Trigger Finger pressure

[birdie chance]

I think I understand where pp3 is located and feeling I should be nursing in the downswing ("forward" as Hogan demonstrates in the everpopular Hogan Home Video: incredibly enlightening) but here's a question: what about the pressure felt in the index finger tip of the right hand curling around the shaft in the classic trigger finger position. I feel pressure all "around" that finger especially on the front of the shaft where the very tip of my finger meets the shaft: it's active and sometimes I wonder where my pp3 is like in startup I can hardly feel it but feel more pressure in the tip of my finger.
Is this a matter of style or would it be better for my long term development of dynamics if I held my trigger more lightly and focused more on developing pp3?

Woody

[6bmike]

PP3 is located, more or less, at the base of the index finger. It is one of three pressure points on the shaft. Each pressure point is located on the backside of the shaft and are driven by power accumulators. They are not “pressured” points activated by squeezing or pressing. A pressure point of the front side of the shaft has little value in how you power a shaft- either by pushing or pulling.

PP3 is still “attached” to the shaft at start-up- sort of a reverse pp3 pull. Use Extensor Action with pp3 and snap the left wrist straight if you like early or set wrists later. PP3 will always be there.

There is a danger with pp3. If you push pp3 with just the index finger you will get throw-away, a flip. The right forearm Flying Wedge and the pivot drives pp3- not active hands.

By all means educate your hands to all three of the pressure points and use them on a straight plane line.

The fourth pressure point is the contact of the left arm on the chest.

[Burner]

There is a danger with pp3. If you push pp3 with just the index finger you will get throw-away, a flip. The right forearm Flying Wedge and the pivot drives pp3- not active hands.

An appreciation of that statement alone could save hundreds of guys a whole load of grief.

[Seanmx]

There is a danger with pp3. If you push pp3 with just the index finger you will get throw-away, a flip. The right forearm Flying Wedge and the pivot drives pp3- not active hands.

Great Post

I fall into the trap you describe above very often your expaination that the pivot and right forearm flying wedge drives PP3 should help me a lot.

[EdZ]

There is a danger with pp3. If you push pp3 with just the index finger you will get throw-away, a flip. The right forearm Flying Wedge and the pivot drives pp3- not active hands.

.

Absolutely - after watching the guys on the range at a Nationwide event, even very good players have this problem - in large part due to poor/improper right forearm and right wrist alignments.

Chapter 5 is critical to understand. I wish it included down the line photos. See 9-2-1 #2 and 9-2-2 #2.

Proper alignments really, really help prevent a lot of in swing compensations, and the most common I saw out on the Nationwide was very poor right forearm positions - a few so extremely off I was amazed that they could play at such a high level.

I would say the majority very clearly have the right forearm way too high at address and a right wrist that is cocked, rather than level. I saw one example of a player who combined a very high right forearm and shoulder with an extreme bend from the hips and 'low hands' - a recipe for inconsistent shots (which this player had a lot of as I watched), and a lot of pulls/pushes and thin/fat shots.

[12 piece bucket]

I think I understand where pp3 is located and feeling I should be nursing in the downswing ("forward" as Hogan demonstrates in the everpopular Hogan Home Video: incredibly enlightening) but here's a question: what about the pressure felt in the index finger tip of the right hand curling around the shaft in the classic trigger finger position. I feel pressure all "around" that finger especially on the front of the shaft where the very tip of my finger meets the shaft: it's active and sometimes I wonder where my pp3 is like in startup I can hardly feel it but feel more pressure in the tip of my finger.
Is this a matter of style or would it be better for my long term development of dynamics if I held my trigger more lightly and focused more on developing pp3?

Woody

Woody . . . you are not far off in your sensation of the finger tip of the right forefinger. Mr. Kelley said in the backstroke the pressure points are essentially reversed and sensed in the finger tips. Makes sense if you think about it from the stand point of sensing inertia. The clubhead (or sweetspot) is essentially at rest (inert) at address and thus resists motion. When the club is STILL you are sensing the shaft. But once that bad boy is put in motion you are sensing the SWEETSPOT and in the backstroke you sense the sweet spot in your FINGER TIPS according to Mr. Kelley. Now . . . the other thing he said was this . . . you need to have enough grip pressure to LOCATE #3 so you know where it is at all times, including the address and backstroke. That doesn't mean a huge amount of grip pressure but enough to know where it is. Mr. Kelley said that he could have a firm grip and still have "loose" wrists.

Now for your last statement . . . yes. You should definitely "develop #3" or better yet develop a sensitivity to monitoring #3. Its message is a subtle one. I know I'm like a broken record on this but lag pressure is measured in OUNCES not pounds. Therefore you must "fine tune your ear" to get the message of #3. Best way is to swing with your eyes closed. Another good way is to hit balls with your right thumb and right forefinger finger tip off the club where just the meaty part between the first and second joint of the finger is on the grip. You will sense the inertia that way.

Another thing with regards to developing sensitivity to #3 (and all pressure points) is overloading and over acceleration. This is particularly the case when using a snap release.

Just as a sweep release requires high hand speed, the snap release requires low hand speed. Your snap release is generated by the endless belt having a small pulley wheel. You are driving your hands (or dragging) in a straight line. Once the club encounters the pulley portion of the belt mechanism it SLINGS out as a result of changing from linear motion to angular motion (circular). This is the mechanical advantage of the endless belt . . . the change from linear motion to circular motion increases the surface speed of the clubhead WITHOUT increasing belt speed.

So how is this related to pressure points? Well your hands are the belt. And the speed of is metered out via pressure point pressure. Increase pressure . . . increase SPEED. BUT you can bust up the mechanical advantage of the endless belt by TOO MUCH PRESSURE. With a snap release you move your hands at a LOWER RATE OF SPEED . . . otherwise over-accelerate, over-load and CF will throwout TOO EARLY . . . say bye bye to your alignments, your flat left wrist and rhythm. Slow down steady as she goes move those hands at a even pace in a STRAIGHT LINE . . . allow the mechanical advantage of the belt to work for you. Be very conscious of how much loading #3 can take to give you the best result . . . my bet is less is more.

[birdie chance]

You know what Bucket your post made me examine my grip and think that I might experiment with grip pressure in my right hand. I may be holding it with not enough pressure to feel the pp3 yet while keeping wrists soft. firming up my grip a little may help...

Woody

[birdie chance]

Just wanted to revisit my thread here.
I made a slight adjustment to my grip today, just sliding my rh grip down a little (so it was riding lower on my lh thumb but still in the "cup") and voila there was my pp#3 like for the very first time. My hands were like: HELLO!!
What a feeling boys!

Wanted to share this with any beginners to golf/G.O.L.F. out there because the grip is so important and maybe this might help someone else. We all have different sized hands/palms/fingers and grips and slight adjustments can uncover alignments much needed. Super excited about the potential this will have for my stroke because I saw improvement immediately and my lag awareness is incredibly better now.

Cheers.

Woody
reporting from the range at Mosholu G.C., Bronx, NY