Augie Ge has certainly enjoyed his pickleball journey.

He went from playing in the Arizona Pickleball League to signing a UPA contract and competing on the PPA Tour and in MLP with the reigning champion Dallas Flash.

Ge's game has obviously evolved along the way, and specifically developing his left-handed skills is paying dividends and making a world of difference.

“Being a lefty is everything when it comes to my rise in pro pickleball, honestly. I play exclusively the right side just because that’s how the geometry of it works out. I’ve always practiced on the right side, whereas with a righty, you have to develop both skills on the left and skills on the right,” he explained. “It’s more straightforward for me to get partners because a lot of right side or left-siders who are righties are looking to play that role exclusively, so they’ll look for a lot of lefties.” 

What is it about the lefty-righty combination in doubles that pros seek so much?

“The lefty and righty combo just complements each other very well because the court is only so big, and with both forehands in the middle, you really fill in a lot of gaps that there might be otherwise,” said Ge.

Ge has partnered with notable players, including Jaume Martinez Vich on the PPA Tour and JW Johnson in MLP, and paid extra close attention to the intricacies of their respective games in the process.

“With JW, I’ve learned a lot of patience because I know he’s never really going to miss. Sometimes, when we get drawn into long dinking rallies, I know that JW’s hands are so fast that I can attack off the bounce and get away with some attacks that I wouldn’t have with other partners,” he said. “With Jaume, we’re super pattern-focused, so we work on different angles and different strategies. But like with every partner, you have to feel out the dynamic and feel out how they like to ultimately win their points.”

Ge shared a shot he’s been honing that continues to develop his skills on the right. 

“I’ve been working a lot on the fourth ball, and that’s actually another thing that helps with being a lefty. I can cover a lot of the court on the left side when they drive it to the left because I have a long reach there,” he mentioned. “And likewise, as the left side who’s right-handed, they can help cover me when I’m unwinding the stack or coming up to the kitchen line.”

Though Ge has only played the left side in practice, he had a lot of fun. 

“I still need a bit of practice on the left and the forehand out there, but I love it,” he said. “I think it would be fun to play with a lefty.”

As pickleball continues to evolve and versatility becomes more important, Ge can see a day when his skills will be needed on the left - though I think we’d all love to see a day where two lefties join forces in men's doubles. That would be a fun match. 

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