longest off the tee.If I could I would switch to left as I suffer from getting through the ball and the weight shift is always a struggle.I get the weight through just fine lefty but the expense and probably the 12-18 months to get to a reasonable standard is stopping me making the switch.
 
The majority of my golfing buddies are right handed and swing left. I would say it is from playing hockey though. Just feels natural for them. I can shoot both ways in hockey but normally play right when I am playing out. (I am a goalie) I love taking swings left handed, and think it is a pretty good swing. I just choke when I step up to a ball.
 
I can write with either hand, throw with either hand but prefer doing things like this RH'd but I shot LH in hockey but caught RH'd so I wasn't a wrong hand in the pipes. I bat LH'd or RH'd in baseball, pool either hand, tennis right handed, ping pong LH's??? and of course golf LH'd it just feels better then when I tried to play RH'd. Werid thing is that I for what ever reason cannot putt RH'd no matter what. I think my problem is I don't know if I'm coming or going. My Dad used to proclaim "the boy just isn't right" and he just might have been correct.
 
I am left handed but play golf from the right side. I can bat and play tennis either handed but I cannot hit a golf ball left handed.
 
vicar said:
Two did you start that way for a reason? Felt better? Someone suggested it?

I wonder if most right handed people play right handed, and left handed people play left handed, or if there is a lot of overlap.

One of the reasons I asked this, is because when my swing starts to break down (in particular I begin coming over the top), I grab a left handed club and swing it naturally with just my right arm.

Feeling what my right arm (and hand) does coming down into and through impact with the left handed club, gives me a feel for how my left arm should similarly move move so my swingpath is squared up.

And then I basically just copy that feeling.
Click to expand...

I guess when I went to my first lesson (back in 1977 or 78 maybe?) we were in a group and the instructor told us all to pick up a club. Never even occurred to me that there was even a left handed club- so I just picked up what everyone else did and learned. Then I just stuck with it.
 
vicar said:
Nah you work that lefty charm and forget about playing righty. Why though would you want to play righty? It's not inherently better than playing lefty. More club selection? What?
Click to expand...

Smallville said:
I'm thinking that's it vicar.
Click to expand...

Yup. Think about it--lefties make up about 7% of golfers in the U.S. Women are less than 50% of golfers--maybe 25%? The intersection of those two spaces is pretty darn small.

That and Provisional's whole thing about the dominant arm leading.

Islander said:
The majority of my golfing buddies are right handed and swing left. I would say it is from playing hockey though. Just feels natural for them. I can shoot both ways in hockey but normally play right when I am playing out. (I am a goalie) I love taking swings left handed, and think it is a pretty good swing. I just choke when I step up to a ball.
Click to expand...

It's definitely the hockey in Canada. A far, far greater percentage of Canadians play golf left handed as opposed to Americans. A greater percentage of the population plays golf, period.
 
ClairefromClare said:
...and Provisional's whole thing about the dominant arm leading.
Click to expand...

so righty would be nice for the clubs ...

but you play left handed clubs because you're dominant right handed?

just read recently hogan was a lefty who played right handed clubs ... but there's dispute as to how true it is ... same article quotes jack as thinking hogan was a lefty playing right handed clubs though
 
vicar said:
so righty would be nice for the clubs ...

but you play left handed clubs because you're dominant right handed?

just read recently hogan was a lefty who played right handed clubs ... but there's dispute as to how true it is ... same article quotes jack as thinking hogan was a lefty playing right handed clubs though
Click to expand...

I should be able to play right handed, but I can't. I don't get it, either.
 
provisional said:
I am right handed, and play right handed. However, knowing what I know now about the golf swing, if I were young and just starting out, I would give playing left handed serious thought. I do have some left hand clubs that I hit balls with from time to time which is fun to do.

Why I say this, is because it is my belief that a right handed golfer's left side controls the club through the down swing. Since they are right handed, part of the swing learning process means teaching the left, non dominant , control side to pull the club through. The right dominant side supposedly supplies the power in the downswing, but tends to over power the left side until the left side becomes stronger, and able to hold it's own, while delivering control to the golfer's swing.

If a right handed golfer learned to play left handed, then the dominant right side would be supplying the control first, with the less dominant left side supplying more power as it caught up, and became stronger. Thats the control first, distance later attitude. Most instructors, and players want to go the distance first, then control method.

I did learn to hit from both sides of the plate in baseball, and found that to be an advantage in some games. :D
Click to expand...

Did you ever play professional golf or maybe as a very good amateur? Some of the stuff you have said really makes good sense! Just my opinion.....

Johnny Miller was left handed but played golf right handed.. hmmmmm could that be you :eek:)
 
my brother does everything left handed... except play golf...

here's why...

i have 2 brothers... im the oldest... the middle brother and i are both right handed... the youngest is the lefty...

we've been playing golf forever... ever since i can remember... so my clubs were those guys hand me downs... by the time the lefty bro got to swinging... he was doing it with righty clubs and it just became natural to him... which he'll admit was sort of advantageous due to equipment issues... most stuff we bought off the rack... he'd have to order if he played lefty
 
I'm left-handed and only tried a right-handed shot once. Was playing solo one afternoon and found a right-handed wedge lying on the edge of the green. With nothing to lose, I chipped my ball onto the green with it. Not the best shot I've ever taken, but it was at least decent (I was tempted to keep the wedge but I eventually did find its owner to return it to them).

I do intend to play a full round right-handed at least once. My one friend who got me into golf is right-handed and we did agree to go out once to a par 3 course and switch bags just for fun.
 
ClairefromClare said:
It's definitely the hockey in Canada. A far, far greater percentage of Canadians play golf left handed as opposed to Americans. A greater percentage of the population plays golf, period.
Click to expand...

When I used to play hockey in college, a teammate of mine from Russia said that in his country if you were righty they taught you how to play hockey lefty and vice versa. It has something to do with strength of side. Is that the same in Canada? Reason being is that world drive champ Jaime Sadlowski owes his strength to drive from playing hockey. He also said that he is lefty and plays hockey lefty but he hits the golf club righty.

FYI, I'm righty, play golf righty, play hockey righty, but I bat lefty when playing baseball and I throw a football better lefty. I have swung a golf club lefty and people said my mechanics were almost spot on but the distance was just horrible.
 
vicar said:
Curious ...

how many people who are right handed, play golf with a left handed set ...

and how many people who are left handed, play golf with a right handed set ...

sometimes when I'm goofing around with a left handed club (I'm right handed and use right handed clubs), it feels more natural to swing the left handed club (with my right hand and arm leading the swing) ...
Click to expand...

Fun topic I am right hand domant person, write right handed throw with right hand. I play golf left hand and in baseball bat left, hand play hockey left hand.
My whole family plays the same. Many Canadians are the same perhaps due
to hockey. 25 to 35 % Canadians are left hand golfers as compared to U.S.
golfer which is about 5%
gb
 
not sure if this is odd or not, but I play hockey left handed, but golf right handed.
 
Has anyone played with someone who plays R/H from tee to green and then putts L/H. I have played with a scratch player over here who plays that way. He regularly qualifies for our major amateur events like the East, West and Irish Close and has been on Interprovincial youth teams in the past. Just curious has anyone come across someone who plays that way to such a low handicap.
 
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