Improving Your Putting Grip
By Steve Silverman
Putting is one of the easiest things you can do on the golf course. Putting well is another story. Learning how to putt the ball into the hole takes touch, a keen eye, a smooth stroke and confidence. The first thing that needs to be learned is the grip.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderately Challenging
Take hold of your putter with your left hand. For a right-handed golfer, your left hand should grasp the club about eight inches down the shaft. The small finger of your right hand should be placed in the space between the forefinger and middle finger of your left hand.
Grasp the club with a moderate grip, not a strong grip. You have to be able to feel every vibration and every nuance as the ball strikes the blade of the putter. You should grasp the club with a grip strength of "4" or "5" on a scale of 1 to 10. This is the equivalent of a moderate hand shake.
Make sure your thumbs go down the shaft of each club. The thumbs provide the fine-tuning of the putting by steering the club as you begin the approach into the ball. The thumbs will also provide extra pressure if it is needed to get the ball to the hole on a long putt.
Use your left hand to accelerate your stroke as you prepare to hit the ball. The takeaway and the downswing of the putting stroke is controlled by the left hand. You need to be firm and secure as you prepare to hit the ball.
Use your right hand to provide the power and speed on the putting stroke. If it is a short putt, your right hand has to limit the club's momentum. If it is a long putt you must add pressure to your grip in order to make sure your putt can roll 20 feet or longer on the green.
Tips & Warnings
Practice your putting prior to a match or tournament so you can feel confident before you make your first putt of the day.
About The Author
Steve Silverman is an award-winning writer, covering sports since 1980. Silverman authored The Minnesota Vikings: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and Who's Better, Who's Best in Football -- The Top 60 Players of All-Time, among others, and placed in the Pro Football Writers of America awards three times. Silverman holds a Master of Science in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism.
