Ok, I have a very unique situation, I play golf one handed. I have played for 20 or so years off and on, my Dad was a teaching pro when I was a kid and got me in to Jr. tournaments so I have the fundamentals down. When I was a junior in high school I got in to an accident and my left hand was cut off, it was reattached but isn#%92t good for too much (I can#%92t hold a golf club through a full swing). So I play one handed, it took me a long time to re-teach myself how to play but I#%92m happy to say I drive the ball 250+ and shoot in the mid 80#%92sAnyways, the problems I#%92m having are somewhat easy, and somewhat hard to explain. For one I am consistently left, when I swing I have to keep my left arm in the swing, kind of in a way mimicking like I#%92m holding the club with both hands so my shoulders and upper body turn correctly. But when I follow through my left arm kind of drops out so to speak and I#%92m not sure if this is what#%92s causing me to go left, and if it is I#%92m not sure how to fix itAnother problem I have is short pitch shots of say 15-20 yards. I have a real hard time controlling the club through shots like that. It seems like my right elbow never bends and when I follow through my wrist is kind of turned under (facing up to the sky) and I end up skulling the ball to the right. Lastly, long irons are a real problem for me. But they are for a lot of people so that may not be related to my arm lol. I#%92m wondering if I should be holding the club at the top of the grip so I get the most length and power out of the club, or of I should choke down and have my right hand on the club further down the shaft like I would with a conventional two handed gripAnyways, thanx for your time and any suggestions you can give me. Im hoping to start playing tournaments again and I dont want to go embarass myself lol

UBPClaw, Thank you for your question and joining the Tees2Greens forum!

Yes you do bring a very unique situation, but the problems and questions are fairly common for your case. I have taught two individuals that were only able to use one arm (the right arm) while hitting the golf ball.

One of the students was born with a very short left arm that never grew correctly and he could not use it all in the golf swing; the other was very similar that he was a very accomplished player that had an accident that took his left hand. Both tragic yes, but the perseverance and love for the game they and you posses should make us all sit back and put things into perspective.

Although these two golfers didn#%92t use their left hand at all in the swing it sounds that you are able to use it as a guide to some degree for stability in getting the club started away on a decent path which is fine, then falling out of the swing through impact and finish. This is all fine, but we really need to concentrate on your strength of your right side and using your body to its fullest potential; if we partner these with the correct fundamentals we will be able to improve our direction and touch.

I would also like to thank for the picture and if possible I know I and everyone else on Tees2Greens would love to see a video of your talent.

First of all I like the set at the top and width that you have created, but as we can see the club face is pointing up to the sky a bit much. This results in a closed club face that can influence the ball to go left and if you are having left trouble, weaker is better. I would like for you and try to get that toe pointed down a bit more at the top and maybe weaken the grip; this will help the club face to not close so much through impact.

In relation to the grip, I found it best to hold the club closer to the bottom of the grip for my students or where it would be normally with a two hand grip. We thought, hey it would be there if I could grip with two hands so why not. It also shortens the club a bit to make the club feel lighter.

As you swing the club through, a lack of activity in the lower body clearing with a shut club face can make the ball go left quick and in my two students this was very prominent. Both had a tendency to concentrate so much on just making contact that they left every other swing fundamental out, throwing the club head at the ball from the top of the swing. I want to see your bigger larger muscles used more to help pull the club into impact so you don#%92t have to feel like you are working so hard to just make contact.

Obviously, I know you are more interested in just contact since you play the game well, but we have to have the thought process not to just hit but to swing.

There is a fantastic one arm (right arm for right handed players) drill to help players be less influenced the left side and learn to clear through with right and keep the arm and body helping each other. It also teaches the correct right wrist set that should remain the same even through impact; I really think this your ticket. I will find it and pass it on.

The arm and body need to move together in unison. If your torso moves too fast, you can loose that unison between hand and body. This can result in an open face producing a slice or shot to the right and the club lagging too far behind. If your torso moves too slowly and your arm to fast on the downswing, you may cast or flip the club through impact with a shut clubface at impact.

It sounds like you have a bit of trouble with your arm swinging to fast and the lower body beginning to be non-existent or not involved enough. So lets work on that lower body getting a bit more active through impact and always remember to get to that full finish into the left side.

I bet you already do so, but it never hurts to always be working out the shoulder, forearm and wrist. I had my students work hard to gain as much strength in those areas so they could be able to stabilize the club in positions anywhere in the swing, meaning wherever they stopped the club during the down swing or backswing to work on a position they could handle the true weight of the club. Controlling the weight is vital and making sure the proper weight of club you use for your situation can mean in control or out.

The club weight will definitely help in the chipping department and I suggest a Cleveland or traditional type wedge with little or no bounce and some good muscle on the back. You will be able to have a club maker drill holes on the back muscle to take weight of the club. You want it as light as possible to gain control for short pitches. You will be able to swing the club easier and hold the right wrist angle through impact better.

