BEN HOGAN'S LEFT THUMB

A lot of people have misinterpreted what Ben Hogan said about the left thumb in the grip. In this video Dan talks about a common problem he sees with the left thumb in his students and what you should be doing to get the most solid and connected grip for your golf swing.

Instagram: @dwhittakergolf

[omeradhia]

This is one of best videos on grip i have seen. Grip is the most important, but also the most boring, part of golf swing. I would love to see more insights on the grip. By fixing my grip by half an inch, my shot dispersion on a 9 iron went from 20 yards to 4 yards.

[VoodooZ]

Great video but could have used a little more cloesups. It's not immediately obvious to most what the difference is. And especially to help one figure out what they are currently doing.
Still a great analysis nonetheless.

[paulkraus]

Hi Dan, after you fixed my grip I realised that I'd always thrown the club away because of the long thumb. Because you can feel the pressure of the shaft against it at the end of the backswing it encourages a pushback with the thumb in the downswing. Great stuff.

[TheGreatx]

I am from the Ben Hogan School of golf I learned to play golf by reading Ben Hogan. I found the video because recently I've been feeling pain in my left thumb at the top and I feel like the stress on my thumb has been making my club dip toward my head. To relieve this pain and problem at the top I have found if I put my thumb to the right of the center of the shaft and go long with it it seems to work better for me. It relieved the pain and increased fluidity in my backswing in setting at the top.

[golfgrouch]

This is the best explanation of the proper left thumb placement I've encountered. Thanks Dan!

[johnjunto]

The past few years after golfing for 30 years I've developed a sore left thumb. I believe I took the grip for granite, the left thumb became long and disconnected. By really concentrating on connecting the left thumb and thinking about the three pressure points, I have much less pain at the top of the swing. Thanks Dan!!!

[fawnmartinelli]

Came across this video when trouble-shooting pain issues in my left thumb... this makes so much sense! I'd been using the "long thumb". Heading to the driving range to practice the connected grip. Thank you for taking the time to post this video.

[greghill]

Dan: I have xxl hands and always felt I should shorten my thumb for more control, but I then cannot set my left wtist! Thanks so much for clearing up this issue!

[philipsharman]

Hi Dan, I'm a 55 year old golfer desperately searching for ways to get rid of the early extension in my swing which has been ingrained over 25 years of playing golf. I've been enjoying your videos as you seem to find the ideal balance between technical content and practical advice and your videos are definitely helping me to understand what I need to change. Please would you advise which of your videos I should focus on to help me learn the correct release and reduce/eliminate early extension?

[jimdog]

Splendid, Dan. Thank you. I've recently had this exact pain/tendon issue with my lead thumb/forearm (Right - I'm left-handed) while working with Hogan's "5 Lessons" and getting help from a golf pro friend. This helps a lot.

[eyeofthetigger]

Kudos! I have Ben's 5 Fundamentals, watched the GOATs explanations, fiddled and fudged, but this vid is my "Aha!" moment. The 'short thumb' appears to explain my game. Having those three parts of the left hand apply their pressure in equal measure made the light bulb go off. All my feelings of why the grip does not feel natural during the swing have been addressed. Thank you.

[rpsflooring]

Thanks Dan
I play off 6hcp and only recently wanted work on why my left thumb was injured/sprained every now n then. And for some damn reason never took it on board to address this issue. But lock down and constant rain recently in Australia made me think about this more. Surprise I get your explanation and have implemented this with great relieving affect. I implore all golfers man/woman get a lesson and or a fine tune. The pros do it and obviously we should too. Thx Dan Great work

[jamedonovan]

I "long thumbed" last year and it made all the difference. Able to square up the face much, much more consistently and occasionally hit baby draws. Coming from a lifetime of controlled & loose fades.

[stuartalthorpe]

I believe I have the short thumb be working on the connection now, thanks 👍

[Steverino]

Wow, I have learned more from watching a boatload of your videos this past couple weeks, than the dozens of lessons I have had over the last 15 years of playing. Thank you!

[bigjmal]

Thanks for this Dan, such a detailed breakdown is hard to find!

[Maverickjs]

Hi Dan can you do a follow up focusing on grip pressure and how it affects swing

[dominicblattmann]

Got injured on my thumb with golf, and this is the perfect explanation for it why. It describes perfectly what happens when I hold my thumb wrong/short.

[MARTIN-xtzk]

Thanks, Dan great Video. If you have large hands this video could be like night and day on how you control the club. Never realised pad of thumb wasn’t connected and have always struggled with control. Never been picked up in any lesson I’ve had… thank you

[TheGreatx]

As I'm sitting here gripping wondering if I'm short or long thumb I'm a naturally short thumb gripper as I feel the short thumb places the pad of the thumb on the shaft if you go long you're more on the crease or the bend of the thumb. I was recently having a real problem with SNAP hooking my driver. I have recently fixed this by allowing the shaft to rest on my index finger tip as opposed to further down my index finger. It's so strange how little things leak into our swings and grips without realizing it.