26 September 2026 · 7 min read
Golf as a left-hander: clubs, rental sets and where you can practise left-handed
The swing is the same, the logistics are not. What differs with rental sets, used clubs and a simulator bay, and three questions before a first visit.
Playing golf left-handed is technically the same game, mirrored. Everything that differs is logistics: rental sets are rarer, used clubs harder to find, and in some simulator bays somebody has to move a device before you hit. Here is what that means in practice and which questions to ask first.
First: left or right
The hand you write with does not decide it. In golf the lead hand sits at the top of the grip, and many left-handers play right-handed because that puts their stronger hand in the lead. Anyone starting out tries both sides in the first hour, and with a 7-iron rather than a driver.
Decide after that and stay with it. Switching a year later costs everything you have learned, and it costs twice, because a second set of clubs falls due. If you are unsure, get a pro's opinion in a single lesson; 95 of the 126 venues in the directory offer coaching.
The rental set
Most indoor venues and golf schools have rental clubs, but not all have a left-handed set. That is the one point where an enquiry really is necessary: a phone call before booking saves you an hour with the wrong equipment.
Where there is none, the venue's pro often helps out, or the venue borrows one for your appointment. Both only work if you say so, which is why the question belongs in every booking: do you have a left-handed set, and is it free that evening?
The second-hand market
This is where the difference is biggest. Left-handed clubs are a small share of the supply, so you find less choice, longer waits and rarely the right combination of length and flex. Prices are similar, though, because demand is smaller too.
Two practical consequences. First, it pays to look early and take a suitable set rather than waiting for the ideal model. Second, a fitting pays off sooner than for right-handers: if you are ordering anyway rather than buying off the rack, the right length and flex cost barely more. What a fitting measures is in Golf fitting in Switzerland.
In the simulator bay
Whether a bay can be played left-handed depends on the design of the measuring device. A radar behind the ball does not care which side you stand. A camera system beside the ball has to be moved to the other side. Ceiling units that film ball and club from above see both sides without any rearranging (Foresight).
Then there is the room. TrackMan names 4.6 metres of width as a practical value, and that value exists for exactly this reason: two hitting positions each need the club's full arc (TrackMan). In a narrow bay the mat is fixed on one side, and then the other is not provided for.
Three questions before booking
- Do you have a left-handed rental set, and is it free?
- Does the measuring device have to be moved for left-handers, and is that possible that evening?
- Is the mat set up for both sides, or fixed?
Three questions, one phone call. At a venue with several bays the answer is almost always yes, because one of them is set up for both sides anyway; 42 of the 110 indoor venues have two bays or more. Where they are is in the venue list.
The coaching
A good pro teaches both sides, and most do it daily. What changes is the language: “left” becomes “right”, and the slice that curves right for a right-hander becomes the slice that curves left. Anyone watching instruction videos has to mirror all of it mentally, which is exactly why left-handers get on faster with a pro than with the internet.
In a simulator the mirroring is no problem, because the numbers carry signs and the software knows the side. What the values mean is in Understanding launch-monitor numbers; every example there is for right-handers and mirrors for left-handers.
On the course
There almost nothing changes. The dog-legs that suit a right-hander suit you the other way round, and a course where the slice finds water has its danger on the other side for you. That is not a disadvantage but a different map in your head.
One practical point remains: rental clubs at courses are almost always right-handed. A left-hander planning a golf trip or playing a round as a guest takes their own clubs or asks the office beforehand.
What is identical about the equipment
Only the head is mirrored. Shafts, grips, balls, gloves for the lead hand, shoes, bag and trolley are the same articles as for right-handers, and the same weights and flex designations apply unchanged. Any shaft recommendation you read can be taken over directly.
The difference is only in the choice. A manufacturer does not offer every model and every shaft option as a left-handed version, so availability often decides rather than preference. Ask the shop about the left-handed version before falling for a model.
Why right-handers' tips still apply
Every description of a ball flight, every cause of a fault and every drill applies mirrored: what is a slice to the right for a right-hander goes left for you. The cause stays the same, namely the face angle relative to the club path.
In practice you flip it once in your head while reading and then use the same numbers. How to find the cause in a bay is in Correcting a slice with numbers, and the nine ball flights are in Draw, fade, hook, slice.
Children and choosing a side
With children it is not the writing hand that decides but which side feels right when swinging. Give both five attempts each and see which gets the ball airborne at all; that is a faster answer than any theory.
The only important thing is to let the decision stand afterwards. Switching after a year costs what was learned and a second set. What a junior set costs and where courses are is in Golf for children in Switzerland.
More on this: Golf glove: which hand, which size.
What it all costs
Nothing extra, except attention. The hourly rate in a bay belongs to the bay, a median CHF 50 for up to four people, whichever side you stand on. Rental clubs cost the same, and so do lessons.
What does cost money is a second set after switching sides. Which is why the decision in that first hour is the most important one, and why it is worth making it with a pro rather than on instinct. Which venues teach is on the training page.
Frequently asked questions
As a left-hander, should I play left or right?
Try both sides with a 7-iron in the first hour. Many left-handers play right-handed, because that puts the stronger hand in the lead at the top of the grip. Decide afterwards and stay with it, because switching costs the technique you have learned and a second set of clubs.
Do indoor venues have left-handed rental clubs?
Often, but not everywhere. Ask explicitly when booking and say that you play left-handed. Where there is no set, the pro often helps out or the venue borrows one for your appointment.
Does every golf simulator work for left-handers?
Technically yes, practically not always. A radar behind the ball does not care, a camera beside the ball has to be moved, and ceiling units see both sides. Width matters too: TrackMan names 4.6 metres as a practical value for two hitting positions.
Are left-handed clubs more expensive?
Not in price, but in choice. On the second-hand market you find fewer offers and rarely the right combination of length and flex. A fitting therefore pays off sooner, because you are ordering anyway rather than buying off the rack.
What should a left-hander watch for on the course?
Little: dog-legs run the other way and the danger sits on the other side. What matters more is that rental clubs at courses are almost always right-handed. For a round as a guest, bring your own or ask the office beforehand.