Dial-A-Thumb
How to use your PowerThumb position to dial-in
exactly
the type of ball flight (draw, straight or fade) you’d like.
PowerThumb Positions
I want to clear up some misconceptions about
the PowerThumb position and also explain how you can use your PowerThumb to dial in your desired ball flight.
Normally hitting fades or draws on command is restricted to lower handicap golfers but with Symple Swing if you
can hit a straight shot then you can draw or fade at will too.
In Symple Swing the lead (or front) arm and
hand are dominant in powering the swing. The front arm swings the club and the position of the front hand
controls the position of the club face at impact. Change the positions of your front hand grip (PowerThumb) and
you’ll change the position of the club face at impact.
You want to hit a fade or a draw?
"Talk to the thumb!”
Normally we have recommended a
2:30 to 3:00 position for your
PowerThumb. That works for most people but that 2:30 to 3:00 position for your PowerThumb is not an
absolute.
Your perfect (or neutral) PowerThumb position
is what will bring the club back to square at impact every time. Everybody’s perfect PowerThumb position is
going to be slightly different (normally between a 1 o’clock
position and a 3 o’clock
position). Your exact perfect or neutral PowerThumb position depends on
musculature, flexibility and other individual variables.
When you start Symple Swing and grip the club,
the first thing you need to do is find your neutral PowerThumb
position that gets the club back to square every time. Remember your whole PowerThumb should be in contact with
the grip of the club. The means your whole thumb and most importantly
the thumb pad at the base of the thumb should be in contact with the grip of the club. When you have your
thumb pad in contact with the grip that should mean the butt of the club
is pointing up the middle of your front wrist. If the butt of the club is going across the corner of your
palm your going to wind up leaving the face of the club open at impact wind up with big slices (curving shots to
the right for right handed golfers). Done correctly the PowerThumb grip should pretty much eliminate and
problems with slicing.
As you are learning the PowerThumb grip you
need to experiment a bit and try a couple of different PowerThumb positions to find your neutral PowerThumb
position. Square the club face up and start with the PowerThumb over around 2:30 but then test it out by hitting
some balls (even practice balls will do) making sure that club face is coming back to square. If the club head
is open too much move the PowerThumb toward the 3 o’clock
position. If you’re getting some draws (or hooks) move the thumb position over
toward the 1:30 to 2 o’clock position.
Your goal is to hit nice straight shots every
time. DON’T EVEN THINK OF TRYING TO HIT DELIBERATE FADES OR DRAWS UNTIL
YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY, COMPLETELY, 100% MASTERED STRAIGHT SHOTS.
Deliberate Fades and Draws
Just by varying the position of your
PowerThumb you should be able to hit deliberate draws and fades.
Those fades or draws will take off straight and then begin to fade or draw. You should realize that to hit your
target you will have to adjust your aim whenever hitting a fade or a draw. That’s takes practice so deliberate
fades or draws should be practiced on the range before you ever think of taking them out to the course.
To hit deliberate fades or draws start by
varying the position of the PowerThumb. To hit deliberate fades move your PowerThumb a notch or two to the left
(for a right handed golfer). To do this correctly is a two step
procedure.
- You have to grip the club with the
PowerThumb a notch or two to the left (over to 1:30
to 2 o’clock for example).
- Next and most importantly you have to
keep gripping the club while addressing the ball again and RETURN YOUR THUMB TO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION.
Although you are returning the thumb to its original position WHEN
RE-ADDRESSING THE BALL YOU SHOULD SEE THE CLUB FACE IS NOW NOTICEABLY OPEN. That’s what we want. We
want the club face open at address because we’ll be coming back at impact in the exactly same position we
start off with at address just like we do on every normal swing.
Note: If just change your thumb position but
you don’t readdress the ball with the club face open you’re mind and body will try to come back to the same
position it was in at address (square) and you likely won’t get the desired ball flight at least not
consistently. As you swing you should feel a little pressure on the side of the thumb opposite finger nail on
your PowerThumb.
After you go through the two steps above your
swing should be absolutely normal meaning on-plane on your backswing and downswing. The only thing your changing
is the address and impact position of your club head. You will need to practice and find out how much to the
left or right your need to aim depending on the exact position of your thumb.
It takes a fair amount of experimentation to
hit precisely controlled deliberate fades and draws. You will definitely need to spend some time on the range.
Once you get the hang of it you should find relatively easy to do. Don’t assume you’ll remember anything. Write
down the results. Write down how much the ball curves for each position of the PowerThumb that you try. You’ll
be glad you did.
BTW, yes this does mean that if you’re drawing
the ball a little more that you’d like adjust your PowerThumb position should straighten that out too.
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