Redan's from the left-handed players perspective.

[Thomas Dai]

Now we discuss Redan's quite a bit herein and most of the famous Redan's seem to angle right-to-left and most golfers are right-handed players.


So the question is, what do left-handed players think of the right-to-left playing Redan (and, for that matter, those that shape the opposite way)?


Atb

[Ian Mackenzie]

I play the game right-handed today, but started out as a lefty in my early teens due to my hockey player roots.


I do not see this as an issue of "right or left", but rather one that is "fade or draw".
You could easily say that the redan does not favor a player, like Trevino, who hits a low fade from the right side.


Yet a lefty who hits a high fade would be quite comfortable.

[Ian Andrew]

I'm a lefty who essentially draws the ball and can not play a fade....


I find a couple insanely difficult:


National (the hardest of all - angle leaves me nothing to work with)
Shoreacres (I feel like I have nowhere to go)
Montclair (length plays a role in this one)


Others more comfortable:


North Berwick
Chicago
Fishers Island (par 4 - 12th)
The Creek (par 4 - 1st)
Lookout Mountain
Mountain Lake
Yale
Pacific Dunes
[/size]Laval
[/size]Pine Valley
[/size]Philadelphia CC
[/size]
But I love playing Reverse Redans


The Creek (the best of all)
Knollwood CC (sets up great for me)
Sleepy Hollow

[Jay Mickle]

A wonderful reverse Redan is at Country Club of Charleston.

[DMoriarty]

I don't think Redans always work as intended for LH golfers because a fade (and especially a high fade) generally does not release.  I assume that this is also true for RH golfers on reversed Redans.

LACC has an interesting hole that is somewhat reversed Redan like, but it doesn't really tilt front to back, yet the hole still works because the ground short of the hole will help direct the ball toward the back right even on a straight shot.  Generally, I don't think it makes much sense to consider reversed Redans in the same light as Redans because of the different playing characteristics.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Thomas,


From a lefties perspective:


Something like +90% of the population are righties, no reason to suspect that's any different within the world of golf.


Probably 90% of all instruction articles are titled "How to get rid of your fade".


Ergo, standard Redans are more troublesome for righties than they are for lefties. 

[AChao]

For a good player, I would think a lefty would find the traditional Redan far less interesting than a right-handed player because a draw releases so much more than a fade.  A front right hole location might be more interesting on a comparative basis with other hole locations for a lefty, especially if the win is quartering behind and to the left.

[Michael Graham]

For a good player, I would think a lefty would find the traditional Redan far less interesting than a right-handed player because a draw releases so much more than a fade.

That's an interesting point. The only Redan I've played is at North Berwick. As a lefty whose natural shot is a left to right shape I have to force myself to try and play a high right to left fade. I'd much rather be playing the hole with a lower flight and some hook spin.

I'm looking forward to playing a reverse Redan. Us lefties always get a rum do.

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks folks,


Nice to hear the perspectives of some lefties. Hooks and draws, slices and fades, just what I was looking for.


Has the change in the ball had any effect on how folks would attempt a tee shot into a Redan or reverse-Redan green, ie less sidespin with the modern ball in comparison to a balata version so reduced opportunity to swerve the ball towards the green/hole location or land it soft by spinning a shot into the wind?


Atb

[JJShanley]

For a good player, I would think a lefty would find the traditional Redan far less interesting than a right-handed player because a draw releases so much more than a fade.

Us lefties always get a rum do.

Aye but you've got Corbyn now.  He'll mandate that North Berwick offers an alternate tee for your kind.

[Mike_Young]

I'm a lefty who essentially draws the ball and can not play a fade....


I find a couple insanely difficult:


National (the hardest of all - angle leaves me nothing to work with)
Shoreacres (I feel like I have nowhere to go)
Montclair (length plays a role in this one)


Others more comfortable:


North Berwick
Chicago
Fishers Island (par 4 - 12th)
The Creek (par 4 - 1st)
Lookout Mountain
Mountain Lake
Yale
Pacific Dunes
Laval
Pine Valley
Philadelphia CC

But I love playing Reverse Redans


The Creek (the best of all)
Knollwood CC (sets up great for me)
Sleepy Hollow

I'm left handed and have played with Ian....Canadians NERD it up...I say hit the damn ball....

[Will MacEwen]

Thomas,


From a lefties perspective:


Something like +90% of the population are righties, no reason to suspect that's any different within the world of golf.


Probably 90% of all instruction articles are titled "How to get rid of your fade".


Ergo, standard Redans are more troublesome for righties than they are for lefties. 

Because of our exposure to hockey, Canada has a much higher proportion of lefties. In my anecdotal experience, those of us who,played tend to have a strong top hand and hook or draw the ball. I'm having trouble thinking of a lefty friend who fades or slices.


Anyway, I do find that when I actually execute a fade on a redan it doesn't release as much as I would expect from a draw.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Every year we have the Hockey Open at our course - most lefties (several from Canada) I see in one place/one day - balls get sprayed on both sides of the fairways.


As lefties, we could choose to use a slightly longer iron, fashion a somewhat harder to execute low fade, use the shoulder in the same manner as that of a rightie w/a draw, and realize the same result.


