Top 11 Left Handed Golf Tips to Channel Your Inner Phil Mickelson
Golf instruction videos and articles predominantly offer tips to right handers. In this post, I reveal the top 11 left handed golf tips to help you select the correct equipment and optimize your alignment.
I also reveal how to maintain your tempo and deliver consistent wrist flexion at impact for improved launch and distance.
Before diving into the tips that’ll help you honor the left handed golfer’s name, I’ll touch on the creativity of lefties and the limited golf club and glove options.
Tips For Left Handed Golfers – Too Long; Didn’t Read
- Remove trouble from the tee by aligning your ball with the widest landing zone.
- Neutral grip pressure for greater clubface control.
- Progressive ball position to promote clean contact.
- Pre shot routine stimulates focus on the next shot.
- Forward shaft lean encourages less loft at impact to boost compression.
- Clubface square to the target line to set up for a straight shot.
- Aim to the left of the target for a draw.
- Line up to the right of the target for a fade.
- Maintain a consistent tempo for optimal release on the downswing.
- Flex wrists before impact to shallow the shaft and square the clubface.
Contents
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
Advantages & Disadvantages of Being a Left-Handed Golfer
Creativity
Business Insider reports that brain scans reveal creativity comes more naturally to left handers. Phil Mickelson is a master with a wedge in hand and Bubba Watson has played some spectacular escape shots over the years. Here is one from the woods to win the 2012 Masters.
It’s not entirely accurate though, from a golfer’s perspective, as plenty of right handers have shown immense innovation.
Seve Ballesteros, Tiger Woods, Gary Player, and Lee Trevino were all highly imaginative right handers who could play an array of shots from anywhere on the links.
Limited Stock Golf Club Options
Stock golf club offerings are slim for left handers, which makes it difficult to find equipment that suits your swing and skill level.
The best workaround is to visit a club fitter to size you up and identify the correct setup for your club speed, attack angle, launch, distance, and skill level.
Limited Golf Glove Offerings
Gloves are another area where left handers are disadvantaged, with some models not designed with a right hand option.
If you manage to find a glove for a left hander, it’s almost certain you won’t encounter cadet sizes. These gloves are great for golfers with wider palms and shorter fingers than usual.
1. What do you want to improve in your full swing?
The 11 Left Handed Golf Swing Tips
1. Remove Trouble from the Tee
Start your hole on the right foot by removing trouble from the tee box. Identify which part of the fairway has the widest area, leaving you some margin for error. If the right side of the fairway is more favorable, position your ball on the left side of the tee box to open up your line.
When a water hazard, out-of-bounds, or bunker is located on the left side of the hole, take it out of play by teeing up to the left. This gives you a direct line to the safety zone on the right.
In the video below, coach Kathy Kim explains that the right side of the hole is her enemy, overcoming it by teeing her ball up on the right to open up the left side of the hole more.
2. Neutral Grip Pressure
Left handers position the right hand on top of the grip and the left hand underneath. I recommend pursuing neutral grip pressure to enhance your clubface control from takeaway through impact for a superior transition and power on the downswing.
Brandon Steele explains that amateurs often apply tight grip pressure, reducing freedom of movement and shoulder turn. To make up for a loss of shoulder turn on the backswing, golfers tend to swing faster and longer, causing a loss of clubface control.
I determine my preferred pressure by undertaking 3 steps. I grip the club, squeezing it as hard as possible, and attempt a couple of practice swings.
The tense pressure causes me to send my clubface inside too early, restricting my ability to unload on the downswing. I then release the club in my hands to the point where it’s super loose between my fingers.
I take more practice swings and struggle to shallow my shaft on the downswing and square the clubface at impact. With my memory of tight and weak pressure, I tweak the tension until I find a happy medium. I hit a few shots and adjust accordingly until satisfied with my clubface control.
3. Progressive Ball Position
As left handers, the lead foot is the right, meaning it’s the lead closest to your target. You align the ball with the inside of your lead heel for shots with a driver and progressively move it back as your clubs get shorter.
Placing the ball in the incorrect position makes it challenging to square the clubface and promote a clean strike.
When you’re hitting a hybrid or fairway wood off the deck, place the ball between the center of your stance and the inside of your right heel. I tend to strike long irons in the front center of my setup and center the ball for mid and short irons. Wedge shots see the ball set up toward the back center of my stance.
The shorter the shaft on your club is, the less time it requires to square up for impact. That is why you place the ball further forward for a driver than a pitching wedge.
4. Forward Shaft Lean
Forward shaft lean promotes a delofted clubface at impact, increased compression, reduced spin, and consistent ball speed. It doesn’t guarantee a quality strike but starts you on the correct path. Address the golf ball, and tilt the shaft towards the target, pushing your hands ahead of the ball.
If your shaft leans backward and your hands are behind the ball, you risk opening the clubface, creating more backspin, and lowering ball speed. The result is a weaker launching golf shot.
5. Pre Shot Routine
A pre-shot routine is not specific to lefties, but it’s vital to execute for consistency and focus. Every golfer has their own approach.
What’s most important is that you forget about the previous shot, focus on the next one and visualize how your ball will get from its current lie to your target.
My pre-shot routine sees me look for the safest landing zone, then I address my ball and check that my clubface is aligned with the target. I take 3 practice swings and check that my ball is positioned in line with the contact point of the clubface.
