So many things have to go right before you can even pull your putter out of your golf bag. And yet, even at that point, so many things can still go wrong, causing you to miss wide or just skip by the hole by a matter of a few fractions of an inch.
Golfers fail to follow through; they put too much power (or not enough) into the stroke; they look up too soon; they fail to read the grain of the grass on the green. You get the picture. A lot has to come together properly to execute the perfect putt - or, at least one that goes in, whether it’s perfect or not.
That being said, grip pressure is another primary concern that conscientious golfers take very seriously.
Grip pressure can make or break a putt. Here’s what you should know about it.
Why Too Much Grip Pressure Is a Putt-Killer
As a general rule in golf, regardless of whether you are driving, using a wedge to lob a ball, or putting, you want to hold on loosely.
Too much grip pressure kills your putts in lots of ways, but first and most importantly, it makes it impossible (or at least very difficult) for you to feel the weight of the putter head.
The weight of the putter head, and what that mass is doing through the stroke, provides invaluable feedback that is necessary for you to determine if the head is square, if it is traveling on the right path, and how much energy it will carry at the moment of impact that will then be transferred to the ball.
Among other things, this makes it nearly impossible to estimate, let alone control, distance, since energy transfer is the primary consideration here.
Of course, the lack of feel is a bad thing too, because it can mess with the orientation of the putter head at the moment of impact. Energy transfer and distance control aside, gripping too hard can make it very difficult to be precise with the putter, which can cause pushes or pulls, or both, and inconsistently at that.
This would be bad enough on the surface, but there are other issues that a grip pressure that’s too harsh can cause for the rest of your putt stroke mechanics.
For one, gripping the club too tightly will make your wrists, elbows, and shoulders more rigid, which will mess with the fluidity of the stroke. One of the (many) keys to accuracy in putting is a smooth, fluid stroke. A death grip on the putter will result in more jerky, staccato movements that will further complicate putt distance control and accuracy.
Another issue is “squeezing” the putter, which specifically refers to holding onto the grip with too much pressure through the trailing hand. This can force the club face to open at the moment of impact, which can push putts off to the right.
So, given these issues associated with holding the putter in a death grip, there are a few things you can do to be more conscious of how tightly you’re holding on.
Some use the “bird” analogy. They tell you to hold the putter’s grip as if you were holding a small bird. Firmly enough so that the bird would not be able to escape, but gently enough so that you neither injure, nor even cause discomfort, to the bird.
Then there is the “scale of ten” suggestion, with most golfers suggesting a grip pressure between 3 and 5, or, to be less relative, firmly enough so that the putter won’t drop out of your grip, or that someone wouldn’t be able to easily wrest it from you, but not much tighter than that.
Granted, there are some golfers that would admonish you to grip the putter more tightly, but as a general rule, issues are caused by gripping too tightly, not too loosely. Loosening your grip, within reason, can help you putt more accurately and more consistently as well.
Switching Your Putter Grips
Training will constitute the lion’s share of your improvements, but there are also changes you can make to your golf equipment that may benefit you just as much. One quick change you can make at home is to upgrade your putter grips.
Not only does the design of our putter grips help discourage you from gripping too tightly, but they are so engineered as to reduce club face rotation, keeping the putter square with the ball at the critical moment, encouraging greater consistency and accuracy.
You can get more familiar with our putter grips here and if you have any questions about how to re-grip your putters, or about the specifications of our grips, get in touch with us directly and we will be more than happy to assist.
