Putting

[Tommy Williamsen]

Growing up putting was pretty simple. Basically, there were two grips: reverse overlap or your normal grip. I never  even saw left-hand low. There were half a dozen popular putters, with the Bull’s Eye the most popular. I have two sitting in my living room. I still use the reverse overlap except for long putts, where I will use my normal overlap grip. I have a Scotty center hafted GOLO mallet two inches shorter than standard. It seems that for us weekend players, most still use the standard putting grip and style. But yikes, looking at the pros, there are hardly two that putt the same.
What do you do?

[Rob Marshall]

Reverse overlap. Since I first picked up a club. Not a great putter but decent....

[Ben Hollerbach]

Reverse overlap with a flanged bullseye, and I'm not that old

[Cal Seifert]

Hold it the same way I hold all my other clubs. I find the less I over complicate it the better.

[David Wuthrich]

Interlocking with a Ping B-60 for many years.

[Jason Thurman]

Left-hand low since 2009 aside from a very brief period where I experimented with a sidesaddle putter. I like a straight-back-straight-through motion but I'm not too technical about it. I'm much more exacting about alignment, posture, and rhythm - left eye right over the ball, toe line pointed dead-parallel to target line, putter swings like a metronome at the same tempo as "Live Forever" regardless of length of putt. I sometimes catch myself audibly clicking out the drum intro between my teeth as I stand over the ball.


I've gone to one of the Superstroke grips and don't envision going back to something smaller. I've used an $80 Cleveland mallet-blade for almost 10 years. It has more than paid for itself, and putting is easily the strongest part of my game day in and day out.


At least on reasonably fast greens...



I played a couple tournaments on slow greens this year, and my putting advantage disappeared in both of them. I will often go right-hand-low and hit sort of a "chip-putt" when I putt from well off the green, and I thought of going to that shot on putts over 20 feet or so on those slow greens. I think it's a lot easier to control speed when you need to put a "hit" on the ball when the dominant hand is low, and I suspect that might be why left-hand-low didn't really become a thing until green speeds consistently started running above 10.

[Kalen Braley]

From the very first time I picked up a putter at a mini putt-putt as a young teen, its been the same.  Traditional right hand low non-inter locking grip.  But I've personally found that the grip didn't really matter much, its all about the gentle rock of the shoulders/upper back.

[David_Tepper]

I play golf right-handed but do everything else left-handed. I used to putt everything right-handed. A case of the yips 10-12 years ago encouraged (forced!) me to putt both right- & left-handed using either a "wide" model Bullseye or the original two-sided Ping. I lag putt right-handed with left hand low and putt most everything inside 10 feet left-handed with right-hand low. Unfortunately I can't say I do either especially well.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I play golf right-handed but do everything else left-handed. I used to putt everything right-handed. A case of the yips 10-12 years ago encouraged (forced!) me to putt both right- & left-handed using either a "wide" model Bullseye or the original two-sided Ping. I lag putt right-handed with left hand low and putt most everything inside 10 feet left-handed with right-hand low. Unfortunately I can't say I do either especially well.

Wow that's pretty interesting and pretty complicated.

[John Crowley]

Interlocking grip as with all other clubs except thumbs on top. Scotty Studio Select 2.6 - center shaft.


Many years of excellent putting. Then spinal issue forced change in address position. Struggled with countless grips, setup, putters, etc through 12-18 months of terrible putting.


Now, with spine fixed and very symmetrical setup and more focus with intent on the point of contact am making way back to being an excellent putter.

[Peter Flory]

I always used the Corey Pavin grip (super weak left hand and super strong right hand with thumbs on the outside of the grip).  That grip was a way to lock in the left wrist and avoid any flip action.  But switched to the claw about 3 years ago and it haven't regretted it.  I was never yippy, but the claw still feels much better in crunch time in terms of distance control.

[David_Tepper]

"Wow that's pretty interesting and pretty complicated."

Tommy -

I played tennis and squash left-handed competitively for many years. In retrospect, I probably should have learned to play golf left-handed, but I batted right-handed as a kid playing baseball and just assumed that was the best way for me to play golf.

Several years ago I played a couple of rounds of golf with Jim Kaat, the great left-handed pitcher (283 career wins and he is not in the Hall of Fame!). He learned to play golf right-handed and then learned to play left-handed. When he was in his late 70's, he shot his age both playing a round right-handed and playing a round left-handed. He played left-handed with me.


