Lefty: How The World's Greatest Golf Instructor Got Me To Turn Left In A World That Has To Be Right

by Tom O'Connor

Can you let go of a forced habit as an athlete? How about in your personal life? O’Connor had to do both, not an easy road for an average citizen. It started with his parents telling him to quit baseball at 12-years old and get a job. He followed his brothers in the Caddying for Golfers business. After a few weeks, they put some right-handed clubs in his hands and said, "Good luck.” He was officially subscribed to the right-handed world with no way to cancel the auto- subscription. Working against his dominant ways had unknown side-effects. As the years passed, golf was kind in all regards except with low golf scores. This book dives into O’Connor’s discovery of playing on the wrong side of the golf ball. It wasn’t an immediate left turn. It took time for him to realize he was devaluing massive potential possibilities by making the switch. No one changes playing styles at the flip of a coin, but if you turn it over in the noggin long enough, it will percolate past any background noise. If you’re a left-handed person and learned the game of golf with right-handed clubs, this book is for you. As a matter of principle, O’Connor believes if you utilize your non-dominant hand for any sport or musical instrument, then it’s time to turn a corner. This goes for boxing, hockey, baseball, guitar, or even basketball. Your own counter intuitive actions won’t help; he should know as he tried. One must investigate with proper instructional help. And it showed up powerfully in one of the world’s greatest Golf Instructors - Mr. Bob Toski. He sits in the Hall of Fame as an instructor and is a former number one player in the world, reaching his peak during the golden age of golf. However, O’Connor thought he already knew everything about the sport. Toski and O’Connor must go on a journey together to achieve real change. All because they met in a bar in Boca Raton, Florida. O’Connor was in for more than he bargained for, and the training became a metaphor for his life. If high golf scores, a lack of knowledge, or bizarre meltdowns on the golf course challenge you, then Lefty is an easy read. O’Connor went through too much to not tell this story. He owed it to Toski. It’s O'Connor's rite of passage. The challenge he faced wasn’t like battling cancer or being stranded in the wilderness. It was something that most don’t consider, contemplate, or attempt. Because he was up against himself, dealing with his own competitive nature and ambition. The process of switching any bad habit is highly creative. Meaning, it’s not what you think, and it was the biggest surprise of O’Connor’s life. In the end, nothing would have changed without Toski. Join him on a journey from right to left and discover where it can impact you too.

298 pages, Paperback

Published June 14, 2022