Chairman of World Association of Left-handed Golfers: "Iam very happy being lefty!” 10:41, 03/04/2024

Can you introduce about yourself and how long have you played golf?

My name is Richard Davison from New Zealand and I have been playing golf since 1971. I started at age 16 hitting a golf ball with a right-hand club until a golfer saw me and told me I had a left-hand grip and playing right-handed so he gave me one of his left handed clubs and away I went.

Are you left-handed golfer? Are you happy with that?

I am not a left-handed person and do most things right-handed, but anything with two hands cricket, golf etc. are all left-handed. In 2005 at the WALG Tournament in Dublin, Ireland they did a survey of the 254 players there and only 4% of them were left-handed and played left-handed as the rest were all like me. 

An interesting thing that happened to me as a few years back was a call I got from the USA from a man who was doing a thesis on left-handed people. Something he found out that most successful people had the right left syndrome because our brain is split, and we can look at problems and business in a different way. He quotes President Obama as one along with Bill Clinton. So very happy being like that.

How did you become the chairman of World Association of Left-handed Golfers?

I became the WALG chairman in 2012 when the previous Chairman Doug Crosby stood down through age. We still play for his Trophy.

What difficulties did you face with when being a left-handed golfer?

In the early years left-handed golfers found it was hard to get a good club selection when buying new ones but that has changed as we see more leftie golfers on the world circuit.

Would you share with us more about the WALG? And what's special about the Association?

If you go into the USA website, you will get a lot of the history from when and where it all started which was away before my time. Although it started many years ago Doug Crosby from Australia started the WALG Tournament back in 1983 I believe, and this is in the history. I have been attending these Tournaments since 2005 and it is like a big reunion each time, we all get together. You find a lot of new friends each time you attend one of these tournaments and they last for years. Each Country has a left-handed organization which we pay a small sum to be a part off. We then hold little tournaments around the country that we attend. We have a President and Secretary which oversees the running of the tournaments and each year we have a National one which in our country New Zealand lasts four days and I am just back from playing in this. As Chairman along with my Secretary Nigel Messenger we can help a Country set this up and if the people of Vietnam would like we can do this.

The development of the left-handed golf community in the world?

Countries that have a Left-handed Golfing Organizations are New Zealand, Australia, Tiawan, Japan, China, France, Germany, Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Canada, USA. Other Countries we have attended and played a WALG tournament at is South Africa and Turkey in the hope of building a lefties relationship, just the same as we are doing in Vietnam.

Have you ever come to Vietnam? How do you evaluate the first time Vietnam hosts the WALG Championship?

I have never been to Vietnam before as far as I know nor has the WALG. The reason we are coming to Vietnam is to try to connect and support for the Organization get bigger as we have been to the above countries several times.

What opportunities can Vietnam take advantage of from the tournament to promote golf and tourism?

The way I can see how the Lefties can support Vietnam Tourism is to get a left-handed organization up and running and each year have a National Tournament and advertise this on our website, and it goes around the World. I have been to China and helped them get started but due to Covid that didn’t help. NZ people travel to Australia each year to their national tournament so Vietnam would be welcome for the people down under. All the Countries you see above I have been to and usually spend other time there and not only play golf. I will be in Vietnam for a month doing things at Hanoi and on a boat up the Mekong.

What message will the WALG send to left-handed golfers in Vietnam?

I hope that Lefties in Vietnam be proactive and join and believe me, you will see how much fun it is.

Profile

Full name: Richard D Davison

Position: Chairman World Association Left-handed Golfers

Career: NZ President of the Mercedes Benz Club

Handicap: 28

Hobbies: Golf, Flying, Classic Cars. 

Quote: Stand on the right side of the ball.