Lag, or lack thereof.

[Hamfist]

So, I have a right hand thumb that has a big ol' arthritic knuckle where it joins the hand. This knob of deformed bone will only allow 90 degrees, or less, of lag before informing me of it's displeasure via a feeling of having a nail shot through the joint. I was playing with ntanygd760 the other day, and really trying to get to the 90 degree between arm and shaft, and I hit the driver pretty well doing that. The next day, and still today, the knuckle is really sore, even with Aleve.

So, now that I've prefaced this with my physical issue, to keep on chasing better distance, I have a few options when it comes to the swing. I can try to do a Stricker-like backswing, which I've done before with varying degrees of success. I can do more rotation of the lower body to generate the speed, (while keeping as close to the 90 as possible) which, usually results in shots going high and right all the way to shots going low and left. (and all points in-betwixt!) Or, I can try to just keep my wrists mostly straight and do a "little to no lag" swing.

Anyone feel like opining? I'm going to try to find a pro locally to run this past as well.

 

[TheDoctor]

The only ways to increase distance are to increase your swing speed and improve your technique, so when you talk about better distance, you need to figure out if you can make changes to either of those elements

If your lack of distance is due to technique, then an instructor can always help there, but a good instructor will also take into account any physical limitations you have (in this case, your thumb) and work with you to maximise your potential for your swing speed

If swing speed is the thing holding you back, then the only way you are going to get more distance is to put in the work to increase your swing speed - I am going to take a guess, but when you have been trying to increase your speed and seeing wayward shots, I would think that will be due to timing being off and not being able to synch up everything properly due to the faster speed. It will likely take a bit of time to get used to swinging faster and squaring everything up correctly

That may be a bit blunt, but it is the way I see it based on what I have gone through in the past with my back issues
I did a lot of work on my swing, taking into account my problems, and hit the ball so much better, but whenever I have a flare up of my back problems, I lose distance because I physically can't swing as quick as I can when my body is healthier
That in itself can cause other issues when trying to decide on a club.....I went from hitting my 7i around 170yds during a tune up lesson last year, to 150yds earlier this year whilst being injured, and it has been creeping back up over the last few rounds as I have been getting healthier again

 

[Lane]

So, I have a right hand thumb that has a big ol' arthritic knuckle where it joins the hand. This knob of deformed bone will only allow 90 degrees, or less, of lag before informing me of it's displeasure via a feeling of having a nail shot through the joint. I was playing with ntanygd760 the other day, and really trying to get to the 90 degree between arm and shaft, and I hit the driver pretty well doing that. The next day, and still today, the knuckle is really sore, even with Aleve.

So, now that I've prefaced this with my physical issue, to keep on chasing better distance, I have a few options when it comes to the swing. I can try to do a Stricker-like backswing, which I've done before with varying degrees of success. I can do more rotation of the lower body to generate the speed, (while keeping as close to the 90 as possible) which, usually results in shots going high and right all the way to shots going low and left. (and all points in-betwixt!) Or, I can try to just keep my wrists mostly straight and do a "little to no lag" swing.

Anyone feel like opining? I'm going to try to find a pro locally to run this past as well.

Hamfist- have you tried Voltaren on that arthritis? You can purchase it now without a prescription. Wonderful stuff.

 

[Hamfist]

Hamfist- have you tried Voltaren on that arthritis? You can purchase it now without a prescription. Wonderful stuff.

I have not, but I'll give it a whirl.

 

[Hamfist]

The only ways to increase distance are to increase your swing speed and improve your technique, so when you talk about better distance, you need to figure out if you can make changes to either of those elements

If your lack of distance is due to technique, then an instructor can always help there, but a good instructor will also take into account any physical limitations you have (in this case, your thumb) and work with you to maximise your potential for your swing speed

If swing speed is the thing holding you back, then the only way you are going to get more distance is to put in the work to increase your swing speed - I am going to take a guess, but when you have been trying to increase your speed and seeing wayward shots, I would think that will be due to timing being off and not being able to synch up everything properly due to the faster speed. It will likely take a bit of time to get used to swinging faster and squaring everything up correctly

That may be a bit blunt, but it is the way I see it based on what I have gone through in the past with my back issues
I did a lot of work on my swing, taking into account my problems, and hit the ball so much better, but whenever I have a flare up of my back problems, I lose distance because I physically can't swing as quick as I can when my body is healthier
That in itself can cause other issues when trying to decide on a club.....I went from hitting my 7i around 170yds during a tune up lesson last year, to 150yds earlier this year whilst being injured, and it has been creeping back up over the last few rounds as I have been getting healthier again

