Tiger Hands or something else?

tsped83

tsped83

Tour Winner
Joined
Dec 13, 2012
Messages
2,746
Location
Leeds
Visit site
I'm looking to make radical changes to my putting grip following some sage advice from my golfing hero, the old man. He's noticed that my wrists can be quite flicky, especially on longer putts. Putting always lets me down and despite changing flat sticks more than Tiger changes beds, I still suck, ergo it's me not the putter.

So I'm moving away from my old grip of all fingers on the shaft, with right first finger pointing directly down the shaft, to my best imitation of Tigers grip below. I've tried a few variations (interlocking pinky fingers, baseball style grip, left below right) but the Tiger grip feels the most comfortable in the short term, although will take some getting used to so I feel in complete control of the club.

So what putting grips do you guys use, and have any changes benefited your putting?
 

Attachments

  • image.jpg
    image.jpg
    92.8 KB · Views: 74
I posted a few days ago about being a terrible putter but I've made a few changes partly YouTube & partly my pro plus 4 hours practice and I've improved dramatically. I put my hands closer together gripped lighter, tucked my elbows in and more importantly flexed my wrists down so the shaft is more upright. I'm led to believe this reduces the wrist action in the stroke, all I know is the club head isn't wobbling all over the place now when I take it back & through.
 
I swear to god, thats my exact grip lol. My putting is all by feel and intuition and its always been one of my strong parts. Always get told when i make a bad put, "oh, pick a spot 3 feet infront" etc etc. But i prefer looking at the hole, play to feel and play the ball. I just think of it same way as i play my wedge within 10ft of the green. I think putting is one of the easiest part of the game to over think, usually the ones with the most methodical drives and long games that struggle.
 
I'm using a simple reverse overlap grip with my right index finger lower on the grip but not pointing down the shaft, more like gripping a trigger. I have been working on not hitting the ball but letting it get in the way of a nice steady stroke with low pressure through my hands. Biggest help I found was a super stroke mid grip (1.3) and a shed load of practice. I work on 3 footers predominantly, throw a 5p coin down on a flat bit of green or carpet and hit it from 3 feet 40 times in a row or start again this teaches you a straight putt, now pace and line are all I worry about not setting the putt off straight.
In short - have you tried a fat grip? May enable you to get comfy.
 
Your putting grip needs to feel natural or you'll fight it every time your on a green. I just use my same grip I use on my irons, I just grip the putter a lot lighter.
Don't get too stuck on your grip, make sure you've got the basics right. ( eyes over the ball, elbows tucked and no wrist flick).
I would advise against the finger down the grip, I've seen it loads and it only leads to a wristy action. My one peice of advise would be to place the grip more into your palms, that can vastly reduce the amount of wrist movement.
 
Thanks guys, some useful pointers. I'm also going back to a chunkier grip, not a Fatso but maybe one of the smaller Superstoke models.
 
I have both forefingers pointing straight down the shaft, don't know why, I just always have.
I don't think I'm a wristy putter, keep my upper arms tight againstv the side of my chest and use length of swing to control distance.
 
Pretty much my grip is the "Tiger" grip. I was struggling a lot 18 months ago with my putting, and downloaded Brad Faxon's app to my phone (it doesn't look as though it is available anymore, sadly) and he talked me through a grip which is very similar, if not the same, as Tiger's grip. Now I feel confident over all putts as long as I read it correctly!!
 
For what it's worth my coach told me that your right index finger is an extremely important part of your putting grip and should hook round the shaft rather than being placed straight down it as it gives you more control of the putting stroke, so sounds like you've made a good decision :)

Happy putting :thup:
 
I developed yips as a teenager when I played previously, and for years afterwards I always putted cack-handed.

When I returned to the game last September, the cack-handed method felt like the default grip, and so I kept using it. While ok on shorter putts, my long putting was poor and I consistently left myself short of the hole and would often be needing to knock in 8ft + putts for par as a result - which I'd often miss.

I've since reverted to the conventional grip for longer putts, and I'm finding that I'm getting many more putts up to the hole, and my scores are benefiting as a result, even though I still do throw in the occasional 3-stab. I certainly feel as if I've improved as a putter, long may it continue. :)
 
I have my left hand below my right (I am right handed) so effectively a bit cack handed. I think I read somewhere that this is how Podraig does it but may have made that up. I found by doing it that way it forced me to use my shoulders more because I couldn't just flick my right wrist which I think is what I was doing before. I found it helped my putting from distance as well but that may be unrelated. Everyone else says it just looks awkward but like others have said once you find what works for you stick with it even if it isn't the "proper" way.
 
I've played most of my golf putting left hand below right and have always found it tough to get the ball up to the hole on slow greens. I've recently been dabbling in reverting to a conventional reverse overlap. Regardless of the method you choose, keeping the grip light and tension free is a major key in putting, IMHO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

dankiz
Fingers or Palm whilst putting
Replies
8
Views
1K
HomerJSimpson
HomerJSimpson
Top