Michelle Wie drenched with champagne after holing the winning putt during the final round of the 69th U.S. Women’s Open
Sometimes our game can be great off the tee, on the fairway, and around the green. However, a few rounds of too many three-putts and short misses can massively affect our all-round game, our score, and most importantly, our enjoyment of the game.
If your putting is ruining your round, then it is time to try a new grip. This is not a risky strategy if your put is ruining your round as a change of grip will take your mind away from negativity and frustration as your mind will be focussed purely in your grip technique.
Here at Back To Basics Golf, we recommend starting with the most common grip you don’t already use and working your way down the list until you find the one that works for you.
Your putting grip needs to be comfortable and inspire confidence, but most importantly, it must improve your current technique.
Ideally, we should have our putting grip sorted ahead of a round, but, as all golfers know, this beautiful game doesn’t work like that.
As around 40% of our shots during a round will be putts, it is vital to pay close attention to this part of our game. Even one of the best universities in the world, Stanford, treats putting in golf as a science so if the boffins are researching it then so should you.
1. Conventional Reverse Overlap Grip
Embed from Getty ImagesThe traditional, reverse overlap golf grip is the most common one on tour. It’s a slight change to the grip you use for your full swing, and it helps the hands work together with less wrist bending.
- Left hand Low Grip
The left hand low cross-handed grip is nowehre near as popular as the conventional grip, but it is still the second most common on tour. It puts the dominant hand in a position where it can help power the club without touching the clubface. If you play with your left hand, this would be right hand low. It also makes the shoulders more level at address, which can help keep the putter close to the ground during the stroke.
- Six people play The Claw
The third most used grip on tour is the Claw. It takes the dominant hand almost completely off the club, so it can’t accidentally close the putterface, and its only purpose is to make the club more stable.
- Arm Lock
Most golfers use a traditional grip, in which the putter’s shaft rests against the lead forearm. This helps the arm and putter move as one.
- Lock arm with a claw
When you combine the claw with the arm lock, the stroke is very focused on the lead side, and the trail arm is almost completely taken out of the stroke.
- The broom
In the past few years, the broomstick method has become less and less popular, and since the anchor ban, it has been almost completely phased out.
Most golfers use a traditional grip, in which the putter’s shaft rests against the lead forearm. This helps the arm and putter move as one.