 DT

[Ira Fishman]

50 years reverse overlap with a few brief experiments with alternatives. 50 years of mediocre to poor putting. It ain't the grip or the club--it's what is between the ears.


Ira

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I used to putt with an interlocking grip like my regular grip. The last six years or so I've gone with a reverse double overlap grip. No reason to change - I'm a good putter.

[Marty Bonnar]

I do it at night - with the 15-year-old daughter of the Dean.
F.

[Tommy Williamsen]

50 years reverse overlap with a few brief experiments with alternatives. 50 years of mediocre to poor putting. It ain't the grip or the club--it's what is between the ears.


Ira

The best putting lesson I ever received was from a guy I got paired with at a course in NY. He toiled me, “tell yourself, ‘I can’t wait to get to the green because I’m a great putter.’” I went from a dreadful putter to a very good putter. I’m still waiting for great, though.

[Ira Fishman]

50 years reverse overlap with a few brief experiments with alternatives. 50 years of mediocre to poor putting. It ain't the grip or the club--it's what is between the ears.


Ira

The best putting lesson I ever received was from a guy I got paired with at a course in NY. He toiled me, “tell yourself, ‘I can’t wait to get to the green because I’m a great putter.’” I went from a dreadful putter to a very good putter. I’m still waiting for great, though.

I will try it! Very good would be my definition of great.

[Kalen Braley]

My setup routine for putting.

1) Lean putter against my leg, I take my stance first , let my arms dangle, and just relax.
2)  Grab putter with left hand and move into position and focus on moving as little as possible.
3)  Establish a light and relaxed grip on the putter.
4)  Envision a nice shoulder rock keeping everything else quiet.

P.S. Seeing DeChambeau tighten up and lock-in like he does seems very foreign, but it works for him.

[Tommy Williamsen]

My setup routine for putting.

1) Lean putter against my leg, I take my stance first , let my arms dangle, and just relax.
2)  Grab putter with left hand and move into position and focus on moving as little as possible.
3)  Establish a light and relaxed grip on the putter.
4)  Envision a nice shoulder rock keeping everything else quiet.

P.S. Seeing DeChambeau tighten up and lock-in like he does seems very foreign, but it works for him.

There is nothing graceful about him full shot or putting. I can barely watch him putt.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

P.S. Seeing DeChambeau tighten up and lock-in like he does seems very foreign, but it works for him.

Range of motion limitations work for him, it seems, yeah.

[Tim Gavrich]

My putting grip is a pretty standard overlap where my right index finger rests on the groove between my left pinky and ring fingers (I'm a lefty), though I have always interlocked on every other club.


Grip pressure is a fickle thing for me. In general I am inclined to grip the putter pretty lightly, but at a certain point I start to sacrifice solid contact for some stroke rhythm.


I never used to be a very good putter, but I've gotten better in recent years (especially inside 10 feet...lag-putting is still very hit or miss for me). I finally got fitted for a putter for the first time two years ago and took a big leap forward.

[Steve Lang]

   60 yrs no yips...


warm up: right hand only putting, a pure pendulum stroke, get feel of distance from stroke length back and through equal, putt across green to edges and then holes, short and long, two handed, 9 or 10 fingers...


playing:  survey hole from at least 90 degrees while walking up to or waiting for others on green, divide putt into three portions to check slopes and find high point, carry putter left hand high, putt left hand high-right hand low, repeat until holed with no marking of ball in medal play, pull pin out on nasty downslope putts


same Odysssy black insert putter since 1991, Ping in garage rusting...

[Ira Fishman]

I estimate that it takes me 10-12 seconds from the time I start reading the putt (assuming I am putting first) until I make the stroke. Is that within the norm?


Ira

[Tony_Muldoon]

I do it at night - with the 15-year-old daughter of the Dean.
F.

Ah Nancy will always be 15 in your eyes?  You met in 73?  Her dad really was the ....




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZuNiQ4Sq3




PS It feels like a dagger in the heart every time someone writes that they are an excellent putter.  Oh to have such confidence.
It's only when I think my putting wont be on the side  of my opponent that play at all decent.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I estimate that it takes me 10-12 seconds from the time I start reading the putt (assuming I am putting first) until I make the stroke. Is that within the norm?


Ira

When I play alone or with my wife less than 30 seconds is about the norm. If I play a match it's a little longer, although I check the slope while others are putting.