Advice Regarding Golf for Left Handers

Are you desperately trying to find golf for left handers advice?  It seems that every training program or helpful article is always directed toward the right-handed golfer.  Of course, considering only 12 percent of the entire world’s population is left-handed and even a substantially smaller amount are actually golfers, it makes sense why there isn’t a lot of available tips concerning golf for left handers.

Unfortunately, many left handers in the past have had to force themselves to play a right-handed game since their hasn’t always been the selection that is available now in golf clubs.  When you shop for your clubs, take your time.  Chances are, most salespeople are right-handed so they really don’t tell you which ones you should be using.  Make your decision based on what feels comfortable to you.

Basics

Whether you are left-handed or right-handed, you have to learn the basics which are:

• Grip – This is how you hold the club and it is one of the toughest things to master in golf for left handers.

• Posture – This is how you set yourself up to your ball, including knee flex, width of stance, straightness of your spine and bending from your hips.

• Pivot – How you move every part of your body falls under pivot with the exception of your arms and hands.

• Hand and Arm Relationship – What your arms and hands do throughout your entire swing.

• Alignment – How you are setting up to your target.

Grip

Since grip is one of the toughest aspects to learn in golf for left handers, it is important to focus on it.

• Overlapping Grip – Hold your club in your right-hand, with it placed at the top part of the golf grip.  Your left hand’s little finger needs to be placed between your middle and index fingers on your right hand.

• Interlocking Grip – Holding your club in your right hand, slip your left hand’s little finger under your right hand’s index finger.  Align your hands to work together to hold the club.

• Baseball Grip – At the top of your club, position your right hand and then place your left hand right below as if you were holding a baseball bat.  A lot of left handers prefer this grip while others find it hard to control.

• Tightness – When you putt, your grip should be around a 4 on a 1 to 10 scale however, when you drive, it needs to be closer to a 6.

Test Your Basics

To see if you have your basics taken care of in golf  for left handers,place a club between you and your ball on the ground.  During the downswing, on a correct shot, your club head should come from inside your target line, make impact with the ball while the face of the club is straight and then on the way through, the club should move inside of your target line.  The result should be a ball heading straight toward the target.

Slice, Curve and Hook

Regardless, what you call it, these are all bad words in golf for left handers.  If your club head comes from outside of your target line either on the downswing or the way through, your ball is not going to travel straight.  A slice can also be caused from improper alignment.

To properly align yourself begin by standing about 10 feet behind the ball.  Grip your club and focus on an area on the target line, a few feet in front of the ball.  This will be your reference point for aiming the face of your club.  Focus on this spot while you approach your ball.  Stand parallel to the target line and get into posture.  Keep your body square!

Position your club right behind your ball with the face squared up toward the target spot that you had previously picked in front of the ball.  If you have properly aligned yourself, your ball should always fly toward your target.

Chipping and Pitching Help

It is always helpful to have a little chipping and pitching help in golf.  For left handers, you should choke down on your club if you are going to pitch a shot under 70 yards.  Rather than holding your club near the end, place your right hand approximately eight inches down and your left hand below that.  Doing this will give you more control in your short game.  Many left handers really struggle in their short game (don’t worry, right handers do too!) so you can use a program such as Golf Chipping Lessons to help understand the dynamics of these shots.