I step away from the ball, stand behind it for a few seconds while I envision the shot, and make my final approach. I look over the ball for a second and commence my backswing.
Although the process only lasts 20 seconds, I have done so much that I have completely forgotten my past mistakes and am entirely focused and committed to this shot.
6. Clubface Square to the Target Line
Address the ball, ensuring that your clubface points to your desired target, promoting a square clubface position at contact. Squaring the face at impact helps you produce straighter ball flight for improved accuracy off the tee and on approach.
Look down at your ball and draw an imaginary straight line directly ahead of you. If the line finishes to the left of your target, your clubface is open, requiring you to close it slightly to square it up.
Conversely, when your clubface points to the right of your target, it is too closed, so you should open the clubface until it is square to the desired landing zone.
7. Feet Parallel to the Target
Once your clubface is square to the target, check that your feet are parallel to the landing zone. If your feet are not aligned, you risk opening up to a slice or a hook. Aiming your feet too far right of the target opens up your stance and may prompt a slice due to the outside-in swing path and open face.
Alternatively, aiming excessively left of your target closes the stance and encourages an inside-out path. This positioning promotes an inside-to-out swing path, suitable for inducing a draw.
8. Aim Right for a Fade
Left handed golfers need to account for the right-to-left shape of a fade by aiming marginally further right of the target than usual.
This opens up your stance and sets you up to produce an outside-in swing path and induce a right-to-left curve.
If your feet remain parallel to your target and you open the clubface at contact, you’ll fade the ball left of the target, resulting in an inaccurate shot. To better illustrate how to set up, I’ve provided a video below of how Mickelson prepares for a fade.
9. Aim Left for a Draw
Opposite to the fade setup, a leftie should aim to the left of the flagstick to cater to the left-to-right curve of a draw. A controlled draw sees you start the ball slightly left of the target before curving back to the right.
Hitting a draw while aiming at your target leads to the ball curving left of the flag and an undesirable result. I have inserted a video below of Bubba Watson exhibiting how he sets up for a draw and is able to impart sensational curve onto the dimples.
10. Maintain Tempo
A consistent tempo is vital in the golf swing to optimize your transition from the top and ensure maximum power and speed on the downswing. The gold standard for tempo is a 3.1 ratio, meaning your backswing is 3 times longer than your downswing.
In my case, my average backswing time is 1.06 seconds, while it takes 0.34 seconds for the club head to travel from the top to impact. Therefore, my average ratio is 3.1. Using the extensive data analysis of the HackMotion, I can track my tempo on every swing.
You take longer on your backswing because you’re competing against gravity. However, this helps you build up energy as the club reaches the top. A smooth transition from the top down is required to optimally unload the club and generate increased speed and power.
Unloading erratically from the top causes your clubhead to lose energy and acceleration on the downswing, leading to a weak strike.
11. Flex Wrists Before Impact
The final tip is not specific to lefties but is helpful to every golfer. Wrist flexion is required before guiding the club into impact, as it encourages you to shallow the shaft and close the clubface marginally for straighter flight.
For context, hold your strongest hand out in front of you with your palm facing the ground, and push your fingers downwards. Your wrist is now flexed or bowed. Rotate the palm of your hand until it faces toward your target, and notice how your flexed wrist closes the palm to the target.
The principle is the same if you flex your wrists win prior to impact, as it’ll help you marginally close the face. A closed club face minimizes the risk of slices, strengthening the loft for enhanced compression, less spin, and accelerated ball speed.
The HackMotion sensor helps me identify the extension and flexion of my wrists in real-time.
Its detailed data analysis determines whether your wrist angles are correct from address to impact for superior clubface control.
FAQs
Are right handed golf players better at golfing than left handed golf players?
No, right handed golf players are not better at golfing than left handed golf players. There are merely fewer left handers. Golf Magazine suggests that only 5 to 7% of all golfers are left handed, which explains why only four left handers have won major tournaments.
Is golf more difficult for left handed players?
No, golf is not more difficult for natural left handed players. The challenges arise with sourcing equipment suited to your swing or gloves that fit your hand correctly.
Should a left handed person play golf with his right hand?
No, a left handed person shouldn’t play golf with their right hand because they will make the game more difficult for themselves.
How do you know if you are a left or right handed golfer?
You know if you are a left or right handed golfer based on the hand you use most for everyday tasks. If your left hand is the strongest, you are a left handed golfer, which means you address the golf ball with your right foot closest to the target.
If the left handed setup appears uncomfortable, turn around, placing your left foot closest to the target, replicating the stance of a right hander.
Why are there so few lefties in golf?
According to the BBC, there are so few lefties in golf because left handers make up approximately 10% of the global population. With 800 million lefties globally, it makes sense that fewer golfers would be left handed.
Final Thoughts
The top 11 left handed golf tips center around alignment, grip pressure, ball position, and wrist flexion before impact.
Keep your clubface square to the target, reduce grip tension, and use progressive ball position, placing it forward for long clubs and back for shorter sticks.
A smooth tempo is required for an enhanced transition and unload from the top down for increased acceleration into impact. Finally, lefties must remember to enhance wrist flex before contact to shallow the shaft and close the clubface.
Thanks to the HackMotion wrist sensor, I can track my wrist angles at address, the top, at impact and measure my swing tempo.
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