Left Thumb - Long or short?
 

Dear LBG Pros,

Any reference was made by Homer Kelley on short or long left thumb? Is that in relation to #2 accumulator and range of wrist cock? What type of golfers will be benefited using long or short left thumb?

Thanks!

KOC

I know that was one of Hogan's major changes coming back to competitive golf after the service. He went from a "long thumb" to a modified "short thumb". He said the "long thumb" let the club drop down too far at the top of his backswing and it was tough to get the timing correct.

The rule of "thumb" is long thumb = longer backswing, short thumb = shorter backswing.
I would like to hear what TGM has to say about it too!

Pat

The Long and Short of it
 

IMO the length of the left thumb should be what ever length allows the player to have the left wrist in a LEVEL condition at impact fix. From what I see when I try to lengthen the left thumb is a left wrist that is in an "uncocked" condition. Too short of a left thumb can have the opposite effect also.

What's the long and short on this?
 

Hey KOC

Are you wondering about this long looking thumb in your photo vis a vis his thumb at address, like I am?

It would be unthinkable to consider Hogan as having a re grip or lose attachment. Is this just what thumbs look like at top? It does look longer to me but.....that would change his alignments when he gets back to impact. This cant be. What gives?

Regards
ob


http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/assets/...attach/png.gif

What the heck?
 

OK now Im going insane maybe.

I know Hogan grip looks intact at impact, we've all seen it. But in addition to the long thumb photo of KOC's here is another mid swing grip anomaly.

Why does his right thumb look like its moved to the front of the shaft in this photo? It cant really be doing that. Is this a camera angle thing?

ob

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/assets/...attach/png.gif

O.B.,

What do you think about this?

Hey KOC

Ive been thinking about this and looking at photos and here is where Im at now:

-in my personal experience with loose attachments or regrips during the swing, they might move but they never go back to where they were at fix say. (The solution for me was pressure points and their maintenance either by simply holding on better or fixing a radius problem .... a slack radius can dial them down or off .........Luke, its the pressure points we are really swinging on plane etc, etc)

-Hogan's grip at impact looked intact to say the least.

-There for, in your long thumb photo, I suspect what we are looking at is a product of the camera angle and/or the look of a firm left hand grip at top. Perhaps the cocked left wrist with the clubs weight on the thumb, given his super week grip, changes its look to the eye. The club is stressing different parts of the hands, different pressure points at different points in the swing. In the second photo I think we are looking at the swingers #3 in start down.......the pressure moving down onto the first knuckle during longitudinal acceleration, arrow from quiver type acceleration. The grip looks different but is merely showing the effects of the changing, moving forces being placed upon it.

I bet Luke has an opinion. Maybe with access to a fancy 3D program a person could move the cameras position around to show what the grip looks like from different angles.

All of this goes out the window if Mr Hogan gets to impact with a changed grip like us normal people. I have been looking over photos and cant find an example.

Thats were Im at anyways. What do you think?

ob

I could have sworn I heard that Canadian fellow on YouTube (sorry, don't remember his name) say Hogan used to adjust the position of his right thumb for the desired ball flight. Something about moving it more on top of and across the shaft for a straight shot or fade (like you see in your attachment) vs. more connected to his right pointer finger and straight down the shaft for a draw.

Thanks Bambam

Here is the link.


http://video.google.ca/videosearch?q...en&emb=0&aq=f#


Ill try to find some evidence of the thumb being "dropped off" at impact.

Interesting.

From the mouth of Peter Thomson 5 time British Open winner to my ears..Hogan's hands slid around on the grip.
Did he actively drop his right thumb off..Ludicrous

Great story Pistol, please tell us more about your talk with Peter Thomson. Love his swing.


Ive been looking at more photos and Ill be danged but his right thumb would appear to be on the move. Its easy to spot if you know where to look....... Hey that reminds me of something.............not sure what .....

Anyhow, take a look at these LIFE photos. Im seeing the right thumb move to the front of the grip when the left wrist cocks.



But at impact during what appears to be the same swing, the thumb looks to be back in place.



This would maybe suggest that the right thumb movement is a product of the left wrist cock and uncock. This would be possible if the grip pressure at the thumb and forefinger allowed. Which would be consistent with Mr Hogans assertions in the Coleman Estate video:


"......very little pressure on the index finger of the right hand and thumb. You get the pressure of your right hand with this butt pad of your index finger. Going throug. It isnt any pressure down or around the shaft, its just forward" He then demonstrates the pp#3 with the right thumb off the shaft going through impact.




There are photos I can find where after impact the thumb seems to have dropped off. Both of these photos would appear to be on shots where Mr Hogan is "holding it off", swinging left or whatever. Not sure what the thumb looked like at impact but Im thinking it was off the club and intentional. A different release type enhanced with a grip change that promoted a steady, constant nursing of lag pressure at #3?









Interesting. What do you guys think?

I bet Yoda has some insights on all of this. He has a pretty nice right thumb in this photo too although he was employing a 10-2-D grip here. 10-2-D excellent for cut shots, the right palm paddle wheeling on plane, towards impact with no Separate Rolling Motion until after impact etc .




ob


Edit : How do you drop photos into the text properly??

Instead of using the link button : , use the insert image button:

You can paste in the URL just like when you insert a link.

If you want the 'code' to write it, you would use this:


[img]http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/assets/img/forum/attach/jpeg.gif[/img]


instead of this:


[url]http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/assets/img/forum/attach/jpeg.gif[/url]


I've updated your post...

Thanks Bambam









DOH!

[quote=O.B.Left;61219]Great story Pistol, please tell us more about your talk with Peter Thomson. Love his swing.

O.B

Funny story . it was at the Aust Open 1989 from memory at Royal Sydney in a practice round following the shark. Anyhow the shark was getting some tips in a bunker from an old man and I was in close checking it out. Turned to a few suits next to me and asked why the shark was taking a lesson from an bloke who looked like a drunk off the street. They burst out laughing and one of them said " young man that is Norman Von Nida"..yep foot in mouth.
Well it was Peter Thomson of all people and asked him a few Q's . What was Hogan like , how good etc. Thomson was a perfectionist himself and he said the odd thing was Hogan started with a semi short thumb but as he loaded to the top the thumb would slip/catch and become long left thumb and was evident the harder Hogan went at it.

Norman Von nida played a lot with Hogan as well and is on record as stating Hogan loved playing rounds with the Von cause he faded the ball.
The Von stated Hogan thought he faded the ball but no chance said the Von ..it was always a tiny draw and when he did it was a weak fade.
History tells us that Hogan eventually mastered his swing but the baloney written about Hogan being perfect is bordering on mythical

[quote=pistol;61236]

Thanks Pistol

This place is all the richer with generous stories like that one.

Here is a photo of Peter Thomson at impact showing a very nice trigger finger.

ob


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