[Dan Kelly]

I used a two-sided putter for years when I was younger.  I found short hook putts to be easier than short fade putts, so when I had short, right-handed fade putt, I'd turn around and hit it left-handed.  

Notah Begay III did this on the Tour for a while -- and may still, on the rare occasions when he gets into a Tour field.

[John Kavanaugh]

After all these years of claiming to not be a golf fan I have been caught red handed watching a silly season event.  A Canadian skins game no less.  The hypometer must be pegged.

[A.G._Crockett]

I would say the 14 club limit is why you don't see anyone developing switch hitting. I would remind you that there are some pros on tour that practice very little. I would also remind you that most have a natural ball movement tendency and it is much less reliable to turn it the other way. Jack had difficulty with the draw. What is to say that he wouldn't have had a natural fade playing left handed that would have complimented his right handed one?

Finally, I put forth Bruce Lietzke, who seldom practiced and always played a fade/slice from the right-handed side. Could he have been one of the all time greats if he had the chance to develop the same swing from the left-handed side and used both?

Garland,
This is great stuff!  Nicklaus would have improved if he had just taken the time to learn to play lefthanded?  And Lietzke could have been Nicklaus if he done the same?  You're kidding, right?

Even Mickelson, a natural righthander playing lefthanded who is perfectly willing to carry two drivers anyway AND can already hit it well from the right side hasn't thought of this!

Jeez...  That's it for me.

[Bob_Huntley]

The only other person than Mac O'Grady that I have seen as competent on the left as the right, is my son.

Hits it a mile right handed and almost as long left handed. He even carries a left handed wedge for recovery shots of which there could be quite a few during his round. Confirmation can be had from Lyn Shackleford and Dave Moriarty.

Bob

[Garland Bayley]

Dave Schmidt,

"What a great way to legitimately sandbag your way into a two decades of D Flight Club Championships and Calcutta wins."

I suppose you are kidding, though it is hardly obvious.  There is nothing nefarious about his actions or his intentions.  He is just having fun with the sport and making time on the golf course with his wife more enjoyable.  It isn't much fun for either player when one shoots a 68 while the other is shooting a 168.

I left a message and an IM for you.  Maybe Tom Paul was mistaken about your interest.  If so, sorry to bother you.

First things first...Wayne, check your IM.

Second, I didn't intend to cast aspersions on this guy in particular.  I was hypothesizing that a guy could ratchet his handicap WAY up by taking up the game lefty, play most of his golf lefty, and then WHAM-O, show up at a tournment playing righty and wax everybody, and realistically couldn't be called a sandbagger if all his posted rounds were trying his very best, albeit left handed.  And when people started really squalking about how a guy who plays righty and lefty should have 2 handicaps, he could point to precedent that it was shot down by the USGA!  For a skumbag, this is nirvana.  For a club champion type, it's completely useless.  

Tell this guy that he's my HERO.  I've been pondering a switch to lefty so I could essentially Etch-A-Sketch everything I know about golf and go back to completely sucking -- just like when I was 5 and appreciated every time I got it in the air   -- for a few years now, but have been a big pussy and not done it...

Dave,

He should play half left-handed and half right-handed. Then 100% of his right-handed rounds would be in his handicap. That would give him a significant (legitimate under the USGA ruling) advantage in net competitions with people of similar ability to his right-handed game.

[Tim Leahy]

I am sure there are some in the LPGA, but I really don't think that a person's sexual orientation should be discussed on a golf website

[Mike Wagner]

I hit balls for a couple hours with O'Grady one day in Palm Desert about 10 years ago.  He hit it identically pure from both sides -it was quite a feat to watch.  He played that morning -front 9 lefty, b-9 righty - 69.

He explained his theories to me and the physics.  The game's hard enough from whatever side you're comfortable with -why complicate matters??

[RJ_Daley]

As already noted, yet I heard one of the talking heads say that during off season Vijay plays about a round a week from left side when at home and is low to mid 80s shooter.  I also 'seem' to remember that he actually took a lefty 7 iron as his 14th club at one of the tree infested tour sites, in case...

[Ash Towe]

Two great cricketers could play golf very well from both sides.  Brian Close was captain of Yorkshire and England and Gary Sobers from the West Indies and possibly crickets greatest all-rounder could play to a 3 from the left and a 5 from the opposite side.

[John_Conley]

Unlike baseball, there isn't an advantage to be gained by playing some shots from the other side.  It is hard enough to become a strong player one way, nobody could easily do it either way to allow for the wind adjustments or whatever you can come up with as a reason to want to try.

Also, it has been mentioned that you'd be shorting your bag considerably from 14 clubs to include some for each side.

[Kalen Braley]

Two great cricketers could play golf very well from both sides.  Brian Close was captain of Yorkshire and England and Gary Sobers from the West Indies and possibly crickets greatest all-rounder could play to a 3 from the left and a 5 from the opposite side.

Will someone please translate for us Yanks who prefer to have our games end on the same day it started??  

[Grant Saunders]

I know of a couple of people who play right handed and also carry a left handed club for trouble shots. Once saw a 2 handicap golfer have 3 shots at a driving contest where you had too get closest to a centre line. He sprayed them all over the show. He then had another attempt left handed and won the thing. Have heard of, but not seen, a guy who plays his woods left handed and his irons right handed.

[Ash Towe]

Hi Kalen,
The explanation will take longer than a day.
Nowadays there is the 20/20 version; 50 overs a day; 3 day; 4 day and test match.
Take your pick.
Ash

[Kalen Braley]

Hi Kalen,
The explanation will take longer than a day.
Nowadays there is the 20/20 version; 50 overs a day; 3 day; 4 day and test match.
Take your pick.
Ash

Thanks,

I guess its just cause we have short attention spans.  Hell even with our National Pastime they have to blare music, play clips on the big screen and race sausages just to keep up from leaving in between innings    

I was aware they had one day and 5 day matches, but it appears there are even more variations now.  Is it common to have guys hit from both sides in cricket??

[Ash Towe]

Kalen,
I have never seen any player at domestic or international level switch hit.  However there has been the occassional player bowl left handed and bat right handed or vice versa.  Now we are going to get confusing.
Ash

[Brad Swanson]

Wasn't there a long thread from a while back about Devereaux Emmett regarding the possibility he was a "switch hitter"?

Cheers,
Brad

[Jim Sweeney]

There was a professional outside El Paso, TX names Lee Olson who was equally good lefty or righty. He is the only person known to have had back to back eagles from opposite sides.

There was an amateur in Cinci, now deceased, names Jimmy Fox(?) who would play right handed in the morning, then double the bet playing lefty in the afternoon. You can guess the outcomes of those matches.

[Tim Bert]

I carried a right-handed 8-iron for about a year.  I don't have a full set of 14 anyway (I go between 12-13 most of the time.)  I was playing a course in New England with lots of tree trouble on the back nine.  Almost once a round (sometimes more) I was finding myself in an uncomfortable spot near or under a tree where I had to turn the club upside down or take an awkward swing.  I went to K-Mart and bought the righty 8-iron for $20 so I could punch out when needed.  It got quite a bit of use, but I think it would have been a better investment to learn to hit the ball straight!  

[Wayne_Kozun]

Unlike baseball, there isn't an advantage to be gained by playing some shots from the other side.

If your skills were equal from either side I think there might be an advantage.  Certain golf holes may require a shaped shot where you may want to hit a draw, for more run, or a fade so that it stops quicker.

One example - the tee shot at #13 at Augusta National.  I would think that a draw from a righty would be preferred to a fade from a lefty.  

And greens that would favour a right to left ball flight would be more receptive to lefty fades than right draws.

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