birly=shirly,
Before the lesson I had the club diagonally across the left hand close to the base of the fingers. I thought this was actually a stronger grip until Kevin suggested a slightly stronger grip. Actually after working with it for a couple of months it finally fit in with what I was trying to do with my downswing (tumble). 7 months later after working on a lower hands feel into delivery the sequencing of the downswing is much improved or at least I am more aware of it. I have to wait a little for the hands/arms vertical drop instead of just pulling as hard as I can from the top.
So now I am to the point of not trying for low hands through impact I'm striving for the clubhead back on the ball side of a line between the ball and the toes for irons. Driver is a different story.
My thumb was always in this position so this was not the issue with me. I think it is more about the hand relationship with the handle of the club (stretched diagonally or more like a fist). For me more like a fist actually encourages more down pressure with the left thumb. Before this change I never had any downward pressure with the left thumb on the handle and I think this is the key.
It's kind of like Brian describing the left thumb on the club by making a thumb print. I took that as making a thumb print and then being able to pull the thumb off the club very easily. I don't think this was his point. Now once I get the left hand fingers/base of hand on the club the pressure was created by more of a fist position (not stretched so far down the club) and the thumb is forced down more.
Hope this can help you.
Matt
Thanks Matt - this is really helpful to me. Sounds like my current grip is pretty similar to your old grip. Am I right in thinking then that when you changed your grip, you basically had the handle more parallel to your knuckles and less diagonal across your hand - plus a little stronger? That much would make sense to me where you're working on lower hands through impact.
Can I ask what you were doing to get your tumble correct? Was it largely a case of letting your arms drop rather than pulling hard with the left side - with an awareness of the club get onto the ball side of the line you talk about and lower hands through impact?
This sounds like medicine I might need. I was at the range last night trying to get a more leftward path. I worked on rotating really hard with hips, shoulders, torso. You name it, and I rotated it. It helped to a point, but however hard I tried to turn through the ball, I still seemed able to get under plane and push some shots hard right.
savydan - you've just taken that too far...
