Ensuring you have the correct grip pressure on your putter is just as important when putting as it is when swinging your club for a full shot. When putting it is all about the feel and you want to ensure you have as much feedback coming back from your putter to your hands as possible. It should be easier to achieve a light grip pressure while putting as you only need to rock the club back and forth, as opposed to swinging it around your body.
Control over your speed is one of the greatest benefits of executing a lighter grip. Of course, ensuring the line of the putts is correct is vital, however speed control is even more important as it allows you to leave the ball close to the file for an easy second putt. Relaxing and letting the putter hang from your hands gives you the best chance to swing it back and growth freely and let the ball roll smoothly up to the cup. If you grip the putter tightly you’ll notice that you lose some sensitivity in your hands for the shot, making it far more difficult to get the correct distance.
While professional golfers have various techniques they use for putting, one thing they all share is attempting to keep their grip as light as they can. Jack Nicklaus suggested you hold the golf club like you are holding a tube of toothpaste that you don’t want to squeeze anything out of.
A good way to develop your own putting grip pressure is to begin hitting one one-handed putts from close range. First begin with your left hand, and then switch to only your right hand. This activity will help you feel how the putter should be swinging through the ball, rather than having your arms and hands forcing it along. Since you’ll only have one hand on the grip you won’t have much control over the putter, so you’ll be forced to let it swing freely.
Once you’ve rolled a few putts with each hand, bring both hands back to the putter and focus on rolling the ball with a light grip pressure. These one handed swings should have helped you get this feeling just right.
Putting can be an incredibly pressured part of the game. And given the nerves that can come with sinking the ball, your body can naturally tense up. This can then affect the pressure of your grip, resulting in a tighter than desired grip of the putter.
All the best putters know that controlling your nerves in order to maintain a light grip while under pressure is paramount to achieving the best possible putt. Below is an article we put together going through a few tips to help you maintain your focus, keep your nerves in check, and be the Zen master of the putting green!
