If you ask a right-handed person to toss you a ball, which hand do you think they’ll use? If you answered, “Their right hand.” I’d say you’re right. The same goes for left-handers. It’s a goofy question; I understand that. So why ask it? It has always seemed odd that most instruction concentrates on the lead arm in the golf swing—the left arm for right-handed players and the right for left-handed players. (From here on, I will address right-handers; lefties do the reverse.) It might be more accurate to say that most golf instruction doesn’t pay much attention to the player’s dominant hand/arm. Most, but not all.
The great player and teacher Tommy Armour believed the left arm was the “guide arm” and the right provided the power. Ben Hogan said he felt like he had half a left arm and wished he had three right hands to deliver power! The “half a left arm” may be a bit confusing. Hogan kept his upper left arm firmly pressed against his left side. In effect, the upper arm became part of his torso. Hence he felt only half a left arm. These two giants of the golf world were on to something. It’s worth exploring more.
In golf, nothing is a one size fits all fix. Lee Trevino felt the back of his left hand mimicked the clubface. If you squared the back of your left hand through impact, the clubface would be square. It sounds good and worked for him. If Paul Azinger tried that, he’d hit nothing but pull hooks. Azinger has an extremely strong grip. At address, the back of his left hand almost facing the sky. If he entered impact with the back of his left hand rotated and facing the target, the clubface would be 30-40 degrees shut. Not good! So nothing is guaranteed to work for everyone. But for the majority of amateurs, getting the right hand more involved will almost always improve ball striking.
Today we hear, “knuckles down” and “bowed left wrist at impact,” and “turn your left hip out of the way,” and perhaps worst of all, “pull the handle with your left hand.” The problem with the first three is they relate to your non-dominant hand. Pulling on the handle is something else again. The golf swing is a circular motion. Pulling is a straight-line action. Putting a straight-line effort into a circular motion is an invitation to disaster. You may have heard Sergio Garcia feels like he’s pulling a rope in his downswing. I’m sure that’s what he feels. If you’re like Sergio and it works for you, great! Don’t change. On the other hand, I believe the vast majority of amateurs would be better off if they rid themselves of the pulling idea.
If you were in a fistfight, would you backhand your foe with your left hand or punch them with your right? Too much violence? Ok, let’s say you’re playing tennis and have a chance to play a forehand topspin shot. Would you switch the racket to your left and backhand it instead? I don’t think so. I encourage you to get your right hand more involved with your golf swing. It’s a bit scary at first. For most, it will be a new and, therefore, odd feeling.
Try this drill. You won’t be hitting balls, so you can do it indoors if you have room, but most likely, you’ll want to go outside. Take your seven iron and get in your normal address position. Remove your left hand from the club. Take a small swing using only your right hand. By small, I mean take the club back no more than horizontal to the ground, then swing through. Feel how your wrist hinges without conscious effort on both the backswing and follow-through. Feel your weight shift naturally. You might find you need a small forward press to get the swing started. That’s fine. Repeat this mini-right-hand-only swing ten or fifteen times daily, more if you like. After a week or so of practice, go to the range and hit balls that way. You can lengthen the swing a bit, but don’t overdo it. The point is to learn a new movement pattern, not to see how far you can hit it one-handed. Finally, add your left hand back into your swing while maintaining the right-hand feeling you’ve practiced. I think you’ll find you’ll achieve greater distance with less perceived effort and improved clubface control. Coincidentally, you’ll probably find your left wrist slightly bowed at impact, your knuckles turned down (assuming a neutral grip), and your left hip clearing/weight shifting correctly without even thinking about it.
Give it a try. I think you’ll be surprised by the results.