Chris Kirk his caddie, Michael Cromie, on the BMW Championship final week.
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If the benefit at which the sport involves the most effective golfers on the planet brings you envy and even perhaps a tinge of resentment, this could be a great time to click on out of this story.
That’s as a result of six-time PGA Tour winner Chris Kirk is best than most golfers not solely enjoying right-handed (his dominant facet) but in addition from the left facet. Kirk started messing round as a lefty when he was a child. For one week in the course of the winter, he and his golf friends would play solely left-handed, throwing down a couple of bucks on the outcomes to maintain issues fascinating.
“We had been all horrible,” Kirk mentioned earlier this 12 months. “It was simply numerous speaking crap to one another and simply having enjoyable goofing off.”
However a humorous factor occurred as Kirk continued to dabble from the left facet: He turned fairly rattling proficient. Simply a few weeks in the past, the truth is, Kirk mentioned he posted a southpaw 84, two strokes off his all-time low. He’s on a mission, he mentioned, to interrupt 80.
“It’s simply so enjoyable,” Kirk mentioned earlier this week of enjoying lefty; he was talking from the Tour Championship, the place he’s making his first look since 2014. “However clearly I’ve an enormous benefit over a traditional newbie golfer. I form of already know all of the solutions to the take a look at. It’s only a matter of how lengthy it takes me to determine how you can do it.”
Taking part in lefty is greater than only a lark for Kirk, although. He mentioned he has performed a lot from that facet at his house membership in Georgia, Athens Nation Membership, that he has inquired along with his fellow members about establishing “a left-handed handicap,” with the aim of enjoying in membership occasions “as a left-handed novice.” Kirk estimated that he’s “a couple of 10 to 12 proper now,” including, “I’m probably not certain how that basically works with the principles.”
We weren’t, both. So we checked in with the whizzes within the USGA’s handicapping division, who replied with some sobering information as spelled out in Part 6 of the Guidelines of Handicapping beneath Native Steering for Rule 1:
Handicap Index Primarily based on Dominant Hand
A participant should set up a Handicap Index enjoying from the participant’s preferential facet of play, often called the dominant hand. For instance, if the Handicap Index is established enjoying left-handed, the participant should proceed to play left-handed and submit all acceptable scores.
A participant might not have a Handicap Index whereas enjoying each left-handed and right-handed concurrently. A fundamental premise of the Guidelines of Handicapping is {that a} participant is making an attempt to make their greatest rating and to submit each acceptable rating. This consists of choosing the right play for every stroke, so except a ball is positioned requiring a deviation from the dominant facet of play, the participant should try and make the most effective shot for every stroke utilizing the dominant facet of play.
If a participant is compelled to discontinue play from the dominant hand through which the Handicap Index was established resulting from an harm or switches the dominant hand when studying the sport, and begins play from the alternative facet, the unique Handicap Index should be archived, and a brand new scoring file should be established. The Handicap Committee ought to work with the AGA to take away the unique Handicap Index and scoring file from additional entry.
Briefly? Yep, dangerous information for Kirk. Golfers might preserve just one handicap and solely through scores from rounds that they performed with their dominant hand.
Nonetheless, Kirk can and will take a look at the brilliant facet: Taking part in as a lefty, he can nonetheless beat most golfers. No strokes required.
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