On the long irons, I hear ya! They are hard to hit for most players and that is why the Hybrid club came along. Have you ever tried them? I really like that possibility for you to maximize your distance with these clubs. They are easier to hit, get into the air and they give the added distance without having to work any harder. Maybe give them a try, but just be sure the weight is right for you.

I would love to see you swing on film to really help you more and I hope some of these suggestions help. I will look for the one arm swing drill that I have used so many times and either post it here or email you.

Let#%92s be sure to weaken the grip a bit.

Work on getting the club a bit more square at the top, or toe pointing down more.

Get the body working together with the arm more in unison. Not one or the other being over active, timing is vital. I believe this to be the real problem; your arm is out racing your body searching for power by itself on the down swing. Get the body moving!

Work out the wrist, forearm and shoulder. Be able to stabilize the club anywhere in the swing in the correct position. You don#%92t have to over work on the course.

Make sure the clubs are right for you. Off the rack wont do for you, you have to get as much weight out until they are comfortable to swing. If you must go custom then do it; will only improve your accuracy and feel.

Again, I hope this has helped and get your video to me!

Thanx for the tips, and Ill try to get a video to you. Please get me that one handed drill when you find it, email preferably but Im sure Ill get it just as easy if you post it here.

One thing I really had to work on when I was re-learning how to play was the fact that I tried to swing as hard as humanly possible to compensate for swinging one handed and I have had to make a very concious effort to slow my swing down and not try to kill the ball. So Im think your right on with the idea that my arm is ahead of my body.

Way to go on getting back to the game after an accident.  Some years ago I had a motorcycle accident that was not a severe as yours but left my left arm 50% strength and 2" shorter.  I also had to learn to swing primarily right hand when I came back and my previous fade had turned to a sharp hook. I am no teacher, but leading harder with the hips straightened that out for me also.  I also had the same issue as you with the chipping, since I could not accelerate the club to closed with the shorter backswing of chipping.  I found that a longer backswing with more gravity assisted softer but steady acceleration on the chips straightened that right out.  Hope this helps and enjoy the links

Well I went to the driving range yesterday and I have some positive results to report. Unfortunately I was running late (meeting my boss to give him lessons) and I forgot to grab my camera so no video.

I loosened up my grip pressure, I didnt realize how much I was really strangling the club until I made that conscious effort to loosen up.

Secondly, I loosened up my swing so to speak. When I say that I mean that I was trying to swing the club as opposed to hitting it like you mentioned. When I did this I wasnt swinging my arm as hard or as fast and letting it stay back in my swing some while accelerating through my hips alot more and getting my strength and distance from that turn in my body.

Net result, I was making much more consistent contact with my long irons and fairway wood which I have always had problems with, and hitting them all 200+ yards. I still pulled a few shots left, but Im making better contact with my problem clubs so Im happy for now.

UBP Claw –

I am very happy to hear some of the tips have began to help; don#%92t stop! Keep working hard on them and be sure to keep that arm strong. One of the biggest improvements in control you can make is to be able to harbor the weight of that club at any position; it will help you in the long run.

Also, keep the body working. The strength you have in the lower body will always be able to fuel the swing for you. Way to go!

I looked all over the internet for a nice visual of the “one arm swing drill” but to avail. I can tell you a few places to look so you will be able to understand the drill more clearly.

Nick Faldo has a great book called “A Swing for Life” published in 1995. There is a small section on it. Also, Faldo made two videos in 1994 “Faldo – Tips and Drills” that are fantastic. It is a compellation of all the things that Leadbetter and he worked on and what he continued to do during practice sessions; that drill has to be on there.

I will continue to look, but in case I don#%92t come up with anything or make my own version for the site these couple of resources may help. Keep up the good work!

Hi there, I just found your thread while searching the internet.  I've been playing golf on my playstation for a few years now, but have never actually played the real game, primarily because I only have one hand (my left).  It is something I'd like to get into if I can figure out how to hit the ball with any degree of accuracy.  The things I've read here are great motivators, although the tips are a bit beyond me being not even an amateur.  Anyways during my searches on the internet I found thuese videos and I wasn't sure if you might find them interesting or not.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9wJyuCJILig

http://youtube.com/watch?v=PO8wuZ6k5r4

Good morning, TROAB!  I enjoyed the videos.  I can only imagine being restricted to one hand.  But, I have attempted it many times.  And, I might add pretty well indeed.  I am a mid-handicap golfer.  Meaning that I normally play 18 holes at my par 72 course at better than 90 strokes.  But, if you use right handed clubs and stand to the left side of the ball (as right hander do naturally) I believe that you can get quite proficient at hitting the golf ball.  I have more trouble with chips and pitches playing this way.  I sincerely hope that you do stick with it and learn to have fun on the golf course.  I am a retired soldier and have several friends that have your kind of life challenge.  Good luck, and happy golfing:w00t:

Hey thanks!  So you are suggesting that I stand in the position that a right-handed golfer would, but use my left hand to swing the club?

