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Right Side vs. Left Side Dominance

GolfLivesMatter

GolfLivesMatter

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I found this video to be one of the best videos in terms of explaining the physics of the golf swing. After seeing his demonstration of the left and right side swing arcs, and after he reviewed dominant vs. supporting roles, the following dawned on me:
  • My swing was more right side dominant.
  • I would hit drivers thin and more right when I tried to speed-up my swing. Of course, my right side dominant swing sent the club upward faster because the bottom of that swing arc is at the inside of my right foot, and the arc is naturally OTT.
  • Migration of the ball farther back in my stance with irons. Subliminal IMO. My brain was adjusting to right side dominance.
  • Shallow or no divots with irons.
  • Right hand "flipping" (but the video explains it's not a defect but the natural bottom of a right dominant swing.
  • Slightly bladed irons - not crisp.
  • Bladed pitch / sand shots.
  • Hitting up on putts vs. through.
  • Why trying to swing faster was never going to work because it just made the right side more confused, and any OTT move was simply amplified.
  • Finding out that no matter how much I tried to manipulate my left wrist to be slightly bowed at impact, it was never going to happen due to the right side.
  • Why any left side slide resulted in some of the oddest, most off-balance shots. My left side was "out here", while my right side was "back there". Impossible.
  • Why my swing would "go AWOL". My right side is lousy at hitting the ball efficiently, some days it was more or less dominant, but dominant.
  • Pre-setting to a closed shoulder position to make the left side dominant does work, and after a few hundred balls the left side starts learning to be dominant.
  • Right middle back muscles on fire after a few rounds. Right upper neck feels pinched. Shoulders pulled up / tense.
Anyone else have any ideas or thoughts? This isn't new stuff for many folks, but it was an eye-opener for me. The video after this one is interesting because he talks about teaching Leonardo DiCaprio at his home to learn the swing for a movie role.

 
I improved at golf immensely when I told my right side to stfu and stop trying to lead the parade.
 
~QQ~ said:
I improved at golf immensely when I told my right side to stfu and stop trying to lead the parade.
Click to expand...
QQ, it is SO hard to do at times. Just today, I'm one over thru #10 then sure as crap two shanked 60* wedges for a triple. Put my driver into double bogey country on #11. Then my right brain went into over-drive to "fix" the problem. But I could hear a little whisper from my left brain saying "just relax". Then I went 3 over on the back. It is SO hard to not lose control to the right side....I mean even a slight bit is deadly.
 
Giving this video a watch later. I'm very right arm dominant and it's something I battle to subdue
 
I’m a lefty that plays right handed. I have to use my right side as the dominant side, otherwise my left side really takes over and drags/pulls the handle.
 
GolfLivesMatter said:
I found this video to be one of the best videos in terms of explaining the physics of the golf swing. After seeing his demonstration of the left and right side swing arcs, and after he reviewed dominant vs. supporting roles, the following dawned on me:
  • My swing was more right side dominant.
  • I would hit drivers thin and more right when I tried to speed-up my swing. Of course, my right side dominant swing sent the club upward faster because the bottom of that swing arc is at the inside of my right foot, and the arc is naturally OTT.
  • Migration of the ball farther back in my stance with irons. Subliminal IMO. My brain was adjusting to right side dominance.
  • Shallow or no divots with irons.
  • Right hand "flipping" (but the video explains it's not a defect but the natural bottom of a right dominant swing.
  • Slightly bladed irons - not crisp.
  • Bladed pitch / sand shots.
  • Hitting up on putts vs. through.
  • Why trying to swing faster was never going to work because it just made the right side more confused, and any OTT move was simply amplified.
  • Finding out that no matter how much I tried to manipulate my left wrist to be slightly bowed at impact, it was never going to happen due to the right side.
  • Why any left side slide resulted in some of the oddest, most off-balance shots. My left side was "out here", while my right side was "back there". Impossible.
  • Why my swing would "go AWOL". My right side is lousy at hitting the ball efficiently, some days it was more or less dominant, but dominant.
  • Pre-setting to a closed shoulder position to make the left side dominant does work, and after a few hundred balls the left side starts learning to be dominant.
  • Right middle back muscles on fire after a few rounds. Right upper neck feels pinched. Shoulders pulled up / tense.
Anyone else have any ideas or thoughts? This isn't new stuff for many folks, but it was an eye-opener for me. The video after this one is interesting because he talks about teaching Leonardo DiCaprio at his home to learn the swing for a movie role.

