Deciding which golf putting grip style to use may seem overwhelming when you look at all of the options. However, it’s easier than you may think to pick the right one. It’s best to choose the putting grip style that feels the most natural to you. What matters most is comfort and feel. When you put your hands on the grip, it should be instinctive without having to “think” too much about it, and it should be easily repeatable.
Which Putting Grip Style is Right for You?
Below you will find information on the majority of putter gripping styles.
Understand that while there may be grips that are the most popular among PGA Pro’s, that doesn’t necessarily mean that you should choose that method. Earlier this year, the New York Times published an article entitled: How to Grip a Putter: 9 ways the Pro’s Use. The title of the report speaks for itself. There doesn’t seem to be a consensus, even among the best golfers in the world, on How to Grip a Putter. What matters most is what’s comfortable to you and which grip style makes putting more accessible and consistent for you. Try each of them to determine which putter gripping style is right for you
The gripping styles below are based on a standard length putter. I’ve left off two that you may see on Tour, The Arm Lock and the Long Putter.
The Reverse Overlap Putting Grip Style
The Reverse Overlap Grip is one of the top three most used putting grip styles.
It is the gripping style that I was taught and used for many, many years. For a right-handed player, the left index finger lies across (overlaps) the right hand, settling typically between the pinky and ring fingers of the right hand. This style marries the hands together nicely. However, it seems that more and more golfers, of all playing abilities, are moving away from this traditional style, as it requires a lot of practice to get both hands/arms to work cooperatively and to get comfortable using it. Additionally, many golfers using this method frequently squeeze the club too tightly.
The gripping style also has some modifications; some golfers like to adapt it by extending their index finger down the shaft or overlapping the fingers at a different point.
The Cross-Handed Putting Grip Style
For right-hand golfers, this is also known as The Left Hand Low Gripping Style.
This puts the golfer’s non-dominant hand in the lower position, in theory for it to be in control of the putter’s path instead of the dominant hand. This style also levels the shoulders. Golfers can decide if they want to push or pull the putting stroke.
Again, I believe this gripping style takes a lot of practice to become comfortable and consistent.
The Claw Putting Grip Style
The Claw has several variations.
- The traditional Claw style places the grip between the thumb and index finger (in the gap) with the fingers around the club’s front. This works best with a Jumbo or Oversized Putter Grip.
- Alternate positions have two fingers across the front instead of four.
- Another may have the index finger of the upper hand extended down the shaft. Proponents of this claw putting gripping style like it because it purposely makes the dominant hand a bit more passive.
The “Hand Shake” Gripping Style
Holding the putter grip like you would shake someone’s hand is a different concept but highly effective.
I frequently introduce my golf students and customers alike to this putting style. I believe this gripping style provides golfers with proper hand placement, alignment and limits wrist rotation while putting.
The position of the thumb is the key to this gripping style as the thumb is draped OVER the putter so that it opposes your palm and NOT on the front of the putter grip. It’s also easy to adapt to most of the other putting styles too. No need to squeeze it tight either, as there is a natural bio-mechanical connection that is made when the thumb opposes the palm. Thumb off to the side; it’s automatic and natural. It also triggers the larger muscles of the shoulder to kick in to initiate and stabilize the putting stroke.
The Palms Facing (Two Thumbs) Gripping Style
Holding the putter grip like you would shake someone’s hand is a different concept but highly effective.
I frequently introduce my golf students and customers alike to this putting style. I believe this gripping style provides golfers with proper hand placement, alignment and limits wrist rotation while putting.
The position of the thumb is the key to this gripping style as the thumb is draped OVER the putter so that it opposes your palm and NOT on the front of the putter grip. It’s also easy to adapt to most of the other putting styles too. No need to squeeze it tight either, as there is a natural bio-mechanical connection that is made when the thumb opposes the palm. Thumb off to the side; it’s automatic and natural. It also triggers the larger muscles of the shoulder to kick in to initiate and stabilize the putting stroke.
The Split Hand / Pencil Gripping Style
The Split Hand putting grip style was popularized by Paul Trevillion in the early ’70s.
As the title indicates, the hands are separated, much more than in The Claw Style. The dominant hand is relatively low, not even on the putter grip, it’s actually on the lower part of the putter shaft, and the pencil/pen part is the index finger down the side of the shaft.
I think this is an effective putting style, especially on shorter putts; however, just thinking of adopting this style makes my backache!
My thought is, can credit be given to its effectiveness based solely on the “split hand” pencil grip style OR is it possible that the closer the dominant hand is to the ball (and ground), the more control you have?
The Ten Finger (Baseball) Gripping Style
The Ten Finger is similar in theory to the Split Hand Gripping style, except the hands are closer together, separated just closer together on the putter grip.
This also has variations; you can point your index finger down the shaft in this position just as you can in the Reverse Overlap and the Modified Claw.
I believe this putting grip style may be used most frequently by former “racket athletes” just because it’s a familiar “feel” for them.
If you want to putt better and lower your golf scores, then it’s time to switch grips to the PalmBird Putter Grip; it’s guaranteed to improve your putting accuracy, consistency, and confidence!