5 Factors to Consider About Your Putting Grip on Golf Game
Imagine you’re standing with a group of opponents on a huge golf course, and you’ve hit your ball with all your force and calculations, but it didn’t drop in the hole. Now with all eyes piercing on you and your ball, you’ve got to make the perfect putt, or else you’ll have to hear about it from your opponents till your ears start to bleed.
To avoid such unpleasant and embarrassing scenarios and keep up with your hard-earned putting scores, we’ve conjugated five factors that you must consider when taking your shot at putting.
The Putting Grip
The most important thing is the grip to score a perfect putt. You must grip your club in the most comfortable manner you can and then take your shot at the putt.
With various styles of putting grips out there, we’ll walk you through some major grip styles, and you can choose the one you’re most comfortable with and score as many putts as you need.
Before selecting the grip, you must ensure your body has the perfect posture and alignment. Your hands should be hanging in front while holding the club, and the shoulders should be aligned and dropped at the same level.
Now that you’re standing properly, here are a few grip styles to choose from;
1. Reverse Overlapping Grip
Keeping the club’s shaft straight with the club head’s heel on the floor, hold the club’s grip with your dominant hand, with fingers at the lower side of the grip and thumb at the top.
Now place the other hand in the same manner, just below the dominant hand. You must place a dominant hand in a manner that its thumb is overlapped with the dominant hand thumb, and the forefinger goes in the gap between your pinky finger and the ring finger.
This will make for a reverse overlapping grip, which is one of the most common ways to hold the golf club and take scoring shots at putting.
2. Cross Handed Grip
The cross-handed grip is another famous grip, which has proven to give your body better control and stability over the years. This kind of grip feels uncomfortable initially, but practice helps you make as many putts as you want.
For this grip, you will hold the golf club’s grip with your left hand and keep the hand closer to your body, with fingers folded downwards and thumb placed at the top on the flat surface. The other hand will go just above the left-hand thumb in the same manner.
This grip will align your shoulders parallel to the floor and help you make the perfect triangle with your elbows and wrists, allowing you to make the perfect swing with your full upper body and score the putt.
3. The Claw Grip
Chris Dimarco introduced this grip in the 2000s, and it has been gaining a lot of popularity in recent times because it enables you to make a swift movement with minimal wrist action.
Place your less dominant hand on the grip for the claw grip, with the thumb placed on the flatter front surface and fingers curled at the bottom. Grab the club in between your thumb and forefinger for your dominant hand. Keep the forefinger and middle finger on the top of the club while the ring and pinky fingers are at the bottom.
You will have two fingers of the dominant hand at the top and two fingers at the bottom with the thumb. This grip will help you keep the pressure divided between both hands, so you don’t end up gripping the club too hard.
4. The Saw Grip
The most important thing to make the perfect putt is how you grab the golf club, and the perfect grip is the one that helps you to align your shoulders properly, keeping them parallel to the floor.
In saw grip, your less dominant hand is placed at the edge of the grip with fingers curled under and your thumb placed at the top. At the same time, the dominant hand’s first three fingers are placed at the top of the grip, with the forefinger touching the less dominant hand. The dominant hand’s pinky is placed so that its top edge touches the club’s grip from the side, and the thumb is placed underneath.
It was introduced by Mark O’Mera, a former master’s champion, who used this grip during his seasons and tournaments and said that it made him feel like his fingers were going straight to the target and allowed him to make swift movements.
5 Factors to Consider About Your Putting Grip
Now that you all know that you need to find the perfect putting grip and keep your shoulders aligned while making a perfect triangle between your shoulders and arms, here are the 5 factors we think you must consider when finding the perfect putter grip.
1. Size
The first of the 5 things to consider is the size of your grip. Although many people use traditionally available putter grips and clubs, the size still matters.
A good grip that has thickness according to your preferred grip style will help you enhance your putter grip. It is believed amongst some golfers that the thicker the grip is, the more stability it will provide you when you take the swing at the ball.
So, if you’re amongst the shaky golfers, it will be better for you to take your putting chances with a thicker and longer putt.
2. Shape
When it comes to selecting a preferred cutting style, the shape of your club has a major impact. This shape impacts the putting style, pressure applied on your hands, the smoothness of the stroke, and the force of the clubhead.
In the grip style you choose, always select the shape that helps you grip your club most comfortably, be it cross-handed, reverse overlapped, claw grip or saw grip, etc.
3. Weight
The third thing on the list is the weight of your club. Weight affects your putting game and grip style as much as the size and shape of the club or putter. The putter’s weight will affect your swing force, the clubhead pressure, and the movement of your wrists and shoulders.
If you feel that your putting has been affected even though your grip style is the same, then look out for the change in weights of your putter, and consult professionals and experts before selecting the weight, so you are not buying the correct putter for your style.
4. Texture
One of the five factors to be considered when investing in a golf club and aiming for a perfect grip is the texture of the club.
Having an uncomfortable grip will impact your putting style. For example, if you tend to get sweaty hands when under pressure, using a putter with silicon or plastic handles will not be the best way to go. You should opt for a putter with maybe a rubber handle.
Moreover, having a putter with an unsuitable grip will put undivided and unwanted pressure on your grips, leading to failures.
5. Quality
Putting is a skill that is earned through consistent hard work. Whether you use an expensive putter or an average quality putter, the main thing that will impact your game is your skills level.
There are various kinds of putters available in the market, with a wide range of prices, but when it comes to golf and having a perfect putt score, you need to learn to move your hands swiftly and not depend on the quality of the putter only.
DMoose putt trainer is a great way to practice putting. Its ergonomic and compact design allows you to carry it in your golf bag and practice your games indoors and outdoors. The putt trainer’s realistic feel and slope enable beginners and experts to practice their putts and accurately putt your golf balls.
Conclusion
Putting is a skill that is not learned overnight but requires hard, consistent effort. Every individual needs to go through the trial-and-error phase to learn which grip suits their style the best.
Whether you’re comfortable with saw grip, claw grip, reverse overlap grip, or a cross-handed grip, you need to make sure you practice the grips thoroughly so that you can give your competitors tough competition.
