Tips for Left Handed Golfers

By Patrick Cameron
If you are left-handed and in the market for a golf instructor, try to find an experienced lefty coach.
If you are left-handed and in the market for a golf instructor, try to find an experienced lefty coach.

Only 15 percent of the world's population is left-handed, according to Anything Left Handed. website. The percentages drop significantly when it comes to left-handed golfers. For a variety of reasons, including the ability to play with the favored side toward the hole and the fact that most teaching professionals and instruction is designed for right-handed golfers, many left-handers choose to play golf right-handed. But, by doing so, you are limiting the success of your golf game.

Overview

Only 15 percent of the world's population is left-handed, according to Anything Left Handed. website. The percentages drop significantly when it comes to left-handed golfers. For a variety of reasons, including the ability to play with the favored side toward the hole and the fact that most teaching professionals and instruction is designed for right-handed golfers, many left-handers choose to play golf right-handed. But, by doing so, you are limiting the success of your golf game.

Swing And Stance Training

There's really no great difference between how a lefty approaches and hits the ball as compared to a right-handed golfer. Everything is simply mirror image.

To set up, ground your club behind the ball so that the club face is square with the target. Your feet should be close together. Take a small step to the right with your right foot and a larger step to the left with your left foot.

At this point, your feet should be shoulder width apart, the ball slightly forward just inside the left foot insole.

If you watch instructional video, or pros on television, simply reverse the body alignment and mimic the motions that you see. Over time, you will adjust to the fact that the golfer is not using the same side of the body.

Golf Instruction

Taking lessons is a sound idea when you are just starting out in the game of golf. If you have decided to use your natural strengths on the left side of your body, it's important that you find a teaching professional that is either left-handed themselves or knows how to apply their right-handed instruction to a left-hander.

If you are going to a golf pro shop, ask the teaching professional if anyone has any experience with teaching left-handers. If they don't, ask for a recommendation on who might be a good fit for helping you learn the basics of swinging the club.

Club Selection

One the biggest barriers to playing left-handed is the lack of choice when it comes to left-handed golf clubs. But convenience needs to be factored in as well. If you're just picking up the game, you may not want to run out and buy new clubs, so you grab what's available and, typically, that's a right-handed set of clubs.

You may want to use those clubs until you can determine whether the game of golf is right for you (no pun intended). But, don't continue on the road to being a right-handed golfer. Bid your time and select a set of left-handed clubs. A golf-specific retailer will be best bet and online has become a popular source for finding clubs as well. Whatever your choice, don't let the fact that you've played a round or two with right-handed club become the decision maker. Golf is a game that is difficult to master and reapplying what you've learned with right-handed clubs to your dominate side will only be a minor setback in the grand scheme of things.

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