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Honest Question About Left-Handed Equipment

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Ricky_davis13

Ricky_davis13

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Why is it that companies don't make all head shapes and styles left handed? Not a gripe on any company, just an honest question. Is the technology not the same for Left-handed or is it because the market is so much smaller? I guess this question isn't specific for putters, but that is where I would like to see your opinion. Because there are so many styles that I want to try, for example the 2135 8.0 CB from Cleveland. But the only shape they offer left-handed is the 1.0. Thoughts?
 
Probably because of how few lefties are out there and creating every club in both right and left would kill the profit margin. Manufacturing isn't cheap.
 
Ricky_davis13 said:
Why is it that companies don't make all head shapes and styles left handed? Not a gripe on any company, just an honest question. Is the technology not the same for Left-handed or is it because the market is so much smaller? I guess this question isn't specific for putters, but that is where I would like to see your opinion. Because there are so many styles that I want to try, for example the 2135 8.0 CB from Cleveland. But the only shape they offer left-handed is the 1.0. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

It really just comes down to math.
I will use this example. Lets say you have 5 models of equipment and 100 golfers that will play it.
90 of them are RH and 10 of them are LH.
Going in you dont know how many will buy each model, but do know that there will be 10 LH buying them.
It would be hard from an inventory standard to make 50/50.

I wish our LH friends got the same side of the equation, but right now its just about there being less golfers from the pool playing it.
 
All about supply and demand. Same reason the amount of cars available in manual goes down every year.
 
As a nearly 30 year old lefty I've experienced an enormous rise in available equipment in my lifetime so it's getting much better. BUT, JB is 100% right here and I'll add that 10% is a generous number from the golfing population in his example. Bare in mind many left handed individuals that aren't that much older than myself only had righty stuff available and play righty today because of it.

You can't understate how significantly low the left handed population is in golf. But I feel it is growing
 
I would say demand for sure is the reason for the lack of options on many club lines for lefties. It sucks, but it is hard to have something on hand that may not sell. I know at my course, there are very few lefty clubs in stock.
 
I understand all of the ligitimate arguments (supply and demand, smaller golfer pool, high manufacturing costs, inventory, etc.) of why not all product are available to lefties, but to me the arguments doesn't hold water for the large manufactures. To the best of my knowledge Ping offers every single one of their products to lefties.

If Ping is indeed doing this. Shouldn't most, if not all of the large manufactures be able to do this also?
 
2Bad4u said:
I understand all of the ligitimate arguments (supply and demand, smaller golfer pool, high manufacturing costs, inventory, etc.) of why not all product are available to lefties, but to me the arguments doesn't hold water for the large manufactures. To the best of my knowledge Ping offers every single one of their products to lefties.

If Ping is indeed doing this. Shouldn't most, if not all of the large manufactures be able to do this also?
Click to expand...

Be able to do it and make it worth doing it are two different things.
There are companies that do it.
The ones at the top, strategically choose what they can offer due to a number of things such as past sales, requests and of course number of skus.
One could argue that while one company might offer all in LH, another company still has more LH offerings available in a current line.

That goes back to what someone wants really. The good news is the choices are quite abundant now.
 
2Bad4u said:
I understand all of the ligitimate arguments (supply and demand, smaller golfer pool, high manufacturing costs, inventory, etc.) of why not all product are available to lefties, but to me the arguments doesn't hold water for the large manufactures. To the best of my knowledge Ping offers every single one of their products to lefties.

If Ping is indeed doing this. Shouldn't most, if not all of the large manufactures be able to do this also?
Click to expand...

PING's clubs (at least on the iron side) are all investment cast, and I recall reading somewhere that it's easier (read:cheaper) to create two models of a cast club than a forged one.
 
For me the biggest issue is finding equipment to demo as a leftie. I can get any iron set I want in a LH configuration and most if not all drivers with any loft imaginable Now fairway woods, hybrids and wedge configuration are more limited, but the majority of my club purchases are site unseen due to the lack of LH demo clubs out there.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I'm 43 yo lefty..It can be a pain, I have to spend and hope a lot of times..We have to browse over Sticks at places like Dicks and just see the handful of offerings available...The other day at dicks there were 5 lefty putters out of 50 I bet...Got to work with what ya got.
 
As a LH golfer I would love to have more options but I truly get it from a math stand point. All I know is it that it really has gotten a lot better. There are not too many options that are not available to me. I would love some LH Bridgestone stuff and the ever elusive Odyssey Works Big T #5 putter. The bigger issue I have is not that a certain piece of equipment is not made for lefties its more of that equipment not being available for me to demo before I buy.
 
