Hand Dominance and Golf "handedness"

[mjstrong]

If a person if left hand dominant in most everyday activities, is there an advantage to him being a left handed golfer? The guy in question batted right in baseball so he automatically carried that over to golf, but is now questioning whether that was the right move or not.

I'm also interested in a general relationship between the characteristics since I've seen all 4 combinations of golfers (Right handers playing left handed, etc...) play successfully.

Anybody have any thoughts on the subject?

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Yup, i'm a natural lefty who played all sports lefty against for hitting in baseball. Rightly always "felt" better but hitting lefty always mad the ball go "further."

I also had one of the fastest slap shots you would have ever seen from a tiny guy in hockey as a left too.l

Sigh, i play golf righty. Just "feels" more natural because i learned to hit a baseball that way. Betcha i'd hit it farther lefty though

PS I'd still play righty all over again even if i had to choose simply because of CLUB SELECTION.

 

[holeout]

Yup, i'm a natural lefty who played all sports lefty against for hitting in baseball. Rightly always "felt" better but hitting lefty always mad the ball go "further."

I also had one of the fastest slap shots you would have ever seen from a tiny guy in hockey as a left too.l

Sigh, i play golf righty. Just "feels" more natural because i learned to hit a baseball that way. Betcha i'd hit it farther lefty though

PS I'd still play righty all over again even if i had to choose simply because of CLUB SELECTION.

By a "natural lefty" do you mean you write/throw/etc. with your left hand?

Also, what eye dominance are you? It could explain why one "felt better."

 

[Brian Manzella]

It is a 50-50 game.

Remember, your let arm gets HELP from your pivot.

Your right hand gets next to NONE.

So...your rear arm BETTER be strong.

I can throw a frisbee 75 yards right handed (like a left-handed golfer), but my left arm is so weak (I scored over 30 points in several basketball games and NEVER shot a left handed layup, always a right hand twister from the left side) I have no chance lefty in golf.

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

By a "natural lefty" do you mean you write/throw/etc. with your left hand?

Also, what eye dominance are you? It could explain why one "felt better."

Yes i am a natural born left hander...i think we are like 15% of the population and rare enough to even apply for left handed college grants/scholarships haha.

I'm right eye dominant.

I was taught at a very early age (6-7) to bat righty. So that's what i did, i didn't start trying to bat lefty until i was about 12 or so. It feels very mechancial and not natural to swing left handed. But in baseball, when i did...boy the ball went a lot further than it ever did right handed.

I also played hockey left handed too and for (at the time) a 5'8" 160lb kid, i had one of THE fastest slap shots in the league. So fast that i'm talking i was in an elite group of 5 people in the entire league that if we let one go hard enough, most goalies couldn't see it.

 

[holeout]

Yes i am a natural born left hander...i think we are like 15% of the population and rare enough to even apply for left handed college grants/scholarships haha.

I'm right eye dominant.

I was taught at a very early age (6-7) to bat righty. So that's what i did, i didn't start trying to bat lefty until i was about 12 or so. It feels very mechancial and not natural to swing left handed. But in baseball, when i did...boy the ball went a lot further than it ever did right handed.

I also played hockey left handed too and for (at the time) a 5'8" 160lb kid, i had one of THE fastest slap shots in the league. So fast that i'm talking i was in an elite group of 5 people in the entire league that if we let one go hard enough, most goalies couldn't see it.

I guess that Brian's assertion that you "better be strong" with the trailing hand/arm gets immediately supported by that, huh ?

The reason I asked about your eye dominance is because I notice a lot of golfers that are "cross-dominant" in the way that they play. I'm right handed and swing righty, but left eye dominant. I aim so predominantly with my left eye that I shoot pool/guns/archery left handed. Both Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus were left-eye dominant, right-handed players.

I have no further evidence to support this trend , but thought I'd mention it anyways. Maybe I'm just trying to find something I have in common with the greats.

 

[birdie_man]

I also played hockey left handed too and for (at the time) a 5'8" 160lb kid, i had one of THE fastest slap shots in the league. So fast that i'm talking i was in an elite group of 5 people in the entire league that if we let one go hard enough, most goalies couldn't see it.

85 MPH (I think you said before) is VERY fast................the top pros are just barely busting 100.

(huge, conditioned dudes often over 6 feet tall)

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Ya i honestly don't remember but it was either upper 70s or low 80s, maybe not 85 i was probably embellishing some LOL.

