Golf Left Thumb: Fix Pain, Soreness, Casting
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Casting the club in the downswing is a sure way to destroy club head speed. Check out this video now because my simple drill will increase your club head speed and fix any left thumb pain or soreness you've got!
- Many Times Casting Can Stem From Pushing w/ The Left Thumb
- Hold the Club Loose w/ the Left Thumb To Reduce Pressure
- Grip the Club With the Bottom 3 Fingers of Left Hand
Golf Thumb Pain
Most amateur golfers struggle with flipping the club or their left wrist breaking down at golf impact. What they don't realize, and I see this all the time, is that a lot of it has to deal with the very powerful left thumb and pushing against the shaft in order to try and get the golf club to release and try to get some speed out of it. What this does is it actually creates a lot of problems that it actually causes the wrist to start to work in the opposite direction and start to add loft to the club face and you start to cast it. It actually costs you clubhead speed. So, in an effort to produce speed by feeling something very powerful by pushing against the shaft with the left thumb in the golf swing, you actually create this throwout motion where the club starts releasing early and then you get this flippy look at impact.
Not only that, it actually can cause a lot of golf thumb pain and some ligament and tendon issues. If you have a really sore left thumb and you see the top of your grip is really worn and you tend to wear out gloves right underneath the thumb, this first joint here, you need to start to look at that because not only can you create a lot of long-term injury to your thumb, but you're destroying what's happening in your golf swing. So, one of the things that I do a lot with my students is I have them go to the top and actually start to take their thumb off of the shaft. You can actually kind of just put it to the side. You'll lose a little bit of control of the golf club, but you'll start to realize how much you're pushing against the shaft. This is what you tend to do. So, what you really want to focus on is gripping the golf club with the last three fingers and then as you go to the top, you want to start to pull down with those last three fingers, so that that is creating that nice bowed, flat left wrist at golf impact.
Now, if I do the opposite, I start to push against the shaft, you can see how my knuckles start to get out ahead of this wrist bone instead of dragging behind this wrist bone because I'm not pulling with the club, or pulling with the left hand, I'm pushing against the shaft with the left thumb. So, if you struggle with flipping it, you've tried every single drill out there and you can't stop flipping it and your thumb's really bothering you, your grips are wearing out and your gloves are wearing out underneath the thumb, take the thumb off and stop pushing against the shaft. You'll be able to get into a good impact position.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why does my left thumb hurt after playing golf?
Pushing with your left thumb may be causing you to cast your club and causing left thumb pain. The very powerful left thumb pushing against the shaft in order to try and get the golf club to release can cause injury.
What is long thumb in golf grip?
A long thumb grip in golf will have your thumb extending down the grip so that it extends past the other fingers on the golf club. What you really want to focus on is gripping the golf club with the last three fingers and then as you go to the top, you want to start to pull down with those last three fingers, so that that is creating that nice bowed, flat left wrist at golf impact.
Where should the left thumb be in the golf grip?
The last three fingers of your left hand (for right handed golfers) are the most critical and even your thumb plays a critical role in the golf swing. Yep, your left thumb is one of THE most important parts of the golf grip! Ideally, the thumb and forefinger are light on the club. Your left thumb should sit nicely in the lifeline of your right hand.
What do you do with your left thumb in a golf grip?
Incorrect use of the left thumb is one of main causes of losing lag in the golf swing. In a "strong" grip, the V of the left thumb points beyond the right shoulder - a "weak" grip points to the center of the body. Neutral to slightly strong is the preferred grip for most golfers. The left thumb should nestle into the lifeline on the right hand.
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