Are You a Leftie?

We can't blame the golf club manufacturers for targeting their most profitable market of right-handed golfers, but it is quite difficult for those golfers who play left handed to find the selection offered to the mainstream players.

I have known a few golfers who made the change early on by training to play right handed but this is unrealistic for most people.

You should be playing in the most natural manner possible and if that means left handed then so be it.

Unfortunately with everything these days it all comes down to economics and profitability and there just isn't enough money to be made for many manufacturers in the left-handed market.

The percentage of left handed players to right handed players is somewhere in the region of 8 percent so the market is quite small, although it is a niche market that some manufacturers are targeting albeit at more expense in most instances.

But there is always a silver lining to the problems that we might encounter.

At a recent after tournament function I was introduced to an elderly gentleman who was playing on a low handicap and had done so for many years.

During the discussion he mentioned left-handed clubs and the fact that he had started playing left handed initially.

He hadn't learnt how to play from a professional and had developed some bad techniques.

Eventually, due to frustration with his game and the inability to source the clubs he wanted to, he enlisted some professional help.
After much discussion it was decided that he should try playing right handed and the golf pro would give him the necessary tuition.

It was a godsend as he was effectively starting from scratch and he learnt how to play golf without any of the bad techniques that he had developed on his own.

The change from left to right, along with the professional training had held him in good steed for the rest of his golf playing life.

Sure, it was a major decision that most golfers wouldn't make, but you can never beat a golfer at trying to improve his game no matter what steps they might take.

Why Do You Need to Practice So Much?

Practicing your golf will train your mind and your body to perform on autopilot.
The less you have to think about the actions involved in your swing the more the likelihood you have of hitting the golf ball as you should.

There are so many different actions that you need to consider to hit the golf ball perfectly that in actual fact, there are too many things to think about all at once.

The only solution to having a good swing and hitting the ball correctly is to get as many of those actions drilled into your subconscious so that you don't have to think about them to perform them correctly.

It is just like riding a bicycle where you don't have to think about the action of actually peddling the bike.
You need to do the same for your golf swing.

Start with any aspect of your game and practice until you no longer have to think about it.

There is always a point in time where your practice will reach the stage that you start doing the right thing naturally and that allows you to concentrate on other areas of your play.

If you continue to chip away at the techniques that are needed, eventually you will be proficient in most areas.

Once you have mastered the correct golf techniques you get to enjoy the rewards of your efforts for years to come.

Time spent at the beginning of your career getting the basics right will be the best investment you could make.

The pleasure in golf is when you know that you have done well on the day and practice will ensure that you will do better more often.

The practice might not be fun but the results that it can deliver certainly will be.