Doc, I think it's primarily the swing speed. I habitually check the driver face for impact spot (I love having the black face, it's like impact tape.) And, throwing out the occasional wayward hit, most of the time I'm pretty centered. When I do my normal, "not-going-after-it swing", I'm pretty straight most of the time, just not very long. I also have a really short, compact backswing because sync'ing everything up has always been an issue for me. The last time I was out with ntanygd760, as I said, making sure I got the club/arm angle to 90 (as far as I could feel) did give me more distance, and stayed fairly straight, but the resultant soreness the next day has me looking at other options. It's just the bone deformation limits how far I can move it. My left hand I can make an "almost" 90 angle between my thumb and my left forearm (if looking at my palm.) My right is about 45 degrees.

 

[Scorp]

There are some things you could do to remedy this...

#1. 16oz ball peen hammer on that knuckle. Hit once, HARD. It'll only hurt for a minute. Then you pass out. No more pain. Then you wake up, see a doc and have it set into the position you want it to be it. Once the bones fuse, you're all set. No problem.

You don't want to do #1.

#2. Adjust your grip so you're not suffering pain from your swing. A good golf instructor will work with you and your physical limitations.

I know it was either @Luchnia or @chile that improved their swing speed during quarantine by a couple or even a few MPH... maybe they could say how they did that.

There's the saying "no pain, no gain" and "pain is weakness leaving the body!"
I'm a BIG fan of "no pain, no pain."
If you're experiencing pain after golf something's wrong. That shouldn't happen. That's why I suggest you change your grip to accommodate your arthritic knuckle.

 

[Snickerdog]

Sounds like Hammy needs a drink.

I would suggest some core exercises to increase the rotational turn and that will help with some of the swing speed you need. More flexible means faster generally.

 

[Hamfist]

There are some things you could do to remedy this...

#1. 16oz ball peen hammer on that knuckle. Hit once, HARD. It'll only hurt for a minute. Then you pass out. No more pain. Then you wake up, see a doc and have it set into the position you want it to be it. Once the bones fuse, you're all set. No problem.

You don't want to do #1.

#2. Adjust your grip so you're not suffering pain from your swing. A good golf instructor will work with you and your physical limitations.

I know it was either @Luchnia or @chile that improved their swing speed during quarantine by a couple or even a few MPH... maybe they could say how they did that.

There's the saying "no pain, no gain" and "pain is weakness leaving the body!"
I'm a BIG fan of "no pain, no pain."
If you're experiencing pain after golf something's wrong. That shouldn't happen. That's why I suggest you change your grip to accommodate your arthritic knuckle.

I currently use the standard interlock grip. I've done the "holding hands on the imaginary club and moving the thumb around" exercise, and the only grip change I can see that might work would be dropping the right thumb down to rest on the top of the right finger (or thereabouts). I have no clue as to what that might do to my actual hitting of the ball, I was just doing it at my desk.

You are correct in stating I do not want to do #1. No sir, I do not want.

 

[Hamfist]

Sounds like Hammy needs a drink.

I would suggest some core exercises to increase the rotational turn and that will help with some of the swing speed you need. More flexible means faster generally.

Whereas I'm always in favor of a drink, I don't know if it would help. I figure, if I'm too blotto to feel my hands, the drive home might be dicey.
I've not looked at any pics or video of how much coil I get, so I'll have to look into that. I do know I need to work on getting more hip turn in my swing, I'm pretty sure I'm mostly arms. But, once again without video/pics, I don't have any evidence to back that up.

 

[Lane]

Doc, I think it's primarily the swing speed. I habitually check the driver face for impact spot (I love having the black face, it's like impact tape.) And, throwing out the occasional wayward hit, most of the time I'm pretty centered. When I do my normal, "not-going-after-it swing", I'm pretty straight most of the time, just not very long. I also have a really short, compact backswing because sync'ing everything up has always been an issue for me. The last time I was out with ntanygd760, as I said, making sure I got the club/arm angle to 90 (as far as I could feel) did give me more distance, and stayed fairly straight, but the resultant soreness the next day has me looking at other options. It's just the bone deformation limits how far I can move it. My left hand I can make an "almost" 90 angle between my thumb and my left forearm (if looking at my palm.) My right is about 45 degrees.

