Swinging Left is Hard

A few months ago, I decided to do something that sounded simple but in reality is extremely hard and makes me look absolutely ridiculous. I decided to learn how to swing a golf club from the left side.

For context, I am right handed and have played golf since I was ten years old. I love the game. I also respect it enough to admit that golf has a special way of humbling a person. One minute you feel like Jack Nicklaus. The next minute you are standing in the desert, looking for a ball that apparently joined a witness protection program.

Golf is already hard. That is part of the addiction. So naturally, I thought, “Why not make it harder?”

The first time I tried to swing left handed, my body had no idea what committee was in charge. My feet were confused. My hips filed a complaint. My hands looked like they had never met each other before. Every aspect of the motion felt foreign.

That is when I realized something important: I could not fake it. I had to go back to the basics. Grip. Stance. Alignment. Rotation. Balance. Tempo. I had to think about where my weight was, how my shoulders turned, how my hips moved, and what my hands were doing through impact.

I also had to look at my strength and flexibility in a different way. A golf swing is not just arms and a club. It is feet, hips, core, shoulders, wrists, posture, timing, and mobility all having a meeting in less than two seconds. When one area is tight, weak, or lazy, the rest of the body has to make up for it.

Learning from the opposite side exposed things I had ignored. It showed me where I lacked rotation. It showed me which muscles were not pulling their weight. It reminded me that flexibility is not just for yoga mats and people who can touch their toes without making barnyard noises.

Science backs this up. The adult brain is not fixed like old concrete. It can keep changing, adapting, and building new connections. Researchers call this neuroplasticity. When we learn new skills, especially skills that require coordination, attention, and movement, the brain has to recruit different pathways and improve communication between regions.

Training the nondominant side of the body can also improve control and awareness. Studies on motor learning have shown that practicing with the nondominant hand can improve precision and increase communication between both sides of the brain. Other research on strength training shows something called cross education, where training one limb can create strength gains in the opposite limb.

The body is more connected than we sometimes think. When you challenge one side, the other side is not sitting on the couch eating chips. The whole system pays attention.

That has been true for me with golf. Learning to swing left has made me more aware of my right-handed swing. It has forced me to notice the small things. It has made me more patient and more curious and has helped me laugh at myself, which is usually cheaper than therapy and only slightly more painful than a bad round at Sunbrook. The bigger point is not golf. The bigger point is growth.

Most of us like the comfort of what we already know: familiar routines, people, opinions, workouts, meals, habits, and excuses. Comfort is nice. It is also sneaky. If we are not careful, comfort can convince us that staying the same is the same as being safe.

But some of the best parts of life wait just outside the place where we feel competent. Maybe it is trying a new type of exercise. Maybe it is reading an article in this magazine and realizing, “I may need to pay attention to this.” Maybe it is having a difficult conversation you have been avoiding, walking into a class where you do not know anyone, asking for help, or admitting that your form, habits, thinking, or schedule need improvement. It can feel awkward and slow. It can make you feel like a beginner again.

Good. Beginners learn, listen, and ask better questions. Beginners do not assume they have everything figured out. That is the hidden gift of doing something new and hard. It wakes you up, forces you to notice, and gives your brain and body a reason to grow.

This edition of Southern Utah Health & Wellness Magazine may have an article you do not think applies to you. Read it anyway. There may be a topic that makes you a little uncomfortable. Sit with it. There may be an idea that challenges how you eat, move, think, rest, communicate, or care for yourself. Do not dismiss it too quickly. Sometimes the thing you least want to try is the thing that shows you where you are ready to grow.

As for me, I will keep working on my lefthanded golf swing. It is ugly, humbling, and awkward. But it is also teaching me and making me better!

That is what I want for you as well!
Brendan Dalley, Editor