A Malaska Golf Member who is left-handed has a question about the right thumb. When he swings a club, his right thumb is sore, and he wants to know why. If you are right-handed, then your left thumb will often be sore.

Mike explains that your right thumb is one of the biggest killers in golf. Mike uses an analogy of other sports to describe where the thumb is on a baseball bat, tennis racket, ping-pong paddle, and hockey stick. Mike says that the thumb is never on the top of the club because it puts a lot of pressure on it.

The tendency in golf is when you put the thumb on top, and in this instance, we are talking about the member’s right hand when he puts his thumb on the back of the shaft, the right thumb should act like a stabilizer as he swings to top of the backswing. As you come down through the ball, if Mike didn’t have his left hand on (as a left-hander), his thumb would float on the club. It wouldn’t be pushing on the club. What happens when you swing down, the right thumb on a left-handed player or the left thumb on a right-handed player, is that your thumb is pushing into the shaft. This slows your wrist down and makes it tight. All the force gets pushed into your thumb instead of your wrist releasing with no pressure on your thumb. This is where the thumb kills you.

First, make some swings like a baseball player and take your thumb off the handle. Mike sets up and hits the ball. Because his thumb is off, there is no pressure on the shaft.

Now Mike grips the handle again, but this time, he just places his thumb there. He isn’t going to push; Mike is just going to set it there and cover it with his back hand. The goal is to keep the tension out of the thumb.

Again, the thumb is there for stability on the backswing and follow-through, and there is no pressure on it.