Ian Mackenzie mentioned hitting a high fade. A leftie would be 'sacrificing' some of the joy gained by using less of the shoulder to work the ball to the flag, but that's really not going to spoil one's day, is it? The least appealing approach, the one that circumvents most of the hole's design, would be the high leftie draw, but it's still golf, and as Mike Young pointed out, you have to hit the damn ball. 

[BCrosby]

"Because of our exposure to hockey, Canada has a much higher proportion of lefties."

What does hockey have to do with being a leftie golfer? 

Bob

[Will MacEwen]

Hockey is split about 50-50 LH shots and RH shots. If you start off playing hockey left, you will likely play golf left (Notable exception Wayne Gretzky). I think we run at about 20 per cent lefties, maybe more.

[BCrosby]

When you say "playing hockey left" do you mean holding the stick with the left hand low and shooting from the left side? I understand why left wingers would be taught to play that way, but how are centers and defensemen taught to hold the stick? Are they allowed to favor whatever side is natural?


I have always wondered if we don't teach kids to swing the golf club from the wrong side. Isn't it more intuitive for a rightie to lead the downswing with his right arm and hands? 


An empirical test would be if there is a disproportionate number of great golfers (or baseball players) who swing the club (or bat) from the "unnatural" side.


Bob 

[Ian Mackenzie]

I'm a lefty who essentially draws the ball and can not play a fade....


I find a couple insanely difficult:


National (the hardest of all - angle leaves me nothing to work with)
Shoreacres (I feel like I have nowhere to go)
Montclair (length plays a role in this one)


Others more comfortable:


North Berwick
Chicago
Fishers Island (par 4 - 12th)
The Creek (par 4 - 1st)
Lookout Mountain
Mountain Lake
Yale
Pacific Dunes
Laval
Pine Valley
Philadelphia CC

But I love playing Reverse Redans


The Creek (the best of all)
Knollwood CC (sets up great for me)
Sleepy Hollow

I'm left handed and have played with Ian....Canadians NERD it up...I say hit the damn ball....

I'm an ex-Candian lefty who is now an American righty who has also played with Ian Andrews. Nothing political about this,when I was a caddy at Springdale Golf Club in Princeton, NJ (where Ian has now been hired) the caddy master (an ex-tour journeyman) saw me hitting balls on the range on a Monday and suggested I switch to the right side. On a layaway plan at the pro shop, I bought my first set of irons: MacGregor Ben Hogans!!

[Michael Graham]

I have not actual figures to back this up but I've read before that clubs such as Newtonmore and Kingussie in the Scottish highlands have disproportionately large numbers of left-handed players due to the popularity of shinty in that part of the country. I've also heard that's where left handed golfers need to go to buy clubs as the local golf shops are much better stocked with left handed equipment.

[Will MacEwen]

When you say "playing hockey left" do you mean holding the stick with the left hand low and shooting from the left side? I understand why left wingers would be taught to play that way, but how are centers and defensemen taught to hold the stick? Are they allowed to favor whatever side is natural?


I have always wondered if we don't teach kids to swing the golf club from the wrong side. Isn't it more intuitive for a rightie to lead the downswing with his right arm and hands? 


An empirical test would be if there is a disproportionate number of great golfers (or baseball players) who swing the club (or bat) from the "unnatural" side.


Bob

Kids are generally allowed to play left or right, whatever is natural. Sort of like you let them throw and catch however they want.

Left handed means left hand low, shooting from the right side of the puck. Wings and D you generally want to have their stick on the boards side. Centres can be either.

On the power play you out at least one D on the off wing to set up the one timer from the point.

In today's NHL, there is strong demand for high level RH defence.

[Pete Lavallee]

Bob,
 
The statistics I remember hearing are 7% left handed golfers in the US and 30% left handed golfers in Canada. I know most hockey players choose to have their dominant hand on top of the hockey stick, thus most righties use a left handed motion.
 
Although Hogan, Miller and Mickelson seem to bolster your argument that we teach swinging the wrong way, why aren't those 30% of Canadians right handed lefties dominating the Tour?

[Wayne_Kozun]

Although Hogan, Miller and Mickelson seem to bolster your argument that we teach swinging the wrong way, why aren't those 30% of Canadians right handed lefties dominating the Tour?

One of them did pretty well a decade ago and opened the floodgates to leftie dominance of the Masters in the last dozen years. And Bubba is an honorary Canuck as me married one of our lassies.


As a related question - is it just a coincidence that six Masters champions since 2003 have been lefties?

[Pete Lavallee]

As a related question - is it just a coincidence that six Masters champions since 2003 have been lefties?

Wayne,
It is common knowledge that one must work the ball right to left to take advantage of certain holes there, #10 and 13 being the prime examples. The modern driver is very difficult to hit a hard draw with. However it's quite easy for the lefty to hit a big fade on those holes. The 12th is also much easier for lefties as it fits their short left, long right, miss pattern. No coincidence at all when you think about it.

[Bill Brightly]

Now we discuss Redan's quite a bit herein and most of the famous Redan's seem to angle right-to-left and most golfers are right-handed players.


So the question is, what do left-handed players think of the right-to-left playing Redan (and, for that matter, those that shape the opposite way)?


Atb

I will take a different position. I say that a traditional Redan angling right to left can be more safely played with a fade! I think it is easier to control the rollout by cutting it into the slope and using that to minimize the rollout, especially when the pin is right or front.