Hamfist - it appears that that “ itis “ is in the same joint as mine , except it is my left thumb joint . That limited 45 degree angle of your right thumb should not restrict your BS unless you are playing it on top of the grip . The grip / shaft should be lay in between your thumb and index finger in that fulcrum!
My doctor recommended Voltarem . He uses it on his feet before he plays. Great Gel !

 

[chile]

I know it was either @Luchnia or @chile that improved their swing speed during quarantine by a couple or even a few MPH... maybe they could say how they did that.

i wish it was me that improved my SS...however, i do believe it has improved some but that was through trying to apply things i learned in my last lesson and getting my set up tweaked to maximize the tornado of chaos that is my swing.

 

[TheDoctor]

Doc, I think it's primarily the swing speed. I habitually check the driver face for impact spot (I love having the black face, it's like impact tape.) And, throwing out the occasional wayward hit, most of the time I'm pretty centered. When I do my normal, "not-going-after-it swing", I'm pretty straight most of the time, just not very long. I also have a really short, compact backswing because sync'ing everything up has always been an issue for me. The last time I was out with ntanygd760, as I said, making sure I got the club/arm angle to 90 (as far as I could feel) did give me more distance, and stayed fairly straight, but the resultant soreness the next day has me looking at other options. It's just the bone deformation limits how far I can move it. My left hand I can make an "almost" 90 angle between my thumb and my left forearm (if looking at my palm.) My right is about 45 degrees.

Hmmm, if you are getting soreness, I would suggest finding an instructor to take a look at your grip etc and working the best you can with it, but get some data about your swing as well so that you can see if there is anything else you can do to maximise your current speed

Some speed can be gained through swinging more freely when you have the confidence to know the ball isn't going to disappear off the planet, but if you want to make bigger gains then you will unfortunately have to put in some work to build strength in the right way

Otherwise, it may need to be a medical opinion to see if there is anything that can be done to help with the joint

 

[Hamfist]

i wish it was me that improved my SS...however, i do believe it has improved some but that was through trying to apply things i learned in my last lesson and getting my set up tweaked to maximize the tornado of chaos that is my swing.

That is arguably the most awesome thing I've ever read on THP.

 

[Hamfist]

Hmmm, if you are getting soreness, I would suggest finding an instructor to take a look at your grip etc and working the best you can with it, but get some data about your swing as well so that you can see if there is anything else you can do to maximise your current speed

Some speed can be gained through swinging more freely when you have the confidence to know the ball isn't going to disappear off the planet, but if you want to make bigger gains then you will unfortunately have to put in some work to build strength in the right way

Otherwise, it may need to be a medical opinion to see if there is anything that can be done to help with the joint

So we're back to Scorpion's #1.

 

[Hamfist]

Hamfist - it appears that that “ itis “ is in the same joint as mine , except it is my left thumb joint . That limited 45 degree angle of your right thumb should not restrict your BS unless you are playing it on top of the grip . The grip / shaft should be lay in between your thumb and index finger in that fulcrum!
My doctor recommended Voltarem . He uses it on his feet before he plays. Great Gel !

Currently, the right thumb is on the left side of the shaft, not on the top. Maybe part of the issue is grip tightness on the DS. I do try to "snap" the right hand hard at the ball during the DS.

 

[TheDoctor]

So we're back to Scorpion's #1.

I would probably refrain from the self-inflicted pain and get it all done professionally, as at least they will use anaesthetic when they decide what needs doing

 

[Hamfist]

I would probably refrain from the self-inflicted pain and get it all done professionally, as at least they will use anaesthetic when they decide what needs doing

Eh, some booze and a stick to bite will suffice for this rugged "Murican.

 

[Lane]

Currently, the right thumb is on the left side of the shaft, not on the top. Maybe part of the issue is grip tightness on the DS. I do try to "snap" the right hand hard at the ball during the DS.

Hamfist - to “ snap “ the right hand hard at the ball during the DS is a sure fire killer of speed . The DOMINANT RIGHT HAND only *** CONTROLS *** the entire golf swing as it does almost all body movements , but they have little or NO POWER to propel any object very far. Distance and speed can ONLY come from the rotation of the torso . The engine of the swing which is CONTROLLED by the HANDS- very much like they control the desired direction of a car by simply turning the steering wheel .
Physics and Newton’s Third Law play a hug role in the DS . If the HANDS speed up the body / torso slows down and we are left with no rotation / no speed . Only an attempt to slap with our HANDS . You can see this everyday on any range in the world And what else is more natural !
I would suggest you watch a front on slo mo video of your favorite PGA or LPGA player and observe closely how their HANDS are performing . Do not listen to or read any analysis - just use your own skills of observations and you see that they DO NOT HIT WITH THEIR HANDS !
Good luck !

