Expert: Warren Friedl, Pro Shop Owner/Operator, - 5/8/2009

Question
I had all my balls drilled with 2 finger holes, and later added the pinkie.  I also change to slightly forward thumb pitch.  My thumb has built up a huge calous on the knuckle.  Is the span that is correct for two-finger drilling is actually too large for 3-finger?  Or is it the pitch that's doing this to me?  Or both?
I was thinking I would shorten the span 1/4 inch and ditch the forward pitch to allow me to stop gripping....

Answer
Roger,
Ball fit is a combo of span, pitches and hole sizes (Is your hand flat on the ball?). The size of the holes and their angles will help the ball hold onto you (and let go of you at the proper time).

Not knowing why you added the pinkie holes, if they changed the orientation of your hand on the ball, they could cause a problem. The simplest way to explain pinkie fit, is drill what you see (or measure a relaxed span with the other fingers in the ball, lay the pinkie out flat, mark where the crease falls on the ball and drill slightly short of that point, with an eye to flexibility).

Without knowing any specific information about your fit, forward pitch in the thumb, with NO OTHER CHANGES, should help you hold onto the ball easier - with less grip pressure. So, if you are gripping, resulting in the callus, your span could be too short, or too long (Is your hand flat on the ball?).  

Bending the thumb in the ball is pushing the knuckle back against the back of the thumb hole. A loose thumb hole also leads to the problem you are experiencing, is that an issue?

What was your span before you tried the new thumb angle? Multiple changes don't often provide the right answer, but can potentially provide relief. Please provide more information, like your fit. We can figure out what's going on.  Thanks for the questions.