Quote:
Originally Posted by dagolfdoc
Hey guys - I've been on the road for the past 6 days & haven't had a chance to reply to some questions I had via PM - my apologies. Hopefully, I can get most answered tonight!
One question was regarding putting grips - there are many types of grips: traditional, cross-handed, claw, saw, etc. I'll touch on traditional.
I personally prefer the grip to match the players body type - if you take your take your normal putting grip & take your bottom hand off the club (right hand for a rh player) then flatten your left wrist, take a look at the face - is it square? For most players I see, when they flatten the wrist, the face is open - if this is the case, you'll want to turn your left hand clockwise until the back of the left wrist and the face match. A good starting point would be putting your left thumb on the right corner of the grip - this will allow you to square the face without any manipulation. You'll then want to put your right hand on the club so it matches the left hand (it will probably feel very much "under" the club and it may feel like the palm is facing more skyward). The first few putts will feel pretty awkward, but after 10-20 putts, you'll notice a more consistent roll & the balls will be starting on line much better. This isn't a one-size-fits-all grip, but it's definitely a good start if you're searching for a consistent grip. If you can find a video of Brad Faxon putting, his hands sit like this on the putter. I have some great video of him, but don't have it on this computer - I'll try to post them this week. Once again -not everyone putts like this, so I don't want anyone to think I'm saying this is the ONLY way to do it - just a good starting point for anyone who's struggling with the putter. One thing I do like to see in all putter grips is that the shaft and the forearms are in line (when looking down the line) - if your putter grip is proper - the shaft will blend perfectly in line with the forearms, and in most great putters, the forearms and the thighs are parallel.
Another question I received was about using one club or several around the green. I might have touched on this in another thread, but I prefer to learn to hit multiple shots with one club as opposed to using several. I grew up using several different clubs around the green, and I found, at least for me, that it lead to too much confusion when I was decided which club to use. Once I went to primarily one club (I use 58* for 95% of my shots around the green & use my 54* for longer, running shots) I had more confidence & commitment to the shots, in addition to making practice easier since I only had to use 1 club around the green. Lot's of great players have used multiple clubs, and in certain situations I'll still use a hybrid or 7-iron to chip, but overall I prefer learning get really good with 1-club instead of being mediocre with several. For a player who might be struggling with club selection, starting with one club around the greens is a probably an easy & effective way to simplify & improve.
I've been struggling with putting lately and remembered this thread from ages ago (I actually posted in it in 2016!) Was going to start doing this routine again, since my post suggests it really helped me 8 years ago.
I just read the info above about putting grips and it really clicked with me. I feel like often by wrist slightly bows or straightens during the putting stroke, especially on longer puts, and that would open or shut the putter face. Using the grip tip above the putter face stays straight regardless. Working great on my putting mat, I'm excited to take it to the practice green (once it recovers from aeration)