I was actually surprised the other day I went to DSG and they had M2 demos and M1 in LH. So I hit the hybrid and the demo iron. So I hit them. It was nice to actually get to hit new demo equipment.


Sent from the magic know everything box in my pocket
 
Scarnici said:
As a LH golfer I would love to have more options but I truly get it from a math stand point. All I know is it that it really has gotten a lot better. There are not too many options that are not available to me. I would love some LH Bridgestone stuff and the ever elusive Odyssey Works Big T #5 putter. The bigger issue I have is not that a certain piece of equipment is not made for lefties its more of that equipment not being available for me to demo before I buy.
Click to expand...

Bridgestone makes LH stuff Scarnici.
 
heftylefty said:
I'm 43 yo lefty..It can be a pain, I have to spend and hope a lot of times..We have to browse over Sticks at places like Dicks and just see the handful of offerings available...The other day at dicks there were 5 lefty putters out of 50 I bet...Got to work with what ya got.
Click to expand...
Wow. That many!!! Amazing. The Dicks by me has had the same Odyssey Tank Putters out for at least 18 months - that is the extent of the LH putter inventory.
 
JB said:
It really just comes down to math.
I will use this example. Lets say you have 5 models of equipment and 100 golfers that will play it.
90 of them are RH and 10 of them are LH.
Going in you dont know how many will buy each model, but do know that there will be 10 LH buying them.
It would be hard from an inventory standard to make 50/50.

I wish our LH friends got the same side of the equation, but right now its just about there being less golfers from the pool playing it.
Click to expand...

JB is 100% right, its a numbers game and the companies have to decide what type of equipment is going to sell



2Bad4u said:
I understand all of the ligitimate arguments (supply and demand, smaller golfer pool, high manufacturing costs, inventory, etc.) of why not all product are available to lefties, but to me the arguments doesn't hold water for the large manufactures. To the best of my knowledge Ping offers every single one of their products to lefties.

If Ping is indeed doing this. Shouldn't most, if not all of the large manufactures be able to do this also?
Click to expand...

maybe Ping is doing that because some other manufacturers are not, it is a niche market but if it gives them an opportunity to have most of it, it could be worth the investment. I say that having never wanted to game any ping equipment, but I know a lot of lefties want to play ping for that reason.

also, I would be willing to bet that Pingdoesnt want the other manufacturers offered 100% of their lineup for lefties, they'd lose that selling point.
 
wubears71 said:
Wow. That many!!! Amazing. The Dicks by me has had the same Odyssey Tank Putters out for at least 18 months - that is the extent of the LH putter inventory.
Click to expand...

we are pretty lucky up here, in Canada the % of lefties is much higher (Thanks to hockey!) and we are able to demo most of what is made for lefties in most golf stores
 
MPlefty said:
JB is 100% right, its a numbers game and the companies have to decide what type of equipment is going to sell





maybe Ping is doing that because some other manufacturers are not, it is a niche market but if it gives them an opportunity to have most of it, it could be worth the investment. I say that having never wanted to game any ping equipment, but I know a lot of lefties want to play ping for that reason.

also, I would be willing to bet that Pingdoesnt want the other manufacturers offered 100% of their lineup for lefties, they'd lose that selling point.
Click to expand...

Fully agree.
 
Scarnici said:
That's good to know. I really thought that they did not
Click to expand...

they started last year with some of their line, I think the j715 driver, fw, hybrid and J15CB.

I still wasn't able to demo them, but they were available trough their demo program
 
Scrap Iron said:
Probably because of how few lefties are out there and creating every club in both right and left would kill the profit margin. Manufacturing isn't cheap.
Click to expand...

And profit margins are tight in the golf club business. Callaway, for instance, lost money in 2012 and 2013 and made only $16M in 2014. It's a tough business to make any money at.
 
JB said:
Be able to do it and make it worth doing it are two different things.
There are companies that do it.
The ones at the top, strategically choose what they can offer due to a number of things such as past sales, requests and of course number of skus.
One could argue that while one company might offer all in LH, another company still has more LH offerings available in a current line.

That goes back to what someone wants really. The good news is the choices are quite abundant now.
Click to expand...

I agree that over the last few years LH choices are becoming more and more abundant. There are plenty of really good options available for lefties, some I have not taken advantage of personally - Bridgestone being the major one.
 
I am one of the weird lefties, I write left handed, but do everything else right handed for the most part.
 
OP, would it be too crazy for you to try putting right handed? It's the easiest club to switch hit.
 
crucialfix said:
OP, would it be too crazy for you to try putting right handed? It's the easiest club to switch hit.
Click to expand...
To be honest, I have tried, but it just not something that I can do. I putt alright, but not near well enough to justify it
 
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