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I was at the range lastnight and I met this guy who was hitting balls in front of me left handed.. Now of course I thought he was left handed until we got to talking and he said that he read a tip in Golf Illustrated that right handed golfers would benefit practicing left handed.. So today I went to the range and used a left handed club and I got to tell you at first it was really weird but then I started hitting the ball halfway decent. I then swithced back to right handed and I felt this zen like feeling when hitting the ball.. It was really odd. I think I'm going to continue this left handed thing for awhile to see how well it helps. Has anybody done this and if so how did it benefit your swing?

Humm sounds intresting... Theres a problem though, I can't hit right handed! nevertheless left... lmao

I've never heard of that. Thats rather odd. And it actually works? I'll have to give it a shot. At one of the courses I played at this year there was a gentlemen who drove left handed put played the rest of the game right handed. Now if thats not weird then I don't know.

I bet it has something to do with needing to concentrate on the fundamentals more, just so you can hit the ball. You forget all the over-the-top, inside-out, weak wrist, flared feet, etc. All you can think about is keeping your eye on the ball, head down, and swing! So when you go back to your dominant hand, you've awakened those "focus centers" in your brain, and they are able to do their job again. Up until you jolted them awake, you had smothered the basics with too many other thoughts, and gotten away from what it's all about - hold stick, look at ball, swing stick, hit ball.

Golf Digest had this in one of Tiger's tips a while back. Must been before the last Ryder's Cup, cause he and Phil were hitting each others sticks and having a laugh. It said something about developing both sides of the body. I've practiced hitting right handed, and it seems to help a bit - for flexibility if nothing else.

I dont know if this is true or not but my friend was just telling me that he read an article once saying that Vijay practices left handed all the time and that he's almost as good left handed then right handed. Has anybody heard that?

the only guy i know who can play both left and right hand is a pro i know... of course his right handed play is much better... but i think unless you have too much time on your hand (or you are a pro who spend half your time in the driving ranges) , it's tough to practise both to a certain level of capability ...

i can putt left handed though...for short putts , (1 putter length and less) , i 'm deadly with my left hand putt ..

I've not done it with left handed clubs but I do practice "lefty" swings with my right handed clubs. One of the things I immediately notices was the improvement in balance and weight shift. In order to "switch hit" your balance through the shot has to be pretty sound. Initially it was difficult and I only practiced it to kill time with the last few balls in a bucket. It made a big difference in my balance through the ball when hitting right handed.

More than anything, it is useful to have a reverse shot in your bag.... probably once every couple of months, i will be stuck with a shot which requires me to either lift and drop under penalty, or to hit it left handed. I never claim to do this well, but I can easily shift the ball 20 or 30 yards with a left handed swing on my 'reversed' wedge.

I dont know the truth of benefit in practicing the wrong way round, the only thing i know for sure is the mental side. It will be darned tough to do it left handed if you have played all your life right. Thus when you go back to right handed, the immediate memory is of the effort in doing it left handed, thus it seems ridiculously easy when doing it right handed....

I think it was in Tiger Woods 2004, there was a clip of Tiger in front of a tree. He wasnt able to hit the ball at that angle so he went left handed and used the back of his iron!

It was in PGA Tour 2005. He didn't use the back of the iron. He simply turned the toe of the iron down to the ground. The heel of the club should be pointed up in the air and the toe should actually be resting on the ground a little right of center at approach. Playing shots like that isn't too difficult as long as you practice. It is important to realize that it comes out more like a punch as the club has little or no loft from that position.

I saw on Playing Lessons from the Pros that Steve Flesch can shoot in the 80's right handed. (he's a lefty)

There are several touring pros who hit from the other side and claim it is relaxing. I also have a lot of friends who are right handed and play from the left side. The dominant hand can often overpower the supporting hand during the swing and lead to an out of control hook, so hitting with your dominant hand in front can help stop this. And it seems that just hitting some balls from the off side would help get your arms in balance. Anyway, you've intrigued me enough to go out tomorrow and hit a bucket left handed.

im pretty sure Ben Hogan(not really sure) was left handed, but when he watched his dad swing(left handed) he say it backwards, so when he copied him it came out right handed and thats why he swings right handed, not 100% sure though.