Lefties

With more equipment and instruction available to them, left-handed golfers are sprouting up everywhere and gaining more respect on the course. Some of the brightest young stars in professional golf are left-handed, including Mike Weir and Steve Flesch. There are even golf shops that cater explicitly to the "Lefties Only" crowd. 

The following tip discusses the swing of the best left-handed player in the game today: Phil Mickelson. 

As you might expect, a lefty’s swing analysis is not much different from a right-handed player's. It’s just a matter of plugging in the opposite word in the same place. It is said that Phil works only on his tempo when he is practicing. Instead of thinking about mechanics, he focuses on making the pace of his swing as consistent as possible. This may be true, but it doesn’t do you much good. Everyone has his or her own tempo, including Phil. You don’t want to copy that. You need to look at the technical aspects of Phil’s swing to see if there is anything you can learn from it that you can apply to your swing.

The most noticeable thing about Phil’s swing is his arm movement. He has extremely fast and extended arms which allow him to hit the ball a long way. This is a much different swing structure than that of a left-handed body swinger, such as Mike Weir.This arm movement is also why Phil can play many types of shots. He is a magician when it comes to hitting high flop shots, snap-hooks around trees, or skipping the ball across a lake. A body swinger has a much more difficult time hitting these shots because of the "feel" that is required to do so.

What’s more, because Phil is an arm-swinger, he is one of the few guys on tour who hits shots flat-footed. His left foot barely, if at all, lifts off the ground as he strikes the ball. This signifies that his body has remained calm on the downswing and he has allowed his arms to do most of the work. Phil’s swing is a great model for over-the-top players to emulate because of the quietness of his body. On the downswing, he doesn’t try to rotate his body open very fast, which is a major cause of going over the top. He keeps his chest and hips facing the ball while allowing his arms to swing down. 

Here are a couple more things Phil does in his swing that you can do:
Keeps his head and left shoulder behind the ball. This is a good sensation to get rid of an over-the-top downswing and start swinging from the inside. 
Folds his right arm after impact. Phil has an excellent release of the club after impact, with his right arm folding and his clubface turning over. This is a draw-enhancing position.