Growing up, I never played baseball. The game was just too slow for my liking. But my dad was obsessed with it. As such, he taught me how to watch and follow it like a “real fan.” We spent many evenings together chewing up late-night innings. I still follow the sport religiously.
Like the good father that he was (and is), he was no stranger to the occasional “dad joke.” One of his best would come out whenever a left-handed pitcher tossed a no-hitter. As soon as news broke of what’d happened, he’d call, text or say to my face the same thing every time:
“Mark Buehrle threw a no-no last night. And he did it left-handed just to make it harder.”
Thanks for the memories, pops.
All joking aside, here’s what’s perhaps most interesting about that punchline:
In disc golf, for left-handed players, this might ACTUALLY be true.
Obviously, Nathan Queen’s not the only left-handed disc golfer on the planet. And no, contrary to what the gosh-awful joke implies, he doesn’t have much of a choice as to whether or not he throws left-handed – but disc golf’s harder on southpaws …
Like, way harder on ‘em.
I don’t have access to any statistical information on this – maybe there’s something on UDisc, but I’m not smart enough to find it. Here’s a basic breakdown of my thinking, though:
- Roughly 90% of the population is right-handed.
- As such, roughly 90% of course-designers are right-handed.
- Most disc golfers prefer a hyzer-release angle when throwing.
- So, said course-designers create right-handed, hyzer-friendly layouts.
- Right-handed golfers find that most holes on most courses fit their games.
And if you think I’m off my rocker on this, three quick things to consider:
First, there are virtually no left-handed MPO (or FPO) disc golfers on tour.
Second, the “good ones” NEVER win anything – like, ever:
- Zach Melton – He has two A-tier wins in the last 13 years.
- Reid Frescura – He last took down an A-tier way back in 2016.
- Brian Earhart – He no longer has an active PDGA membership.
- Nathan Queen – He won the 2021 DGPT Championship – you might’ve heard.
- Chris Clemons – He has two career “NT” and “ES” podiums – one came at WACO.
And third, to succeed as a left-handed golfer, your forehand needs to be elite.
Seriously, take a closer look at the above list of names. One of ‘em isn’t like the rest – it’s Queen. The other four lefties aren’t only extremely competent with their forehands, but are no stranger to bombing ‘em for the bulk of their tee shots, should the holes require it – and they often do …
Because, you know – they’re playing “right-handed” courses.
To summarize:
- Queen is somehow surviving as a left-handed disc golfer on the Pro Tour.
- Though talented, he never wins – last year’s “miracle” was a hardcore outlier.
- He’s doing all of this without not only a terrible forehand, but any kind of forehand.
As Looney-Tunes as it sounds, whatever Nathan “Star Plastic” Queen does with the rest of his disc golf career, with a single DGPT title to his name, there’s a good chance he’ll be one of the most accomplished southpaws in the history of the sport – maybe the most accomplished.
So, the next time you feel the urge to complain about a “lefty-friendly” course or point out the number of forehand-dominant guys who magically rise to the top at USDGC every October, take a step back, shut your pie-hole and thank your lucky stars you’re right-handed …
On average, we live nine years longer, anyway – we’ll (literally) get the last laugh.
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