Putting Grip Styles In Golf – What Are They And What’s Best For You?

Putting Grip Styles In Golf – What Are They And What’s Best For You?

The Importance of the Golf Putting Grip Style

A great putting grip is essential for success on the green.

It is the foundation of every great putt and often the difference between a good or bad day on the course.

More golfers should be concerned about the importance of a good grip and the impact it can have on your score.

In this blog, the fundamentals of the putting grip will be discussed, as well as how it can help improve your game.

Different grip options will be explored, as well as advice on how to develop the right grip for you.

What is a Traditional Putting Grip?

The traditional putting grip is, for right handers, right hand below left.

With an overlap, similar to the “Vardon grip”, this allows the hands to work together in harmony throughout the stroke.

It is important to ensure the grip is not too tight or too loose, as this can affect the accuracy of the stroke.

Additionally, it is important to keep the arms and hands relaxed throughout the stroke to ensure a smooth, consistent putt.

Sam Snead once famously said, “grip the club as if you were holding a baby bird” about grip pressure in golf. This is a good philosophy to take onto the green too.

Pros of the Grip

First of all, this is as standard as it comes and there is merit in that.

All coaches know this technique well and so will be able to help you. There is also some merit in the fact that this is a grip that has passed the test of time.

Technically, this grip will help you reduce wrist action and can also improve your technique. I

t is repeatable and the simplicity of it has to be celebrated. Sometimes if it ain’t broke then don’t fix it.

Cons of the Grip

Some find that this grip can leave players squeezing the handle with a little too much pressure.

The right hand below left also puts your shoulders in a tilted position which some say can lead to inconsistencies.

Many golfers ditch this grip when things go wrong. The grip is one of the first things that will be changed and so it can get the blame for poor performances.

Pros That Use It

Tiger Woods has a very classic putting grip, to the point he even used a very old Ping grip on his Scotty Cameron until recently.

Rory McIlroy is also a fan of the classic putting grip, we will go into more detail on Rory later.

Ben Crenshaw, widely regarded as one of the best putters of all time used the classic grip.

Needless to say, more pros use this grip than don’t even many LIV Golf golfers who clearly like to break from tradition!

Who Else Should Use It?

Most golfers should be using this grip. People who are just starting out should definitely be using it as it can help you build your foundational technique.

This is a grip that shouldn’t really be moved away from unless you are desperate.

When to Deviate

If things just aren’t working on the green then you may want to consider a change.

One thing that all good putters have is a belief that they will hole a lot of putts. If you are lacking confidence on the greens then it’s time to think.

It is important that if you are going to change you speak to a coach. Your local pro can help you choose a grip that should suit you best and help you regain that vital confidence.

Other Grip Styles

There are many grip options out there and it is important to have a coach help you with any change.

It is worth noting that I write these descriptions as a right-hander and so they are in that orientation. If you’re a leftie then it’s the opposite.

Cack-handed

One of the most alternative other grips is left hadn’t below right or cack-handed.

This is just the traditional grip but with the hands swapped, it feels very odd at first but it is one of the easiest alternatives.

Benefits

One of the main benefits of this grip is that it puts your shoulders into more horizontal alignment which can help with consistency.

I also find that it helps significantly on feel for long putts, once you’re used to it.

Disadvantages

The only real one is that it can take a few outings to feel natural. As a right-handed golfer, my hands are never this way round so it just feels very alien at first.

What Pros Use It

Jordan Spieth is an advocate of this grip and he is one of the best putters of our generation. Padraig Harrington is also a long term devotee of the cack-handed grip.

Who Else Should Use It

If you like the traditional grip but have lost confidence in it, this could be a small change that can help revive your swagger.

The Claw

One of the most unorthodox grips of recent years, the claw gained attention due to how different it looks.

This involves your left hand acting normal then your right hand actually holding the putter in a claw-like fashion.

Think of this as the putting grip equivalent of the mullet. Business at the top and party down below.

Anyway, your right forearm almost ends up parallel to the putting surface in this position.

Benefits

One of the main benefits of the claw is that you can be more aware of what the putter face is doing through the stroke.

It can also potentially give you more fine control of this. It is about pushing the face through to be square at impact.

Disadvantages

The claw can be great for short puts but can make it difficult at range. The awkward body position can make it difficult to use a pendulum technique efficiently.

What Pros Use It

This grip has been used by golfers such as Mark Calcavecchia, Sergio Garcia and Collin Morikawa in more recent years.

Who Else Should Use It

This is a fairly major change so should only really be used by those in dire putting straits.

What’s the Best Putting Style for Bad Putters?

Let’s break this down by putting woe. We will have a look at various ailments and the potential grip remedy for it.

Again, it is really important to have a coach help you through this process, maybe a grip change is unnecessary.

Best Putting Grip for Short Putts

If you are struggling on the shorter putts, which can be very frustrating, then the cack-handed grip should help.

Swapping your hands puts your body in a more neutral position and can help you use your big muscles for more consistency.

There is something about the feeling of being cack-handed that can help you with keeping the putter face square.

Your dominant hand is less involved and can just control the pace rather than the face, this can have huge benefits.

Best Putting Grip for Yips

The yips are a rightly feared condition that can plague your golf.

In all honesty, a putting grip is not the remedy for the yips, it is a mental block that needs to be address. The claw may give you some respite but that is a quick fix.

To those that have been affected by the yips, you need to start practice your putting to very large targets.