Click to expand...

That first move he does is a stall flip to shut the face. Which is what happens if we don’t rotate. He’s just moved bad from one side to the next.

The goal should be to have passive hands and arms. So neither right nor left. That way rotating shuts the face not manipulating the hands or sides of your body.

If one side Dominates try to feel that side but feel it less not feel the opposite side more because you may over do it on the new dominant side.🤷‍♂️
 
TrueMotionMatt said:
That first move he does is a stall flip to shut the face. Which is what happens if we don’t rotate. He’s just moved bad from one side to the next.

The goal should be to have passive hands and arms. So neither right nor left. That way rotating shuts the face not manipulating the hands or sides of your body.

If one side Dominates try to feel that side but feel it less not feel the opposite side more because you may over do it on the new dominant side.🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
I just watched the video and this was my first thought as well. His body never let's the weight off the front foot and it looks like the club flips through impact. I had a coach years ago that taught this swing and when the timing was on I could hit decent but when it was off it was a mess. If someone had flexibility/mobility issues then this might be a way to help compress a ball and cheat a draw but it's not something I want to experiment.
 
93civiccpe said:
I just watched the video and this was my first thought as well. His body never let's the weight off the front foot and it looks like the club flips through impact. I had a coach years ago that taught this swing and when the timing was on I could hit decent but when it was off it was a mess. If someone had flexibility/mobility issues then this might be a way to help compress a ball and cheat a draw but it's not something I want to experiment.
Click to expand...
💯 That’s what we do for less flexible folks.
 
TrueMotionMatt said:
That first move he does is a stall flip to shut the face. Which is what happens if we don’t rotate. He’s just moved bad from one side to the next.

The goal should be to have passive hands and arms. So neither right nor left. That way rotating shuts the face not manipulating the hands or sides of your body.

If one side Dominates try to feel that side but feel it less not feel the opposite side more because you may over do it on the new dominant side.🤷‍♂️
Click to expand...
I was looking more at the general relationship between the left and right side, and that the right side plays supportive role which makes sense, at least to me. I would never play golf with the right hand only, or if I did I would have to close my shoulders to hit the ball straight. To that extent, I did try some "more" closed shoulder positions today and sure enough I was able to fairly easily draw my irons which is not a big revelation, but nonetheless it was somewhat surprising that it wasn't "hard" and didn't require much thought.

I think the concept of the right arm naturally swinging OTT is interesting because OTT moves and flips are some of the most common swing faults in my experience, and with many other folks, especially considering most folks favor their dominant side. I think the benefit is a better awareness that the arms travel on essentially opposing paths and explains a lot of whacky shots.
 
All right handed golfers get caught out by the right arm at times regardless of how good they are. There is no escaping it unfortunately. The best protection is a pivot that creates a right lateral bend of the spine with the right lat pulled down to the left and the pelvis tilted downwards during transition which drags the right shoulder down and retracts the shoulder blade into the ribcage. This chain only takes a millisecond and pulls the right elbow forward into external rotation. Another key to the right arm is to ensure both halves of the arm always move at the same pace - troubles arise when the wrist half moves faster than the upper half. If you must think of the right arm then concentrate on keeping both forearms and wrists close together throughout the swing as Hogan recommended in "Five lessons....".
Unfortunately there is no other way to deal with this if we want a swing like a tour professional. Even tour players periodically lose the feeling. That is why they have swing teachers etc.
 
I think he makes good points in the video and without doubt my right side messes up many swings. I had a hurting back some years ago and was trying to practice putting. Ended up in a praying hands grip that I use to this day and I am a much better putter. Not even close really. The right hand supports as in the video. His actual teachings look like they might help a beginner break 100 faster then conventional approaches.

Right now I'm working on details of my grip to make it more natural for the lead hand to lead.
 
I am very right side active and since accepting that I have been striking much better.
 
razaar said:
All right handed golfers get caught out by the right arm at times regardless of how good they are. There is no escaping it unfortunately. The best protection is a pivot that creates a right lateral bend of the spine with the right lat pulled down to the left and the pelvis tilted downwards during transition which drags the right shoulder down and retracts the shoulder blade into the ribcage. This chain only takes a millisecond and pulls the right elbow forward into external rotation. Another key to the right arm is to ensure both halves of the arm always move at the same pace - troubles arise when the wrist half moves faster than the upper half. If you must think of the right arm then concentrate on keeping both forearms and wrists close together throughout the swing as Hogan recommended in "Five lessons....".
Unfortunately there is no other way to deal with this if we want a swing like a tour professional. Even tour players periodically lose the feeling. That is why they have swing teachers etc.
Click to expand...
I find tension situations cause right side dominance. That makes sense because it would be a natural instinct to employ our most trusted areas of our body. Everyone has hit some of their best shots when they "don't care", or with someone else's club.

