Putting · Tip
Grip the Putter in Your Palms
Part of our putting programs for start line. Build a program with it
Your putting grip isn't your full-swing grip. In the full swing, the club sits in your fingers so your wrists can hinge. Putting needs control instead. So put the grip in your palms. Run it along the crease of your lead palm. Put your trail hand in its palm too. Keep your hands close together, with your thumbs fitting side by side. Now your forearms and shaft form one line. That keeps the face from opening and closing.
Step by step
- Set the grip in your lead palm.
- Put your trail hand in its palm too.
- Keep your hands close together.
- Check that forearms and shaft line up.
- Hold that line at address.
Why it works
A palm grip limits wrist hinge, so the putter moves with your shoulders and arms instead of your hands. When the grip runs along the palm and your hands sit close together, your forearms and the shaft form one line. That line lets the putter swing as a single unit, so the face stays square to the path and does not open or close.
Common mistakes
- You hold the putter in your fingers like a full-swing club, which lets your wrists hinge.Lay the grip along the crease of your lead palm and close your hand around it so the handle sits in the palm.
- You leave a gap between your hands or let your trail hand slide around the grip.Bring your hands close together and place your trail hand in its palm, with your thumbs side by side.
- You grip so tightly that your forearms and the shaft no longer sit in one line.Relax your hold, then check that your forearms and the shaft form one line and keep that line at address.
How you'll know it's working
- The putter face stays square to your target line through the stroke, with no sense of it twisting open or closed.
- Your wrists stay quiet and the stroke feels like it comes from your shoulders.
- Your putts start on your chosen line more often, and contact feels centered on the face.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Practice on a short, flat putt of a few feet and look at your hands and forearms to confirm the line before you stroke.
Harder: Hit putts from longer distances or over a slope while holding the same palm grip and the same forearm and shaft line.
Common questions
Should you hold a putter in your palms or your fingers?
Hold it in your palms. The palm grip limits wrist hinge and gives you control, which is what putting needs.
Why should your hands be close together on the putter?
Close hands help your forearms and the shaft form one line. That keeps the face from opening and closing during the stroke.
