Ever try playing left handed?

[John Crowley]

I've known quite a few guys over the years who write or play one handed games like table tennis left handed but play golf right handed.

Interestingly they all have an extremely good low hcp long game but none have a short game or putting that's anywhere near the standard of their long game. Just an observation.

atb

Er, I have to mention Mickelson at this point! 

Actually, not that I'm suggesting I'm even vaguely in he same league as Phil but I'm actually a lefty that plays right handed. I can putt, I can pitch and run. My chipping is an embarrassment.

Good mention of Phil Mickelson. Didn't Mac O'Grady play right handed but was nearly as good left handed? Nick Price and Johnny Miller are I believe lefty writers who play golf right handed. Wasn't Ben Hogan also a lefty writer? I think I've seen Sergio sign autographs left handed.

atb

Yes, Hogan was left handed as is Jack Nicklaus. Using dominant side as leading arm towards target may be an advantage in ball striking. Would guess that Weir and other lefties are righties. And probably several more elite righties are lefties.

[Kevin Robinson]

That's very interesting.

I played baseball from tee ball through high school - and learned how to be a decent switch-hitter. I didn't have the same power that I did from the right side of the plate - but could still hit pretty well lefty-especially playing wiffleball in the back yard...

Having said that, my attempts at hitting a golf ball from the left side have met with abject failure. I've played some decent-to-average golf in PGA Section events - But I know for a fact I wouldn't break 130 playing from the left side. I can't even turn a right-handed club upside-down and pitch a ball sideways back into the fairway.

[Brad Tufts]

I played 9 full holes once left-handed...as I play right-handed normally.  It was a round with beginner friends who I didn't want to always be waiting for.

I shot a 56 (+21) and I was pretty happy with that.  I could hit the ball pretty decently, but no further than about 175 yards with a driver.  I did find the short game (no bunker shots) to be relatively easy to get used to...I didn't putt half bad.

Playing baseball growing up, I toyed with LH hitting at full speed in practice, and my hitting style was similar...high contact with little power.  Never tried it in a game though...I wasn't good enough hitting from the (normal) right side.

There are many golfers proficient from both sides...we had an asst. pro who couldn't get to scratch from his natural left side, switched, and got to plus from the right.  I also have heard that Vijay (among others) would be a low single-digit from the other side.

[Wayne_Kozun]

We have lots of left handed golfers here in Canada since about 60% of hockey players shoot left handed and when they take up golf they tend to hold a club the same way that they hold a hockey stick.  I shoot left in hockey and that was how I first wanted to play golf as a kid.  But I got some right handed clubs from a friend so stared swinging from the right side.  I think it is around 20% around golfers in Canada that are left handed which is about 3X as many in the US.

Hockey stick sales are 60% left handed in Canada and 60% right handed in the US.  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/16/sports/olympics/16lefty.html?_r=0

Isn't there a club in Scotland that has an unusual amount of lefties?  I vaguely remember reading about it in Finegan's book Blasted Heaths.

[Thomas Dai]

Isn't there a club in Scotland that has an unusual amount of lefties?

Newtonmore or Kingussie I believe, near neighbours in an area where shinty, which is a little like hockey or hurling, is popular.

There is also a Scottish borders castle, home of the Kerr clan, famous for it's staircases being reserve spiral - reverse for right handers that is - apparently a relatively high proportion of the Kerr's were left handers and 'reverse spiral' gave them an advantage when it came to sword fights on the stairways!

atb

[Jay Mickle]

I play from the right but putt from the left. Minimal sight in my left eye makes it easier to look down my line to the pin without moving my body. (perhaps if I were younger my neck would turn enough).
Played with a fellow who always faded the ball off the tee. He carried both right and left handed drivers to accommodate the the hole setup and hit both 275 yds. +.

[Bob Brightly]

And of course there is Jim Kaat (left handed pitcher) who at 75 shot his age righty to go along with 2 or 3 times from the left side.

[Pete_Pittock]

And of course there is Jim Kaat (left handed pitcher) who at 75 shot his age righty to go along with 2 or 3 times from the left side.

Article from a couple of years ago, where Kaat also discusses medical benefits of swinging from both sides (in golf )

http://www.golfdigest.com/blogs/the-loop/2013/12/is-jim-kaat-the-first-golfer-to-shoot-his-age-as-a-switch-hi.html