Written by Michael VanDerLaan
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Putting is theoretically the easiest part of the game of golf. The simplest stroke, the shortest shot, yet it produces the most maddening results. Every golfer who has ever played the game has wanted to putt better, and it is one aspect of the game where any level of golfer can see the most dramatic improvements.
In this article we’ll take a look at what makes a good putter, and some skills and techniques to refine your approach and focus on what is actually going to shave strokes and provide long-term results on the greens.
10 Putting Tips To Help You Improve Your Score
The thing about putting is that, more than any other shot in golf, there are a wide variety of approaches that can work. When driving the ball, for example, there are some techniques which will severely limit your power and ability to stay balanced, swing hard, and control the face or path.
With putting, you see players have lots of success even with supposed “flaws” in their technique. As long as they are able to make the same flaw every single time, they have a chance!
Here are some putting tips that will get you on the right track.
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Find The Right Grip For You
One of the first things people tend to notice when putting is the variety of putting grip styles that are used by successful putters, some of which are extremely unorthodox. Again, since we are not trying to generate power like in the full swing, none of these grips are a barrier to success.
Almost all putters land on their grip of choice through experimentation. A few grips to try if you want to experiment are the “lead hand low” putter grip (a la Jordan Spieth or Nelly Korda) or the “claw” putter grip (a la Sergio Garcia or, at times, Phil Mickelson).
Matching up the physical grip that you put on your putter to the way you hold the club will also enhance your feel. It may come as a surprise, but there are all kinds of different grips for your putter!
Proper Grip Pressure
According to many top coaches, grip pressure is one of the most overlooked and most common mistakes they see in amateur or poor putters. While there is some room for personal freedom and perception here, almost all the advice tends towards gripping the club lightly.
One notable exception is Cameron Smith who says he is very different from his peers, and grips the putter at a “6 or a 7” out of 10. Meanwhile Ben Crenshaw puts himself at about a 4. Naturally, this is a bit subjective, but you can see that even a player like Cam Smith who considers himself a strong outlier amongst pros is “only” at a 6 or a 7. It is common for some players to feel like they are just barely gripping the club hard enough so that it doesn’t slide out of their hands.
Obviously this is somewhat subjective, but the key is in all cases that the player benefits greatly from being able to feel some responsiveness in their fingers and hands. This lets the player feel the tempo and transition points of the putter as it swings in a natural pendulum stroke.
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