Thumbs Down method - The solution

THE SOLUTION

For amateurs, designed by a fellow amateur

THUMBS DOWN® Golf Instruction Made Simple was designed by ME, a fellow amateur, as I desperately searched for a way to square the club at impact. During the 1994 off-season I viewed a tip that promoted the wrists as a source of power. I suddenly realized how little I used my wrists and hands when striking the ball. This was because when I learned, the popular tip said that you strike the ball with the left side, the right side goes along for the ride AND the hands stay quiet. For several months I experimented by adding wrist action and noticed a cleaner hit with every club, but with inconsistent results.

In 1995, after experimenting most of the season one afternoon while chipping around the practice green into a bunker about 20 yards away the first two balls I hit jumped off my wedge and flew over the top of the bunker. I stood there stunned. Both shots felt like I hit them as clean and solid as was possible, a feeling very foreign to me lately. Over the past few seasons my iron play had hit rock bottom, so hitting them this solidly was a pleasant surprise to say the least.

I named my method Thumbs Down because that was the motion I saw my hands make while striking the ball. Thumbs Down gave me confidence plus it could easily be repeated on demand. Finally, I had a simple method which squared the club and also provided an effective way to practice.

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