EITHER WAY

When you have goalies that tell you (in high school) that they have a hard time seeing the puck when you let one go, that's pretty damn good compliment if you ask me

----------------

Quick side story to illustrate my point:

We were playing in a spring league with kids from my high school team where i couldn't afford to play. They all "heard" about my shot and this little chubby big mouth italian goalie kid would just run his mouth off about how i couldn't get one past him. Aggravated me so much i just told him that if i had a chance, i'd let one go from the blue line and see if he could keep up with it, him and my friends all laughed at ME.

Sure enough, about 30 minutes into practice i stole a pass, nobody chased me because it was a perfect opportunity for me to "put up or shut up" and i let one go from about a couple feet behind the opponent's blue line...

The goalie NEVER MOVED and all you HEARD was the puck hitting the cross bar and flying out of the rink into the seats. He only reacted after he heard it hit the bar. After that practice, i had new found respects from my friends at high school and they even tried to raise enough money to get me on the team. Unfortunately they couldn't.

Above is probably one of my favorite sports moments of my life

 

[JamesBurg]

If a person if left hand dominant in most everyday activities, is there an advantage to him being a left handed golfer? The guy in question batted right in baseball so he automatically carried that over to golf, but is now questioning whether that was the right move or not.

I'm also interested in a general relationship between the characteristics since I've seen all 4 combinations of golfers (Right handers playing left handed, etc...) play successfully.

Anybody have any thoughts on the subject?

When a player has any question about it, he should try it both ways to see which is best for him.

I know of a 9 year old boy who does everything right handed, except he plays basketball left handed. Go figure!

 

[Brian Manzella]

Good Point!

When a golfer comes to me not knowing which way they should swing, I watch them make some swings—no ball—from both sides.

It it usually very obvious that they are stronger one way, but the most important part in my opinion, is that there EYES and HEAD TILT will be more comfortable one way.

 

[Damon Lucas]

Brian,

How difficult is it to change or fix someone's head tilt?

Only the very committed will do it imo, and it is one of the most uncomfortable changes to make.

Probably the more relevant question is how do you work around it?

 

[birdie_man]

Ya i honestly don't remember but it was either upper 70s or low 80s

That is still a very hard shot.

Quick side story to illustrate my point:

We were playing in a spring league with kids from my high school team where i couldn't afford to play. They all "heard" about my shot and this little chubby big mouth italian goalie kid would just run his mouth off about how i couldn't get one past him. Aggravated me so much i just told him that if i had a chance, i'd let one go from the blue line and see if he could keep up with it, him and my friends all laughed at ME.

Sure enough, about 30 minutes into practice i stole a pass, nobody chased me because it was a perfect opportunity for me to "put up or shut up" and i let one go from about a couple feet behind the opponent's blue line...

The goalie NEVER MOVED and all you HEARD was the puck hitting the cross bar and flying out of the rink into the seats. He only reacted after he heard it hit the bar. After that practice, i had new found respects from my friends at high school and they even tried to raise enough money to get me on the team. Unfortunately they couldn't.

Above is probably one of my favorite sports moments of my life

Ehehe........man I've gotta work on my slapshot....................10 years or so in a rec. league here. I'm a good skater and have a good wristshot but not a very good slapper........wasn't allowed in rec. league (which I thought was lame cause we DID wear full equipment) and I didn't practice it much. Wasn't that good at it whenever I tried but I'm gonna give it a real good go at the outdoor rinks this year. I want a howitzer. I'll practice and find out what I have anyway that's for sure. (I think I need a stick with more loft )

Not too good at it thusfar but I don't see why I wouldn't be able to with more practice when I can hit a golfball over 300.

Gotta hate those loudmouth Italians eh?

 

[joeparr]

Jim,was it that he was (italian) that you got the puck past him? I`ll bet you anything if that puck was a meatball he would of gobbled it up...LOL ..joe

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Jim,was it that he was (italian) that you got the puck past him? I`ll bet you anything if that puck was a meatball he would of gobbled it up...LOL ..joe

LOL...funny.

Just imagine the most obnoxious "stereotypcial" italian kid you can think of....he was it. He liked being like that too because he became MORE STEREOTYPCIALY as the years went by in high school LOL

 

[Burner]

Brian,

How difficult is it to change or fix someone's head tilt?

Only the very committed will do it imo, and it is one of the most uncomfortable changes to make.

Probably the more relevant question is how do you work around it?

Another relevant question is "what part does eye dominance play in the proceedings?"

I did a Google on this recently and there is some interesting stuff out there.