I often say this because it’s happened so many times and ties into a lesson I learned the hard way during a pennant match. My dad was my caddy and asked me who I was playing against. I didn’t know until I was called to the tee moments later. My opponent swung the club cross-handed on every shot. Dad nudged me and said it should be an easy win. After 26 grueling holes, I finally won, and it turned out to be one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played. The lesson is never to judge a player by their swing. Throughout golf history, players with unconventional swings are often more consistent. I tried swinging the driver cross-handed later that day and missed three times in a row. I haven’t tried it since.

Interestingly, when my son was five and just learning to swing, he started playing golf left-handed but was switched to right-handed by his coach. I was amazed at how often I’d catch him swinging cross-handed and hitting the ball well.