How tightly do you grip the putter?

Practice
#1

With the temperature dropping rapidly here in Wyoming, you’re bound to get more posts about putting from me!

I’ve heard this subject described in various ways, and I’ve tried them all. Here’s what I think works for me. I experiment with grip pressure from 1 (barely touching the club with my hands, can hardly control it or pick it off the ground, would never putt this way, but just try it to get a true extreme on the loose end) to 10 (absolutely choking it with all my strength; again, would never putt this way, just want to see the extreme on the tight end), and then I try to feel equal increments going up from that 1 all the way to 10, being very conscious of what’s going on at each increment and how it’s different. It’s a fun experiment to try, especially as you putt in your basement for 5 months!

I think level 5 is my preferred grip pressure. This may be a little tighter than some recommend (seems more than holding a bird or a tube of toothpaste without the cap on), but I find with anything less I don’t have very good control or feel over the putter and the face. Anything more and I start to tighten up and don’t make a nice, smooth stroke. This could also be because my putter is longer and heavier than average, as I’m a taller than average guy, and perhaps that means I need more pressure in the grip to control it? Who knows, but it seems to be what works for me.

Then, as an added benefit, I use this conscious feeling of level 5 grip pressure as my “trigger” to start the swing. I place the putter head with great care to align it perfectly with very little pressure, take my last look at the hole while barely holding it, and then, to start the stroke, I press my hands onto the grip until I get to that 5, and as soon as I hit that 5, I’m ready to go.

What are your thoughts on grip pressure on putter?

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#2

I’m probably at a 2-3 with the putter. Been experimenting with my grip these days, but that low level of pressure always stays more or less the same.

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#3

I’m with CoryO. As lightly as possible so you have as much feel as possible

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#4

I would say 3 with the putter. Sounds like 5 is comfortable for you so go for it!

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#5

I went for a medium sized grip to take the tension out so I’m likely a 2-3 max now

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#6

I played around with a super light grip early in the season and made everything. I used to death grip. Don’t ask me why. I don’t know.

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#7

Think it was Hale Irwin: “just firm enough to feel & control the putter face”.

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#8

3-4 range, don’t know that I measure/gauge it but when they aren’t falling I start paying more attention and adjust (lighter) if necessary.

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#9

When I putt well I’m a 2-3. I didn’t realize when I start gripping it harder but having gone to a super stoke 3.0 I have much better awareness of the tension. It’s really helped because my issue with putting is always struggling to feel the release. The bigger grip with less tension really helps me feel it (at least in my mind I feel it even if I’m not actually doing a great job releasing).

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#10

Since I’ve gone to a modified “pencil”, I feel like I’m gripping the putter lighter. I do know that it’s awfully easy to lose track of that in the heat of competition, so I have to constantly keep track of grip pressure.

I like to think that I’m at a 2 or 3 level, but in actuality, probably a 4 or 5.

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#11

With my new putter, I went from an oversized pistol grip to a standard size pistol. This made me realize I may have been gripping the club a bit tighter than I thought, but the size of the grip was distorting my perception. With the smaller grip, I feel that it’s been easier to judge my pressure and seems to be helping with my feel.

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#12

That’s an interesting method … may try it in practice … thx.

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#13

I’m probably a 5 or 6. I used to try to get that baby bird pressure, but with Stan Utley’s method that is not they way to go. I feel a lot more comfortable when I have enough pressure to control the club.

How do you hit a 50’ putt on 7-8 stimp greens with baby-bird pressure?

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#14

Yes, was gonna say something like that - I’ve tried loosening my grip but went back to somewhere in the middle … snug … but not too tight yet not too loose … so I feel solid contact and no vibration at impact and no deflection of the face (for those, you know, one or two times that I don’t nail it dead center :wink:).

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#15

I read Tiger’s how I play golf book and changed my entire putting grip and pressure based off of what he wrote in the book. I feel at one point in his career (when he wrote the book) he was the best putter on the planet. I feel if it worked for him, I could definitely modify what I’m doing, get used to and comfortable with what he says, and just keep practicing it. I have notice my putting getting incrementally better over the last 8 months or so since I read that book. I am comfortable with the grip and grip pressure. I would say prior I was an 8 on the scale of 1-10 and have slowly worked it down to a 2. I know when I get over a putt that is high pressure, I tense up a lot and push the putt because I don’t release the putter head. So, I have been working really hard to make my grip pressure part of my routine, it’s inevitable that you’ll tense up at some point, so as long as you are cognizant of it, you can avoid the silly misses. It definitely took some getting used to the light grip pressure, but now it feels odd if I am gripping too tightly.

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#16

Want to work on improving my putting this off-season, and get a more comfortable, natural stroke, instead of being mechanical about it. Have been experimenting with a lighter grip pressure, and I’ve been finding that if I do that, it also relaxes my wrists. I’ve always heard that having flex in the wrists is a no-no, but I’ve found that just being more relaxed all through the arms and hands and letting the putter swing freely really helps me feel the weight of the putter head and have better touch.

So, question for those of you who say you grip it at a 1 or 2 – do you keep you wrists stiff (if so, how?), or have some flex/bend when you release the head?

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#17

I’m also working on my putting… Unconscious Putting talked about grip some, and one of my big takeaways was about putting my hands closer together, and letting my left hand “lead”… Thus far, it’s been a positive change, but I haven’t tracked stats yet!

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#18

I believe one of the benefits of switching to a pencil grip for me was relieving the pressure I was applying with my right hand. My tendency in transition was to shut the face and pull putts, and I believe my right hand was the main contributing factor. A few years with the pencil grip, and it’s really helped solve that problem for me (it was bad).

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#19

I have been playing with the pencil grip a little this winter. It is getting fairly comfortable for me with short putts. The longer putts I am finding it more comfortable with a standard overlap. I’m not sure about putting it into play yet but I am certainly going to be a little more open to putting strategies.

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#20

Before I switched to the pencil grip I practiced for about 3 months during the winter. It’s definitely an adjustment when you get on the course. But yes I’ve found similar benefits - better face control on shorter putts (less pulls for me), but there is a steeper learning curve for longer putts/speed control. I don’t like using two separate grips while I putt so I just went all in, and several years later it feels completely natural to me.

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