Grip the putter in the palms

Jesse Grewal

The design of the grip on the putter is such that the thumbs are to be placed on the flat surface on top of the grip, while the curved surface on the opposite side passes through the palm of the lead hand running along its life line. This creates a slightly arched position of the wrists, which helps in reducing the rotation of the putter face thereby improving accuracy. It also reduces the wrist action and thereby creating a single lever shoulder and arm stroke, which improves the speed control especially on fast greens.

Take the putter in your lead hand (left hand for right-handed golfers). Place the grip in the palm with the grip running along the life line (picture 4), which will create a straight line between the forearms and the putter. Move the putter back and forth, and you will feel that the movement is being done predominantly with the arms and shoulders with no wrist action. Now place the putter with the grip in the fingers as is done in the long game (picture 3). This will cup the wrists and create an angle between the forearms and the putter. Now move the putter back and forth, and you will feel that the wrists get active. With active wrists we may still manage to control speed on slow greens, but it will be extremely difficult to do so on fast greens. Place a tee in the butt end of the putters grip. While taking a grip ensure that the tee runs through the forearms (picture 2). Now get into your address position and check in a mirror if the forearms and the putter are in a line, and that the tee is not visible (picture 1). This will improve both your accuracy and speed control.

(Grewal is the Director of National Golf Academy of India and CGA Hero Honda Golf Academy. If you have any queries get in touch with him at parexcellence@tribunemail.com)