Left hand low

[Glh]

I am approaching 70.  About 40 years ago I changed to left hand low for putting (inside 50 ft).  My issue with the normal grip was that I  seemed to take the putter back "open" like an iron shot...which meant I had to get it back to square to hit the putt.  That seems to add one more variable to putting the ball.  Plus, my feelings was "automatic"...meaning I was taking the putter back subconsciously.  By putting the left hand low, surprisingly I had to consciously had to move it back and keep it square.  Significant difference in scoring.  Btw....I stayed between a 2 and 5 until age 64.   Now a nine.

[jkelley9]

Pretty cool. The most experience I have had with left hand low was that week Rory switched to it copying Jordan and when I was on the practice green that weekend I said "let's give it a whirl!" tried it once and said "well that felt like crap" and that was the end of it lol. I'm not knocking it, I just haven't actually been taught how to do it correctly, probably. Plus I only hit one shot... like that's a lot of data haha

[Pete]

I changed to left hand low last year and the results are better but it feels worse

[dennyjones]

I switched this year and I'm putting better.   I had a bad habit of opening the face and then starting the putt off line.   With the left hand low, I'm bringing the face square to the ball.   

[Rip62]

I started using it last year because I was missing too many short putts. I fixed that but I really struggled with long putts judging the speed. Anything over 10/12 ft. especially up hill putts I was either way long or short.Two weeks ago I switched to using a coventional grip for longer putts and left hand low inside of 10ft. and I haven't 3 putted in my last 2 rounds.

[b101]

It's made the world of difference for me as it took the hit instinct out of putting as I know it'll go online if I just rock my shoulders. Took about a month to really get used to it and my lag putting still needs work, but otherwise, it's been a revelation - I hole way more than I used to inside of 20 feet and just feel much more confident.

[Patch]

I switched to the left hand low grip a while back. When I first tried it, it felt really unbalanced in a goofy sort of way. However I stuck with it. After a month or so,  I started saving  more strokes per round. It took a while longer to get use to longer putts, but once the new grip didn't feel new anymore, that problem was solved.

I switched because I started hitting putts a little off line with my old grip. Not alot off line, but enough to miss some putts I thought I should have made. 

I even tried to use the LHL grip with my chipping/pitching clubs. Off hand I'say it'not working, but the verdict is still out on this. I have not gave up tinkering with it. 

[dchoye]

  On 7/23/2016 at 1:38 PM, Patch said:

I switched to the left hand low grip a while back. When I first tried it, it felt really unbalanced in a goofy sort of way. However I stuck with it. After a month or so,  I started saving  more strokes per round. It took a while longer to get use to longer putts, but once the new grip didn't feel new anymore, that problem was solved.

I switched because I started hitting putts a little off line with my old grip. Not alot off line, but enough to miss some putts I thought I should have made. 

I even tried to use the LHL grip with my chipping/pitching clubs. Off hand I'say it'not working, but the verdict is still out on this. I have not gave up tinkering with it. 

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I was watching practice round at the Canadian Open on Tuesday and VJ Singh was trying to chip cross handed . I observed him putting cross handed 

I don't know why people call it left hand low.  Why not right hand high? Whenever I use this type of putting grip sometimes it feels like my top hand controls the putter more than bottom one.  

[Patch]

  On 7/23/2016 at 2:14 PM, dchoye said:

I was watching practice round at the Canadian Open on Tuesday and VJ Singh was trying to chip cross handed . I observed him putting cross handed 

I don't know why people call it left hand low.  Why not right hand high? Whenever I use this type of putting grip sometimes it feels like my top hand controls the putter more than bottom one.  

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Right hand high would work. Perhaps your right hand is controlling the club speed, while your left hand is controlling the club's path? If so, I suspect you feel the speed part more than the path part. 

My old grip was a variation of the Vardon grip. The difference was I opened both hand to a point where the club head wouldn't close or open due to any wrist action during the stroke. It worked great until I started having pain in my left wrist due to some prvious sergury. 

[WUTiger]

I switched from traditional grip Vardon to "left hand low" about 2002. It worked fairly well, except I had trouble with distance control on longer putts (30 feet or more).

Spring 2015 I switched my putter grip to an oversized WinnPro X 1.18. It just seemed to fill up my hand better, cut down on twitches. On a lark I went to left hand high in a double-overlap grip for some long lag putts. The ball stayed on line, and I had better distance control. So, I use double-overlap on all putts now.

Back in 2014, Rickie Fowler used both, depending on putt length.

 

[CCC]

I remember when the 'Left Hand Low' grip was called the 'Give Up Grip'.

[dchoye]

  On 7/23/2016 at 4:38 PM, Patch said:

Right hand high would work. Perhaps your right hand is controlling the club speed, while your left hand is controlling the club's path? If so, I suspect you feel the speed part more than the path part. 

My old grip was a variation of the Vardon grip. The difference was I opened both hand to a point where the club head wouldn't close or open due to any wrist action during the stroke. It worked great until I started having pain in my left wrist due to some prvious sergury. 

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I find that my left hand is in control with breaking putts  when there is an apex is involved.  The right hand if it's  straight putts to the hole 

[Golden Greek]

I keep trying left hand low but can't seem to stick with it.  I've worked on it in practice but default back to traditional every time I get on the course.  

[Patch]

  On 7/26/2016 at 7:46 PM, Golden Greek said:

I keep trying left hand low but can't seem to stick with it.  I've worked on it in practice but default back to traditional every time I get on the course.  

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Took me about 8 weeks, practicing 3 times a week with it before I took it out for score. After a few rounds I started getting real comfortable with it. 

[Gunther]

My buddy's pop, 70 yrs old, is a good player, maybe a 12.  But he was a horrendous putter.  He'd miss 2 or 3 a round from 3 feet and in and long range wasn't much better.  

He switched to left low about a month ago, no practice, just took it out to the course.  I'd guess it's saved him 3-5 strokes a round.  I've played with him 3 times now and he hasn't missed a putt inside 3 feet.  Almost shot his age the other day (75), from the whites but still impressive.

I won't do it cuz my putting is decent but if I get into a bind down the road, I won't hesitate.

[Glh]

Oops....now I am an 11.   I use a Ping Anser putter "is that the right name?"  Most of you described why I switched to "left hand low" in the first place...ie: not comfortable, feels awkward. ..etc.  that is good and another reason why I like it.

Probably most of you have several putters around.  I have an old "bulls eye" that I occasionally take with me and putting from the left side on the practice green. (I play right handed).  You might be surprised how well you can putt.  I don'the recommend it during the round but it should confirm your commitment to left hand low.  Good luck

[Pete]

  On 7/23/2016 at 1:07 AM, Rip62 said:

I started using it last year because I was missing too many short putts. I fixed that but I really struggled with long putts judging the speed. Anything over 10/12 ft. especially up hill putts I was either way long or short.Two weeks ago I switched to using a coventional grip for longer putts and left hand low inside of 10ft. and I haven't 3 putted in my last 2 rounds.

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I've had very similar experience to this. Really improved short putting but my feel for distance is worse. I switched based on putt length for a while but didn't stick with it. I wonder why our distance control is affected?