Putting · Drill
Find Out if One Hand Is Taking Over
Part of our putting programs. Build a program with it
Your hands should work as a team on the greens. Here's how to check. Pick one spot on a flat putt. Hit one putt with only your lead hand. Hit one with only your trail hand. Then hit one with both. Try to stop all three close together. If one ball strays, you've found your dominant hand. Now you can work on balancing them.
The drill
- Pick one spot on a flat putt.
- Putt with your lead hand only.
- Putt with your trail hand only.
- Putt with both hands.
- See which ball strays.
Why it works
A putting stroke runs best when both hands share the work and the putter face stays square through impact. If one hand dominates, it tends to flip, grab or push the face off line. Putting with each hand alone shows you what that hand does by itself, and the comparison with the two-hand putt shows which one overrides the other.
Common mistakes
- Hitting each putt at a different target or from a different spot.Use the same ball position and the same target for all three putts so the only change is the hands.
- Judging the result from one ball only.Repeat the three-putt set a few times and look for the ball that strays most often.
- Swinging the one-handed putts harder to make them reach the hole.Use the same short, smooth stroke length each time and accept that one-handed putts may roll a little shorter.
How you'll know it's working
- The three balls finish close together in both distance and line.
- The ball starts on your chosen line with each hand alone and with both hands.
- Your two-hand stroke feels even, with neither hand pushing or pulling the putter.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Use a short putt of about six feet on a flat, straight surface so the pattern is easy to see.
Harder: Move to a longer flat putt and try to keep all three balls within a putter-head width of each other.
Common questions
How do I know which hand is dominant in my putting stroke?
Putt with each hand alone, then with both, to the same spot. The one-handed ball that strays furthest from the two-hand ball points to the hand that most affects your stroke.
Should my lead hand or trail hand control the putter?
Neither should take over. The lead hand helps keep the face steady and the trail hand helps with feel and pace, so aim for a balanced stroke where both share the work.