As you mentioned, the transition happens in milliseconds. To that extent a left dominant swing has to be substantially intuitive, like playing catch with someone. Even then there will be variations because someone could suddenly yell from behind you "throw it to me fast!" and the ball sails over their head or one-hops, which might be akin to par 3 over water or a pesky pitch shot from a tight lie.
 
Acesteve said:
I think he makes good points in the video and without doubt my right side messes up many swings. I had a hurting back some years ago and was trying to practice putting. Ended up in a praying hands grip that I use to this day and I am a much better putter. Not even close really. The right hand supports as in the video. His actual teachings look like they might help a beginner break 100 faster then conventional approaches.

Right now I'm working on details of my grip to make it more natural for the lead hand to lead.
Click to expand...
I was thinking the same thing about maybe this more applies to beginners, but I started thinking about the good golfers I've played with over the years, and even today, and it dawned on me some had more closed stances with their shoulders being "abnormally" closed to the target. I now understand why one low capper in particular points his shoulders about 30 degrees right of the target, then hits a nice draw. By gosh, whether he knows it or not he's employing Veneto's method. He does it on all shots, including driver. I always thought his setup was "wrong" and is just consistently lucky! Lol. Dumb me. [EDIT]. BTW, this guy's miss is dead straight which makes sense.
 
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aaand now I'm down a rabbit hole with this guy.
 
millsan1 said:
aaand now I'm down a rabbit hole with this guy.
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LOL. The good part is it's not hard to do, and it's not hard to switch-back to "normal" if it doesn't seem to work. If anything, I think it's good for the body to learn different things because something is almost always discovered that we didn't know before.
 
So what’s the difference between this and stack and tilt? He seems to be suggesting to start with the weight forward and kept there while swinging with little to no body turn.
 
I pulled down with my lead hand/arm on the forward swing and it has really saved me. Some say, it's wrong. But, it works for me.
 
Carolina Golfer said:
I pulled down with my lead hand/arm on the forward swing and it has really saved me. Some say, it's wrong. But, it works for me.
Click to expand...
Why are you pulling down? Or do you feel like you're pulling down and that works? Just curious. Whatever works is what works.
 
i played yesterday on the range closing my shoulders a little. Felt like I was already in my turn. What it gave me is a sense that my left arm needed only to move the club back. I will experiment more. Did not hurt me and maybe helped.

The video does seem like a band aide but most golfers I play with or observe need all the help they can get.
 
Acesteve said:
i played yesterday on the range closing my shoulders a little. Felt like I was already in my turn. What it gave me is a sense that my left arm needed only to move the club back. I will experiment more. Did not hurt me and maybe helped.

The video does seem like a band aide but most golfers I play with or observe need all the help they can get.
Click to expand...
I find it feel strange yet not hard to execute. My question...to myself...lol.... is does it feel strange because it actually is allowing my left side to become dominant? Meaning, am I used to a more right-side dominant swing, and this the strange feel is a signal that I have been more right side dominant? I do know my misses are thin shots and pushes to the right. I also know I can hit an 8 iron 135 to 160, so is the 135 swing the right side and the 160 is the left side? I think there's no question that my 160 swing is a result of a descending compression strike and my 135 swing is the result of an upward, slowing arc.

Hmmm
 
GolfLivesMatter said:
I find it feel strange yet not hard to execute. My question...to myself...lol.... is does it feel strange because it actually is allowing my left side to become dominant? Meaning, am I used to a more right-side dominant swing, and this the strange feel is a signal that I have been more right side dominant? I do know my misses are thin shots and pushes to the right. I also know I can hit an 8 iron 135 to 160, so is the 135 swing the right side and the 160 is the left side? I think there's no question that my 160 swing is a result of a descending compression strike and my 135 swing is the result of an upward, slowing arc.

Hmmm
Click to expand...

It's just a strange swing. Also, it seems to tweak my knees a bit too. I guess the only way to know is to try it or call Jim. Search on Bige here. He has a nice thread going on this.
 
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