 

[Lane]

Eh, some booze and a stick to bite will suffice for this rugged "Murican.

Voltaren is recommend by thousands of Doctors and it is specifically made to lower Arthritis pain. If it doesn’t help yours send it to me and I will buy it !

 

[Hamfist]

Voltaren is recommend by thousands of Doctors and it is specifically made to lower Arthritis pain. If it doesn’t help yours send it to me and I will buy it !

I got some kind of goo from my doctor the other day. No clue as to what it is compared to Voltaren. Odd thing, though. Everytime I read Voltaren this is what I see:

 

[pattyboy21]

So, I have a right hand thumb that has a big ol' arthritic knuckle where it joins the hand. This knob of deformed bone will only allow 90 degrees, or less, of lag before informing me of it's displeasure via a feeling of having a nail shot through the joint. I was playing with ntanygd760 the other day, and really trying to get to the 90 degree between arm and shaft, and I hit the driver pretty well doing that. The next day, and still today, the knuckle is really sore, even with Aleve.

So, now that I've prefaced this with my physical issue, to keep on chasing better distance, I have a few options when it comes to the swing. I can try to do a Stricker-like backswing, which I've done before with varying degrees of success. I can do more rotation of the lower body to generate the speed, (while keeping as close to the 90 as possible) which, usually results in shots going high and right all the way to shots going low and left. (and all points in-betwixt!) Or, I can try to just keep my wrists mostly straight and do a "little to no lag" swing.

Anyone feel like opining? I'm going to try to find a pro locally to run this past as well.

My suggestion is to let your right thumb ride along during the swing, but exert zero pressure on the grip; it can even float off the grip during the entire swing. Instead, use your middle finger and ring finger on your right hand, exerting pressure with just those 2 fingers. First of all, it will save you the pain and agony associated with your right thumb. More importantly though, it should allow a much greater freedom of movement and more lag.

In order to "cast" the club (i.e., lose lag) in the downswing, you have to engage the right thumb to make that happen. Not engaging the right thumb allows you to create and maintain lag in the downswing (regardless of how much angle you create in the backswing).

Try it out - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

[Puttmaster]

My suggestion is to let your right thumb ride along during the swing, but exert zero pressure on the grip; it can even float off the grip during the entire swing. Instead, use your middle finger and ring finger on your right hand, exerting pressure with just those 2 fingers. First of all, it will save you the pain and agony associated with your right thumb. More importantly though, it should allow a much greater freedom of movement and more lag.

In order to "cast" the club (i.e., lose lag) in the downswing, you have to engage the right thumb to make that happen. Not engaging the right thumb allows you to create and maintain lag in the downswing (regardless of how much angle you create in the backswing).

Try it out - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

^^^^^^ This. The right thumb should just be along for the ride. Those middle two fingers of the RH should be your focus, which would enable you to completely remove (unwanted, unnecessary, detrimental) pressure of your right thumb. That will also help keep your right wrist loose, which will help with lag.

 

[Hamfist]

My suggestion is to let your right thumb ride along during the swing, but exert zero pressure on the grip; it can even float off the grip during the entire swing. Instead, use your middle finger and ring finger on your right hand, exerting pressure with just those 2 fingers. First of all, it will save you the pain and agony associated with your right thumb. More importantly though, it should allow a much greater freedom of movement and more lag.

In order to "cast" the club (i.e., lose lag) in the downswing, you have to engage the right thumb to make that happen. Not engaging the right thumb allows you to create and maintain lag in the downswing (regardless of how much angle you create in the backswing).

Try it out - I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

^^^^^^ This. The right thumb should just be along for the ride. Those middle two fingers of the RH should be your focus, which would enable you to completely remove (unwanted, unnecessary, detrimental) pressure of your right thumb. That will also help keep your right wrist loose, which will help with lag.

Interesting and duly noted!! If that's all it takes, I owe you both a tasty beverage of your choice.

Oddly enough, those are the two fingers I focus on when putting.

 

[pattyboy21]

Interesting and duly noted!! If that's all it takes, I owe you both a tasty beverage of your choice.

I heartily accept!!!

 

[Puttmaster]

Interesting and duly noted!! If that's all it takes, I owe you both a tasty beverage of your choice.

Oddly enough, those are the two fingers I focus on when putting.