Left hand low ... anybody tried it ?

[inthehole]

After watching Furyk - I got interested in left hand low putting technique.     I've been working on it lately & the big advantage seems to be the smoothness of the take-away - way better than the traditional grip for me & it just seems to line up better to my eye.     Downside is lack of distance control with lag putts - I think that will come with time & practice.      Just curious if any others have given it a serious shot & maybe still use the technique ?   Also curious if there are any inherent disadvantages to it ... thanks.

[zipazoid]

I do it all the time.

I'm left-handed.

[Andrew Gibson]

Not that I am a great putter, I am not. I need to practice, I don't... But I put left hand low and have been for 10 years... it is second nature. lag control will come fairly quickly. I think left hand low helps eliminate wrist action in the stroke and as a result you have to learn to have a longer swing on those longer puts to get the ball to the hole... you know the whole pendulum thing.

basically right now my grip has my index fingers pointing loosely down the grip, I'm focusing on lite grip pressure. I have even experimented with keeping the grip against my left wrist and forearm, but had no feel...

Padraig Harrington puts left hand low.

[lumpuckeroo]

I've been putting left hand low for 10-15 years.  I have a couple of theories on why I'm a fan/supporter/adopter of left hand low.  First, with the left hand low, it extends the left arm and takes out 2 points of failure in the stroke, the left wrist and left elbow.  Second, it squares you up to the line better, so I feel you get the ball rolling on line more consistently.  Third, a simple rock of the shoulders and you have completed a stroke, so you use big muscles to more the putter and make a more consistent stroke.

Of course these are just my opinions, but I would suggest to anyone to give it a try if you struggle with alignment or the yips.  Also, once adopting this grip and seeing just how well I have putted over the years, I have several friends that have also make the switch.

[moparman426]

Originally Posted by lumpuckeroo

I've been putting left hand low for 10-15 years.  I have a couple of theories on why I'm a fan/supporter/adopter of left hand low.  First, with the left hand low, it extends the left arm and takes out 2 points of failure in the stroke, the left wrist and left elbow.  Second, it squares you up to the line better, so I feel you get the ball rolling on line more consistently.  Third, a simple rock of the shoulders and you have completed a stroke, so you use big muscles to more the putter and make a more consistent stroke.

Of course these are just my opinions, but I would suggest to anyone to give it a try if you struggle with alignment or the yips.  Also, once adopting this grip and seeing just how well I have putted over the years, I have several friends that have also make the switch.

I too, putt left hand low, pretty much for the exact same reasons listed above.  Especially with the rocking of the shoulders to complete the stroke.  I am pretty tall, 6ft 4in, and have my putter chopped down to around 32".  Left hand low allows me to keep my lead arm straight and just rotate around my spine.  It has really helped me with lag putting, as I can usually keep my misses within 18" or so, and was a very easy adjustment.  I don't know if being ambidextrous (started life as a lefty) has anything to do with it, but it works for me.

Forgot to mention... I prefer a straight back, straight through putting stroke.

[zipazoid]

In all seriousness, I did try left (right for me) hand low about 10 years ago, when I was in my early 40s & had developed a twitch in my stroke. My experimentation with it did not have good results. First off, it just did not 'feel' right. I think it had to do with how switching hands changed my body's setup - the shoulders became more level, my left arm (right-hander's right arm) got folded in more...it just felt weird, and I'm a firm believer in feeling as comfortable as possible in your stroke - no tension.

So I went back to the 'traditional' method of hand placement on the club & tried to do something with my twitchy hand. That introduced different methods of placing the hand on the club - saw grip, etc. What I finally found was holding the club like you would a pencil. Try it - hold a pencil in your right hand (if you're right-handed). Doesn't that feel natural? Now hold the putter the same way. What I found was my hand can twitch all it wants with that style of grip & it wouldn't affect the stroke. Eureka!

[Sticky]

I've been putting cross-handed since the 90s

[TourSpoon]

Left hand low is the only way to go...

I switched last May and immediately saw an improvement in making those small ones. The first day I made 25 3 footers in a row and soon after used an alignment stick doing a drill and made 126 in a row (my personal record). I ending up switching to a belly putter and still do the left hand low. When I feel the right hand only, I tend to be a more accurate putter and LHL helps me with that.

[WUTiger]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gibson

... I think left hand low helps eliminate wrist action in the stroke and as a result you have to learn to have a longer swing on those longer puts to get the ball to the hole... you know the whole pendulum thing. ...

I've been putting left-hand-low for more than 10 years, for the above reason.

I was having distance problems beyond 30 feet, and the change got things under control.

I tried some left-hand-high a few weeks ago, and noticed that the right hand was a lot more active. Worked well inside 15 feet, but got shaky beyond that.