This is the part I am trying to figure out I guess, which stance to use when only using one hand.  Most things I have read refer to one arm drills for improving your swing rather than talking about actual one arm swings.

Asides from trying to play golf, play a guitar, shoot pool, drive a stick shift etc its not so bad.  I was born without my right arm (it terminates above the elbow) so I never had to learn any other way.  In fact all those activities I listed I have managed to do at some point or another.

Troab, I am hoping that we get some advise from UpClaw.  He actually uses the 1 arm swing all the time.  I have just used it occasionally.  Like in hitting range balls from adjacent holes back onto the range.  But, yes, I believe that your best chances are playing like a right handed golfer using only your left hand like in leftbetter's video that you linked to your first post.  This website has really good advise for such things, so please consider everyone's advise in this Forum.  Read all the posts above this one on the page.  Then when UpClaw comes back on-line, he can maybe give you some really valuable advise about getting started.  I hope that you enjoy Tees2Greens.  It is really quite fun.

So there's a nice new driving range near my apartment and I stopped by after work last night.  Whoowee it's not easy hitting the ball, let alone controlling WHERE I hit it. I still have not figured out whether to swing righty or lefty and it probably does not help that I was making it up as I went.

But it was fun, so I'll probably stop in once a week and hit a bucket of balls until I manage to get the knack for it.  I don't want to be a pro, I'd just like to be able to hit the ball solid enough to actually play the game at all.

TROAB – Thank you for the post!

We are excited to have you as a member of Tees2Greens. I hope that you will have fun and gain some insight on the game of golf and meet some new golf buddies.

It#%92s also great to see you icking the game up and are already out there giving it a try. I like most of the advice I have already seen given to you by some of our members. I like the thought of playing golf from the right side using your left arm and left side as leverage through the swing. There are quite a few players out there like yourself using this method.

Be sure to look around in your area and even possibly contact the USGA and see if they can assist you in finding a Teaching Professional that specializes in teaching handicapped golfers. It will be a huge advantage for you to learn the best way as soon as you can in your career.

There are also some great products out there that will only make learning and playing the game easier. Here are a couple of links from the National Center on Accessibility that I have used many times for students and friends.

http://www.ncaonline.org/products/index.php4?cat=Golf%20Assistive%20Devices#64

http://www.ncaonline.org/golf/index.shtml

The videos that you have found already are good and it gave some solid advice on swinging with the left arm and how it can react through the swing. Work on the positions of the left arm during the golf swing from the right side first and it will strengthen the arm more. If you work hard on strength and position you will be hitting better shots in no time.

If you ever have any questions about the swing or the game in general please don#%92t hesitate to ask us.

Wow, where to start lol. To tell you the truth I dont have the first clue as to how to teach someone to do what I do lol. I played golf all my life, so after my accident I just kind of applied the basic swing fundamentals, made some tweaks, and off I went.

For me, I lost my left hand (Im right handed) so I play golf right handed and swing with my right arm. I kind of bring my left arm back with the club to promote the correct body turn and weight shift, but its not on the club at all. For me (and I may be way off considering Im right handed) when I try to make a left handed swing with my right arm as the lead and only arm I feel fairly awkward and feel like I dont have the power I do when coming through with a right handed swing. I guess the best way to describe it is I feel like instead of swinging through the ball and accelerating through my swing Im pulling the club through the ball and generating less power.

One of these days I plan on taking the video camera to the driving range so I can finally give the Tees2Greens Pros a view of my swing, maybe that will give you some ideas on how to proceed with learning how to play. My advice though (just basing this on my swing and style of play) would be if you are swinging with your left hand, then play left handed. You will get more club acceleration and power from your body if you are swinging through with the trailing hand as opposed to trying to pull the club through the shot with your leading arm.

Im a little scatter brained, I hope some of this made sense to at least one person reading it lol. Feel free to email me at vulgardisplayofbeer@cox.net if you have any questions about learning one handed. In the very unlikely scenario that you live anywhere near San Diego maybe we can meet up and hit some balls.

After my accident, before the last surgury got my left arm working again (well, mostly sort of), I considered playing 1 handed and tried it from both sides of the ball with just my right arm.  I found that I had better tempo, swing plane, and ability to get back to the ball playing lefty.  Pulling the club through helped my balance and ability to get to my right side as well as extend through the shot.  That may have been just me.  I agree that a specialty teacher may be the best one to help you make that choice.

So for some reason I decided to revisit this thread last night and I saw your recomendation to the get the "The Inside Approach" swing trainer, so I finally went out and did that today, hopefully I can go to the range soon and let you know what the results are.