Righty vs. lefty...both? Help me pick. (with Videos)

[ohcello]

Hello all!  So I have played both Left and Right Handed over the years and trying to decide which to go with (or to go to a pro for lessons with as both need a lot of help).  A short summary

 

Righty:

I'm a total sweeper; I fight a hook and tend to hit behind the ball with the divots pointing right of the target... I have a hitch at the top of my backswing where my hands drop.. I lean towards the target at the top of the backswing.  I can hit the ball well off a tee, but struggle off the ground.   with Driver I hit it farther and straighter compared to lefty.  My mishits are on the toe (never on the heel).  My grip has to be very weak.

 

Lefty:

I hit my short irons pretty well, taking a decent divot,  but fight OTT/slide with longer clubs. The harder I swing the more I slice.   But if I try and swing light it's also a bad out of in path.  I have to deliberately prohibit my upper body on the downswing to try and get a decent path to the ball.  My mishits are on the heel, so I have to have the ball far away from me (I know.. bad!)..  My grip has to be very strong else it's a total push.

 

Recently I have played both... 7-SW lefty and 6-Driver righty, etc... with decent results... but... I know both swings are in pretty bad shape.  Any thoughts/comments would be welcome.  Thanks.

 

Here are videos of both swings (sorry I used a righty club for the lefty swings... I forgot to switch)

 

Right Handed Face view

 

 

Right Handed Down the line

 

 

Left Handed Face View

 

 

Left Handed Down the Line

 

Edited November 27, 2022 by ohcello

[Righty to Lefty]

Which side do you create more speed? Can't tech speed. My driver swing speed righty is 105 mph and it is 125 mph lefty and even though I still putt right handed there is no way I can give up that much distance so I would suggest that you roll with whichever side you generate the most speed. 

[ohcello]

1 hour ago, Righty to Lefty said:

Which side do you create more speed? Can't tech speed. My driver swing speed righty is 105 mph and it is 125 mph lefty and even though I still putt right handed there is no way I can give up that much distance so I would suggest that you roll with whichever side you generate the most speed. 

 

With driver it's righty... but probably only because technique (I can swing really hard righty off the tee and it might hook a little... but if I swing really hard off the tee lefty its probably a slice)... with an 8 iron the distances are about equal (125-130 in the air).

[ohcello]

looking at these videos I think I see a hip stall in both swings... maybe a bit more with the right handed...however the more I turn my hips through the ball, the more I hook right and slice lefty... even though I feel like I'm doing a similar move (which I'm sure I'm not).

[ohcello]

and here is a photo at impact with lefty reversed... ouch ; )

 

 

[Valtiel]

The left handed swing generally looks a lot more natural plane wise, but both have what would be considered some notable issues and critically neither are actually hitting a ball, so we can't really say much since that frequently changes quite a lot. Actual shots would be needed to say anything further. 

[ohcello]

1 hour ago, Valtiel said:

The left handed swing generally looks a lot more natural plane wise, but both have what would be considered some notable issues and critically neither are actually hitting a ball, so we can't really say much since that frequently changes quite a lot. Actual shots would be needed to say anything further. 

 

I tend to agree.  the Right handed swing has a bit of a "hitch" in it where I drop my hands and really have to flip.  The Left handed swing, I fight a slice, but take a more correct divot with my irons when I swing more relaxed whereas rightly I really struggle to take much of a divot and it's almost always right of the target and usually behind the ball or back in my stance, etc....  I'll see what I can do about getting video hitting a ball but it's getting cold here ; )

Edited November 28, 2022 by ohcello

[BraxtonFullerton]

The issue we all have here is that you're not hitting a ball. While I would say, yes, the lefty swing looks better, your faults and corrections in the downswing to make contact may make your righty swing more accurate and easier to start from and build speed going forward... maybe not.

[dugue4]

From a baseball coach's perspective:  The lefty swing looks like your natural side (FWIW)

[ohcello]

2 hours ago, dugue4 said:

From a baseball coach's perspective:  The lefty swing looks like your natural side (FWIW)

 

haha you nailed it... I'm a natural lefty and played baseball many years when I was younger.  I do kick and write righty however.  I'll try and get a tape of hitting a ball.  I think since I have taped these videos I have learned a bit more on the lefty side to relax a bit so I'm not reaching so far to the ball and can play it a bit closer, etc.   I'm still curious however why I need such a strong grip lefty... I did break my left hand years ago so maybe there is a strength difference there ...

[ohcello]

Ipdate: I think I'm going with Lefty.  here is a more recent. swing in which the ball is a bit close to me and I'm trying not to reach as much.  Still issues there I'm sure (a bit flat, and my hips are stalling I think).  PS, it's hard to get video is my hitting an actual ball right now... perhaps when it's warmer.