Putting...

[Robert]

Hey guys, been a while since I have posted. I've been playing a lot recently and shooting good scores, but not great scores, and my putter is letting me down. I've tried the claw, reverse grip, and it seems nothing works. Anybody have any tips/ideas?

[Witmaster]

Well... I don't have the answer but I can strongly recommend NOT calibrating it against the side of a tree. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it didn't quite work out like I had hoped.

[SiberianDVM]

I can strongly recommend NOT calibrating it against the side of a tree.

Seems to be a lot of putter abuse going around lately. I'm planning on playing tomorrow, and if I putt like others on this board, I may turn mine into a pretzel.

[Highdraw34]

I was having the same problem you were, I mean I was four putting once a round and missing the short stuff. I was really, really frustrated. Then someone here posted a link for the Golf Digest on the Quiet Eye. Hands down it has been the best improvement my game has ever had. I had 29 putts today. I've only been using it for about a week but I think the improvement is here to stay. I don't have the link saved on this computer but I strongly strongly recommend that you find it and use it. In fact I emplore you. It will change your putting game forever.

[Matthew_22]

I'd also recommend that Quiet Eye article. Just check out the swing tips section.

Just another thing, the less you complicate your putting, the better it will be. Just try and choose you line (and stick to it) then walk up, apply the quiet eye and hit.

[dave.]

I've had a lesson and the pro recommended a chnage of putter to a centre shafted half mallet,heel toe balanced,he said it would suit my stroke.

[trob]

you also have to remember this when changing anything you do...you have to do it long enough for it to become second nature befor you really know if it's a change for the better. During my pool playing days I made several stroke changes that I knew in the long run were for the better but at first it may cause you to play a little worse just because your thinking about how your holding your club more then puting that little ball in the hole.

[Eracer]

I've been working hard on my putting grip lately, and have made a major change that I think can help anyone putt better.


Note - I personally prefer to place my left index finger down the shaft, letting the last two fingers of my right hand rest on top of it. I have a "reverse" reverse-overlap grip. But it shouldn't matter what grip style you use - it's about feeling the putter "balanced" instead of "grasped".


I've always gripped the putter with the same pressure that I grip my other clubs. Why? We're told to "swing the triangle with our shoulders", and "keep your wrists firm". Well, the only way to do that is with a firm grasping of the putter grip. I don't care if you use a reverse-overlap, claw, left-hand low, whatever - most of us hold the putter with firm wrists (at least the left wrist). And the only way you can get firm wrists is by holding the putter with some degree of pressure.

I've changed that. What I focus on now is balancing the putter in my hands.

Here's what I do: my left hand has the end of the grip centered in the hand such that the grip end is running right up the middle of my wrist. I want the grip in the palm.

The thumb pad is on top of the grip, with the thumb running straight down the shaft.

Now here's the balance part. I crook the first knuckle of the middle finger under that shaft, such that I can lift the putter slightly off the ground with only my thumb and middle finger holding it. This is the balancing I spoke of. The other fingers of my left gently wrap around the shaft, with very little pressure .

Now I place the first knuckle of my right middle finger under the shaft, adding it to the support structure. Note that I am not really gripping the club yet - I am merely balancing it on the knuckles of my middle fingers. The grip runs up my palm, agian to the center of my wrist. My right thumb pad goes on top of the shaft, with my right thumb directly down the shaft. Again, the other fingers in my right hand just gently close around the grip. At this point I'm trying to feel that the club is captured mostly between my middle fingers and my thumb pads.

Now I apply just enough pressure with both thumbs to stabilize the club. You will find that when you press your thumbs (lightly) down onto the top of the shaft, you will feel your hands press towards each other, and everything will lock into place, even though you are not using your fingers to "grab" the club.

I find that the clubhead releases almost automatically when I grip like this. The grip pressue is so light that you may feel like you will lose control of the club. Not so. The balance points you created by carefully positioning the grip in your knuckles, together with the thumb pad pressure will provide a very stable grip. During the stroke, I try to feel pressure only in my thumbs, and the pads at the base of my index fingers. This provides a tremendous amount of feel.

[dave.]

And yet there are players who putt like angels without thing about all that stuff,they just do it.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by dave.

And yet there are players who putt like angels without thing about all that stuff,they just do it.

You are correct - to a degree. Every time one takes a club in one's hand; every time one looks from the ball to the hole; every time one makes a stroke, one is thinking. Is it all conscious thought? Quantified and intentional? Or is the thought process mostly subconscious? Or a blend of both? I would argue that it is always a blend, no matter how one "feels".

Different people integrate and process sensory information differently. Some are more instinctive, while some need to lay down a bio-mechanical "roadmap" if you will. One method is not better than another. My post is about a method that I am using improve my game, in response to a question from someone who wants to improve theirs. If that person was an "angel", successful at purely instinctual putting, they wouldn't be asking the question. I only hope that if someone were to try to do what I suggest, that they try it with an open mind. Discard it if it doesn't help. And enjoy better golf if it does help.

[ualtim]

Originally Posted by dave.

I've had a lesson and the pro recommended a chnage of putter to a centre shafted half mallet,heel toe balanced,he said it would suit my stroke.

Kind of necessary now, Dave, since you "calibrated" your old one.