I really will appreciatte your answer to the following:

1.I am left handed naturally. I do everything with my left hand.

2. The only thing I do not do as a left handed is playing golf.I play golf
as a right handed. This is naturally to me and I am acustom to it.

3. I play golf very well my USGA index is below 0 (-1.1).

4.I am 17 years old.

5. I am having problems putting as a right handed.

6. ¿Do you think that since I am lef handed naturally the low left handed
grip will help me to play (put) as a right handed?

Please answer this to me.

Mario Fernando Pinzon

Dear Mario Fernando,

Yes. I'm not sure how exactly you would place your hands on the handle for the left-hand-low grip, but I would suggest that you place first the left hand onto the handle and then next place the right hand. If you are having trouble, the trouble is probably from the right hand. Making the right hand the second hand placed onto the handle reduces the trouble caused by this hand. You do not really have to have the left hand LOW, but since I recommend hanging the arms naturally anyway, both hands will end up low. The main idea is that the left hand is the main hand on the handle.

Also, you may be left eyed. If yes, then you may need to pull back your left foot a little more than the right foot when addressing the ball. To learn if you are left-eye dominant, make a circle of fingers with both hands held straight out in front of your face at arms length and look with both eyes open at a distant target like a tree or sign. Then close the left eye. If the target STAYS inside the circle, you are right-eye dominant. If the target jumps to the side of the circle, you are left-eye dominant. Repeat the procedure. Sight another target with both eyes open using the circle. Then this time close the right eye. If the target STAYS in the circle, you are left-eye dominant. Whichever eye that is open when the target STAYS in the circle is your dominant eye.

When you know which is your dominant eye, please let me know.

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.

Over 925,000 visits and growing strong ...

518 Woodlawn Ave
Greensboro NC 27401
(336) 340-9079 cell

geoff@puttingzone.com

AIM: puttmagic
Yahoo!IM: puttmagic
MSN IM: geoff@puttingzone.com
ICQ#: 277025051

Geoff, first I would like to thank you for this excellent site. I’m a lefty, who also plays right-handed. I use both hands, I can throw right or left-handed. I eat and write left-handed, I’m right eye dominant. Currently I carry a 2hcp. I miss almost all my putts to the left of the hole. Any suggestions will be welcome. Thank you! Ronnie

Dear Ronnie,

Missing left usually means that your stroke is gating to the inside thru and past impact, or that you habitually misalign your soulders to the inside. If your setup is nice and square but your stroke gates to the inside, it's probably your left shoulder and arm coming around over your left hip, pulling the base of your neck targetward with the putterhead in the thru-stroke. If you can keep your whole upper torso facing square into the setup even into the thru-stroke, like a cereal box set on a shelf facing only one way the whole time, this will stop the left shoulder from wheeling in a gating action inside and back above your left hip. Then you will notice that in the stroke your shoulder wants to go SOMEWHERE but you are bocking the usual way it clears thru. The answer is to allow the left shoulder ONLY to rise vertically away from the ground directly beneath it as the stroke moves thru impact. This action keeps the pivot (base of neck at clavicle) right where it starts, keeps the shoulder action in the parallel plane to the line of the putt, keeps the upper torso facing square into the thru-stroke, and coordinates the timing of the right arm and hand with the timing of the left side of the body so that the left shoulder and right hand have a coordinated and unified motion.

The reason the left shoulder goes around over top of the hip is mostly not understanding how NOT to do that, but in your case it is probably also the dominance of your left arm and hand from being left-handed. Ordinarily, the dominant hand tends to power the stroke, and this hand dominance gets the hands uncoordinated in timing with the shoulder motion. This lack of coordination is the hands moving faster and farther than they would move solely by rocking the shoulders with "dead hands." When the hands go further and faster than the shoulder frame, the gating inside-inside motion results. So hand dominance in powering the stroke, not especially left-handedness or right-handedness per se, is the problem.

The main solution for this is to power the stroke thru and past impact with a lifting of the left / lead shoulder that pulls the left arm and hand and putter up and casts the putter face squarely down the line in the critical 6 or so inches thru and past impact. This lifting action leaves the pivot right where it starts and also takes the hands out of the stroke. The gating naturally disappears.

If you place two sticks about 8 inches tall about 4 inches apart on either side of the putt line about 6 inches or so in front of the ball, then putt the ball between the two sticks with a lifting action of the shoulder that casts the putterface squarely into both sticks at the same time while leaving the pivot of your neck right opposite the same spot it covers at address, you will see what I mean.

Cheers!

Geoff Mangum
Putting Theorist and Instructor
Geoff Mangum's PuttingZone
Golf's most advanced and comprehensive putting instruction.

Over 940,000 visits and growing strong ...

518 Woodlawn Ave
Greensboro NC 27401
(336) 340-9079 cell

geoff@puttingzone.com

AIM: puttmagic
Yahoo!IM: puttmagic
MSN IM: geoff@puttingzone.com
ICQ#: 277025051