Laterality and performance: Are golfers learning to play backwards?

Oliver R. Runswick*, David L. Mann, Shivraj Mand, Alan Fletcher, Peter M. Allen

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

When using a bimanual tool to strike an object, most people place their preferred hand closer to the striking end. In sports, a player is deemed to adopt a “right- or left-handed” stance depending on the hand that is lower on the club or bat. Research has suggested there is an advantage in going against this convention by placing the preferred hand at the top in a “reversed-stance”. This study aimed to establish if the reversed-stance advantage exists in golf, whether it is underpinned by the preferred hand or dominant eye, and why players adopt such a stance. We tested hand preference, eye dominance, and full swing stance in 150 golfers (30 for each handicap category) and conducted follow-up interviews with 12 reversed-stance players. Professional or category 1 golfers were 21.5 times more likely to adopt a reversed-stance. The advantage could not be explained by ambidexterity or the dominant eye but could be explained by the position of the preferred hand. Reversed-stance players cited a variety of reasons for adopting it and were more likely to display a left-hand preference. Findings offer initial evidence of a reversed-stance advantage in golf and can inform work identifying its origins and mechanisms.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)450-458
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of Sports Sciences
Volume40
Issue number4
Early online date3 Nov 2021
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

  • bimanual tool use
  • expertise
  • handedness
  • Motor learning
  • ocular dominance

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