One of the practice drills I have students to do is hitting balls with their left-hand (if they’re a right-handed golfer) only. There are a few good reasons to make this a part of your practice regimen, and if you do it regularly you’ll find that you not only pick up extra distance, but get a lot more control over your wayward golf ball.
REASON #1
If you’re right-handed, your left side is likely your weaker side. Building up the strength in your weaker side can help you pick up extra yards because it can slow your club-head speed significantly. You can build the strength in your weaker side with various gym exercises, but hitting balls solely with that side helps build the golf specific muscles. Davis Love III, long considered one of the longer hitters on the PGA Tour, used to hit 7-Irons left-handed under the direction of his PGA Professional father. At one point he could hit left-handed 7-Irons 150 yards! Imagine how long he hit them once he put his dominant right hand back on the club.
REASON #2
If you’re right-handed, your right side is your more coordinated side. Learning to hit balls with your left hand only, forces your arms to swing in sync with the movement of your body. Your more coordinated and dominant right hand helps correct for times when you are out of position, allowing you to hit the ball okay even when the your arms are significantly out of position with your lower body turn and the timing of your weight transfer. Practice doing this and you become more aware of how the swinging of your arms works in sync with your body, and more aware of those times when it’s not, while developing the coordination in your non-dominant side.
REASON #3
There’s a misconception that being left-handed and playing right, or vice versa, (as Phil Mickelson does) is an inherent advantage. That isn’t true. Players whose lead arm is their stronger more coordinated arm, though, have a tendency to pull with that side, helping to eliminate releasing the club (or casting) too early. Puling from your lead side sets you up to cut the ball more easily, squaring the club face with the body turn rather than with with the hands. This eliminates some of the forearm and hand rotation through impact, allowing for more leverage, while keeping the club face in closer relation to the club path for a longer period of time pre and post impact. What does this mean ultimately? More control of your initial shot direction and shot shape, while adding a bit of distance.
So in the end, if you’re looking for more distance and control, you just might want to try learning to hit the ball with your lead hand only, while finding ways to build up the strength in that side at the same time. It’s a lot cheaper than trying to buy more distance, and if you make it a habit the newfound coordination you develop will pay dividends in the search for that ever elusive consistency.
