Left-handed golf: who has won, which side to choose, and how to learn.

Left-handed major champions

Golf Today's list, last updated on 8 August 2024, counts ten major titles won by five left-handed golfers:

The lists do not agree. Golf Today's table does not include a second Masters for Bubba Watson in 2014, while a Bunkered list, as summarised, does include Watson's 2014 Masters, giving ten wins by four players before Harman. The lists also differ on whether Harman is included. The lists we read end in 2023, so major championships from 2024 to 2026 have not been checked for left-handed winners here; see the majors for the championships themselves.

Bob Charles, the first

The Open's player profile says Bob Charles won the 1963 Open at Royal Lytham and St Annes, tying with Phil Rodgers and then winning the playoff by eight strokes, and was the first left-handed golfer to win a major. He is the only New Zealander to have won The Open and was knighted in 1999.

The length of that playoff is given differently. The Open's profile says 36 holes. Golf Today's text says 18 holes in one place and 36 in a footnote.

Lefties who are right-handed

Several of these champions play golf the "wrong" way round. According to The Open's profile, Charles played left-handed but was right-handed otherwise; he started with his parents' spare clubs because they played left-handed. Golf Today describes Mike Weir and Phil Mickelson as right-handed for everything except golf.

Which side to play

Jordan Spieth is the reverse case: he throws and shoots left-handed but swings a golf club right-handed (GOLF.com, 2021). His advice to juniors is to try both sides and choose the one that produces more power. He adds that playing right-handed gives you more club options.

In the same article, Terry Rowles, a GOLF Top 100 Teacher, explains one effect of playing "opposite-handed": the dominant arm becomes the lead arm. Because that arm is usually the stronger one, it can make releasing the club harder. The article's overall conclusion is that there is no inherently right or wrong choice of side.

Learning as a left-hander

Can you just reverse the instructions?

Opinions differ. Several instruction sites, including HackMotion and Golf Pad, present left- and right-handed technique as mirror images, so a left-hander can reverse standard tips. Dr Greta Anderson, an LPGA Class A instructor and member of the LPGA Global Education Team, disagrees in part. Anderson switched to playing left-handed after nerve damage in her right hand, and says that simply reversing right-handed instructions does not always work, especially in the short game, where eye dominance matters.

On this site, instructions are written for a right-handed golfer, with "lead" meaning the side nearer the target. For a left-hander the lead side is the right. Swapping the words is a starting point, not the whole answer, and Anderson's point about eye dominance is a good reason to have a professional check your short-game setup.

Finding a teacher

Anderson says skilled professionals can teach both sides, but a teacher who plays the same way round brings a useful perspective. She also notes that common faults among left-handers involve alignment, which she attributes to copying examples that are mostly right-handed. Aim and alignment checks are covered on the grip and setup page.

Finding equipment

Anderson says many manufacturers still do not offer some models in left-handed versions, particularly clubs for high-level players. Her advice is to work with an unbiased fitter who knows the left-handed options. The club fitting page explains what a fitting involves.

How many golfers are left-handed?

We could not find a reliable figure. The one source we found that gives a share gives two inconsistent numbers in the same article, so neither is repeated here.