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Describe Your Putter Grip

iacas

By iacas,
in Instruction and Playing Tips

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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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I'm reading Stan Utley's "The Art of Putting" right now and he recommends a reverse overlap grip. I've always used a standard interlocking grip - the same grip I use on my driver and every other club. I think part of the reason may be my pinky fingers (see below).

When I try to do a standard reverse overlap, my right pinky finger wants to lay more on top of my right ring finger than on the grip of the putter. It's uncomfortable and awkwrad. A reverse overlap cures that for me. My thumbs still point straight down the shaft, and I still grip the club very much in the finger tips. I've never had problems being too wristy (or wristy at all), and I have a good feel for distance on putts of any length. It works for me.


My pinky fingers are permanently "bent." They are this way because the second bone in my pinky fingers is not quite fully formed (nor will it ever be). Because of this, the last little bone in my pinky fingers "leans" to the side.

I'm just curious how other people grip the putter. Describe your putting grip.

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
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gas_can Dedicated Member

gas_can

iacas,

Stan's grip helped me immensely with distance control and feel.

One of the things he mentioned to me is the key is getting the putter running through your life lines in your palm. The exact opposite of the full swing. Having the grip run through your palm leads to much better control and feel.

Stan's grip is almost like a split grip, both your palms have full contact with the grip and it really aids in feeling the putter throughout the stroke.
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ragontona Dedicated Member

ragontona

I'm just curious how other people grip the putter. Describe your putting grip.

I guess it's a reverse overlap?

Pay no attention to the Trion-Z that never leaves my wrist.

"I played like shit." -Greg Norman after the '96 Masters.

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gas_can Dedicated Member

gas_can

I guess it's a reverse overlap?

ragontona,

Can you do me a favor, and take a picture of your grip from the head on view, staring at your left side. There's a point I'd like to make and your picture will illustrate it perfectly. Thanks.
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ragontona Dedicated Member

ragontona

I think I've changed it three times this year. I'm back to an interlock grip and it feels good.

Haven't changed my grip in over ten years. I've tried things, but none of them ever felt good. My putting problems usually stem from my lower body moving weight around during my stroke. Sometimes I develop a little Billy Mayfair cut stroke too, but I can usually reign that in once I realize what I'm doing.

"I played like shit." -Greg Norman after the '96 Masters.

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Xt1ncT Well Established Member

Xt1ncT

I thought it was a reverse overlap - but probably not...!!!

Mine is kind of a play on the overlapping vardon grip. I have 3 fingers of my left hand on the grip, my right pinky overlaps my ring finger and middle finger, both thumbs point down the centre of the shaft and my left forefinger lies over my right hands fingers pointing down the side of the shat..!!!

Now I've even confused myself...!!!!
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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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Stan's grip helped me immensely with distance control and feel.

That's great. I've asked you to describe your putting grip, not comment on mine or ragontona's.

One of the things he mentioned to me is the key is getting the putter running through your life lines in your palm. The exact opposite of the full swing. Having the grip run through your palm leads to much better control and feel.

I putt pretty well, and I am

not interested in changing my grip. Had I been, I'd have said so. Let's stick to topic, please.
Stan's grip is almost like a split grip, both your palms have full contact with the grip and it really aids in feeling the putter throughout the stroke.

And I'm sure it works well for Stan. Now, again, back the the topic at hand, please.

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • Author, Lowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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gas_can Dedicated Member

gas_can

That's great. I've asked you to describe your putting grip, not comment on mine or ragontona's.

iacas,

Perhaps you should reread my post? You're quite a fan of not drawing conclusions right? At what point did you conclude that I was adovcating you changing grips? Because when I re-read my post, I just told you why Stan advocated I adopt his grip! I noticed that you're reading Stan's book, and pointed out that his grip fit my putting stroke very well. At no point did I comment on either yours or Ragotona's grips, I'm not really sure where you got that from? Perhaps my use of the pronoun "your" was taken too specifically. Calm down a bit, you seem to take things far too personally. EDIT - I'd also like to add, what's the point of having a golf forum if we aren't allowed to discuss things? I'd love it if somone commented on my putting grip and could come up with a better way for me to putt or at least try. If we all talk about the why's of our putting grips perhaps we can learn from eachother and learn how to putt better. If my first post was honestly that off topic, I apologize, but I honestly did not think it was.
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chingali Well Established Member

chingali

My grip is very similar to ragontona's with the exception that my left forefinger is a bit more to the front when viewd from head on, more perpendicular to the shaft may be a better way of describing it. I have been holding the putter like this for over 20 years.
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gas_can Dedicated Member

gas_can

Kinda like this?

ragontona,

Thank you very much for posting that picture. It is greatly appreciated. I hope you didn't take my comments personally at all. For anyone interested, the reason why Stan advocates keeping the grip in the lifelines is because it puts the shaft in lline with your forearms, which helps keep the club on plane. In the picture above, you can see that keeping the club in the fingers lets the shaft sit a little flatter than the arms plane. If you're interested in the Utley stroke, I'd strongly advocate giving that a try, it makes a big difference in the path of the putter. For those not interested, I apologize for wasting 15 seconds of your life.
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BigAl5150 Dedicated Member

BigAl5150

Does crappy grip count?

Just like my regular swing, I still use a baseball style grip (very little if any overlap). I just picked up The Art of Putting as well so (seems to be a trend on the forum ) it may change.

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xy31 Newbie

xy31

First of all: Freaky fingers!!! j/k

Way back, when the pro of my club taught me how to hold a putter he told me that an interlocking grip is too strong to hold a putter. So my middle finger of my left hand lies over the pinky of my right and the index finger of my left lies over the ring finger of my right. Other than that it looks pretty much the same as my standart grip.

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prutkows Dedicated Member

prutkows

i also use a reverse overlap.

im not really sure how to describe it, but i also separate my right index finger about an inch from my right middle finger (im right handed)

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ragontona Dedicated Member

ragontona

ragontona,

None taken. Appreciate any analysis.

Didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest by posting my grip... I just wasn't sure how to describe it, so I figured I'd just show it.

"I played like shit." -Greg Norman after the '96 Masters.

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iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

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Didn't mean to stir up a hornet's nest by posting my grip... I just wasn't sure how to describe it, so I figured I'd just show it.

A picture is worth a thousand words. No problems posting pictures to describe your grip. Probably does a better job than most of us will do with words.

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • Author, Lowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

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SuaSponteMn Dedicated Member

SuaSponteMn

I'm a crosshanded putter, top thumb rides on top of the bottom
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