Rebuild your confidence slowly and it will be ok. If you tinker with technique then you aren’t really addressing the root cause.

Best Putting Grip for Small Hands

One things that can help here is to bring in a “trigger finger” on your low hand.

This will increase your contact area on your grip and can give you the feeling of more control. This is a very slight modification on the traditional grip.

Creating a larger surface area on the club can give you the feeling of more security.

This, in turn, may lead to less grip pressure which will make everything work better. If you miss a lot to the left then this could be your issue.

Best Putting Grip for Seniors

If your hands are a struggling a little with arthritis or other joyous products of a life well-lived, a small grip change can help.

Here, the traditional grip is your best bet but changing to a thicker grip like a SuperStroke can give you more control.

Best Putting Grip for Distance Control

As already mentioned, at long range, I have always found the cack-handed grip to be the most effective.

On longer strokes it will feel the most odd at first but it is really worth working through that alien feeling for the reward of more holed putts.

Does it Matter How Thick Your Putter is?

Instead of changing your gripping technique, changing the actual grip can be a great option if you’re struggling on the greens.

One of the things that your putter grip can change the fastest is your grip pressure.

If you tend to miss a lot of putts left it can be because you are squeezing too tightly.

A thicker grip can also help you reduce the amount that your wrists are contributing to your stroke and help you build consistency.

Does it Matter What Style of Putter You Have?

Like grip thickness, the style of your putter can help you remedy various putting ailments and can be a beneficial change.

Relatively to drivers, putters are great value and given they are the club you use most, it can be worth investing more.

Many, I’d guess most golfers, opt not to get a custom fit putter which is a mistake.

Putting is about confidence, it is a huge factor in your performance. Why not build that confidence by knowing you have the correct putter.

A mallet putter tends to also help those who struggle from short distance.

Something with a large head can help people with the yips from a visual point of view too. Get the once over and let the science choose your wand.

What Putting Grip Does Tiger Woods Use?

Before I get into this one, I am a huge Tiger Woods fan so I apologise for going over the top here in advance.

Tiger Woods is a traditionalist. He has used the same grip for his whole career and you must say it has served him well.

Since Tiger won the Masters in 1997 his iconic Scotty Cameron “Checkerboard”, he has used an old Ping putting grip.

This shows you the level at which he likes things to remain unchanged and traditional.

What is Collin Morikawa’s Putting Grip?

Collin Morikawa is an advocate of the claw grip. You can see that this grip gives him nicely level shoulders at address.

The top hand is guiding the clubface and holding it square whilst the bottom hand pushes the putter through the ball.

Morikawa is probably one of the most successful putters of recent times who uses this grip.

It is one that never strikes me as someone who is confident, but I’m certain he’d take my money in a putting contest so it’s all good.

What is Jordan Spieth’s Putting Grip?

For those who have seen it, it is hard not to be blown away by some of the putting performances from Spieth.

Jordan uses a cack-handed grip and is probably responsible for the majority of young golfers who try this.

I, for one, used a cack-handed grip for many years after watching Spieth drain putt after putt at Augusta.

Interestingly, I also dabble with it when Padraig Harrington was winning major after major.

Spieth has used the cack-handed grip for almost his entire golfing life and for as long as he’s been on the scene as a pro. He is absolutely the poster child for using this grip.

What is Rory McIlroy’s Putting Grip?

Like Tiger, Rory is another golfer from the traditionalist book. McIlroy has been putting better than ever in the last season or two and, as his wins attest, it is working for him.

He has gone through tough times with his putter.

Rory may be one of the best examples of how a putting coach can help you.

He has regained his confidence on the greens and he is winning again as a result. McIlroy is back to his best and it is fantastic to witness.

How Can I Gain More Confidence in my Putting?

Confidence is essential for good putting. This confidence can be fragile.

If you are struggling on the greens, it doesn’t take long for your confidence to take a hit and it can bleed into your whole game. How can you fix this?

Find Your Flow

When I was struggling with my putting this one really helped me. It is best done with a partner on a putting green.

Find two holes around 8-10 feet from one another and take 3 balls each. Now it gets fun.

You are trying to hole putts, 1 point per holed putt, and you are racing to 10 points for the win.

The point here is that you detach yourself from the task as you are focussed on firing putts quickly to get to 10.

It works because you stop overanalysing and just let it go. Then you need to work on getting that feel over proper putts.

Make it Easy

One remedy is to lay a club out in front of the hole and hit putts with the aim of hitting the shaft.

That is it. The idea here is that even if you are struggling horribly then you will be able to do this task.

From here you just want to reduce the size of the target slowly until you’re back sinking putts again.

This one can take time but when you are desperate then time is a worthy investment to get back to putting well.

Watch More Go In

This one is so simple that it is ridiculous, it is also effective.

Given that confidence is a vital ingredient, you need to hole more putts to feel good again. Get to the practice green and drop a ball at tap in distance, tap it in.

Move slightly further out and start rolling them in. Many of the top tour golfers make sure to hole a 3 foot putt before teeing it up in competition as they want the last image in their mind to be a holed putt.

Try it yourself.

Conclusion

Two books have helped me with my putting greatly, “Putting is not a Game of Perfect” by Bob Rotella, and “The Lost Art of Putting” by Karl Morris and Gary Nicol.

Both books talk about freeing yourself up when you are putting.

This is the key here. If you are struggling to put then you are either thinking too much or you need to learn better.

With that in mind, get practicing and get a putting coach. If you do you will be amazed at how quickly you start scoring.