Get a Grip on Your Putting

Jeff Fisher
Director of Instruction
Fisher Bryan Golf Academy at Longbow Golf Club
Mesa, AZ
jfisher@obsports.com

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Everybody would love to hit the ball further or watch their wedge shots dance on the greens, but the fact of the matter is that if you make more putts you will shoot lower scores. There are three keys to seeing more balls roll into the hole!

The first and most important key is speed. No matter what else you do right, if you do not roll the ball at the correct speed it will not go in the hole. Leaving a putt on the front lip or watching it go rolling past is agonizing so always spend a great deal of your putting practice time on speed.

The other two key factors to making sure the ball goes where you intend on the putting green are the path your putter takes into impact and the direction your face is pointing at impact. The most important of these two is your putter’s face because it is 75% responsible for the direction your ball will travel. One thing that is largely responsible for being able to keep your putter face square to the target line at impact is your grip.

Regardless of how you grip your putter, whether it be conventional style, cross handed or even claw, for a right handed golfer the left hand is what controls the clubface, so you better make sure you have that hand on the club in the correct manner.

The key to having a good left hand position on your putter is to make sure that the ridge on the grip runs though the lifeline of your palm. This will guarantee that the putter is gripped in your palm rather than your fingers. Also, the pad of your left thumb will be on the flat part of the grip with your thumb running right down the middle.

By doing this the back of your left hand will be flat when your putter face is square. This will allow you to keep the back of your left hand pointed at your target at impact and know that your face is square.

If you get your hands placed on the putter in the correct manner and understand how to control your putter face you will be well on the way to seeing more balls roll into the hole!

Jeff Fisher is Director of Instruction at the Fisher Bryan Golf Academy at Longbow Golf Club. Jeff can be reached at 480.414.9330 or jfisher@obsports.com.