Putting Series/Part 4: Putting Grip Styles
Which Grip Is Right for You?
Understanding the conventional grip, lead hand low, the Claw, Pencil, Prayer, and Arm Lock grips and how to determine which one works for your putting stroke. If you spend enough time around a practice putting green, you are going to see golfers holding the putter in all kinds of different ways.
Some golfers use a traditional grip. Some putt with their left hand low. Others use the Claw, Pencil, Prayer, or Arm Lock style. Watch professional golf on television and you will see some of the best players in the world using putting grips that look completely different from one another.
So, which putting grip is correct?
The one that works for you.
There is no perfect putting grip that every golfer should use. That is an important point. Throughout this putting series, we have talked about building a putting game around the individual golfer.
Build the setup. Fit the putter. Train the stroke. Control the distance. Make more putts.
Your putting grip needs to fit into that same philosophy. I do not want a golfer changing putting grips simply because a favorite Tour player uses the Claw or because someone in their foursome started putting better with a larger grip and a different hand position.
I want to know why we are making the change.
What problem are we trying to solve?
That question should come first.
What Is the Purpose of the Putting Grip?
Before we compare different grip styles, let's talk about what we are trying to accomplish. The hands are our connection to the putter. Our grip needs to allow us to control the putter without creating unnecessary tension or excessive movement in the hands and wrists.
Ideally, I want the grip to help the golfer:
Control the putter face
Make consistent center contact
Start the ball on the intended line
Maintain a repeatable rhythm
Control distance
Reduce unnecessary wrist action
Maintain appropriate grip pressure
Feel comfortable and confident over the ball
Notice that I did not say the grip needs to look a certain way.
I care much more about what happens to the golf ball than whether the golfer's hands look like someone else's.
Start With Your Current Grip
Before changing anything, I want to see what happens with your current grip.
Roll some putts.
Start with short putts from three to five feet.
Then move to eight or ten feet.
Then hit some putts from 20, 30, and 40 feet.
What happens?
Are you starting the ball on your intended line?
Are you consistently striking the center of the putter?
Are you controlling your distance?
Does the putter face feel stable?
Is one hand dominating the stroke?
Do your wrists become active through impact?
Are you comfortable?
Most importantly, are there patterns?
One bad putt does not tell us very much. Ten or twenty putts begin to tell us a story. Once we identify the pattern, we can determine whether a different grip might help.
1. Reverse Overlap or Conventional Grip
The conventional putting grip is probably the grip most golfers learn first.
For a right handed golfer, the left hand sits above the right hand, similar to a traditional golf grip (see chart below). The primary difference is that the lead index finger commonly extends down across the fingers of the trail hand.
This is called the reverse overlap grip.
Why It Works
The conventional grip feels natural to many golfers. It provides excellent feedback through the hands and allows the golfer to feel the putter head throughout the stroke. For golfers who already have good face control and do not have excessive hand or wrist movement, there may be absolutely no reason to change.
That is important.
We are not looking for a different grip simply because different grips exist. If your conventional grip allows you to start the ball consistently, control speed, strike the center of the face, and putt confidently, keep using it.
Why It May Not Work
The potential problem is that the trail hand can become too active. For a right handed golfer, that means the right hand may begin controlling the stroke.
The golfer may add a little hit through impact.
The right wrist may become active.
The putter face may rotate excessively.
Distance control may become inconsistent.
This does not mean the conventional grip caused the problem. It simply means the grip may allow an existing tendency to become more pronounced. If I see excessive trail hand action, this is where I might experiment with another grip.
2. Lead Hand Low or Cross Handed
With a lead hand low grip, the golfer reverses the traditional hand position. For a right handed golfer, the left hand is placed below the right hand (see chart below).
This is commonly called left hand low or cross handed putting.
Why It Works
One of the biggest potential benefits is that it can reduce the influence of the trail hand. It may also help some golfers create a more balanced shoulder position and encourage the arms and shoulders to work together.
For a golfer who tends to hit at the ball with the right hand, simply moving the left hand below the right can dramatically change how the stroke feels. The golfer may feel that the lead side is controlling the motion rather than the trail hand. That can help create a smoother, more repeatable stroke.
Why It May Not Work
Some golfers initially lose feel. The grip may feel awkward because the hands are positioned opposite from what they have used for years. Distance control can suffer initially. That does not necessarily mean the grip is wrong.
Different does not automatically mean bad.
If you have used a conventional grip for 20 years and suddenly reverse your hands, I would expect it to feel strange. Give it some time. Then evaluate the results.
3. The Claw Grip
The Claw has become increasingly common among both professional and amateur golfers.
The lead hand holds the putter relatively normally, while the trail hand is positioned along the side of the grip rather than wrapping around it in a conventional manner (see chart below).
There are several variations of the Claw. The exact position of the fingers is less important to me than understanding why we are using it.
Why the Claw Works
The primary purpose of the Claw is to reduce the influence of the trail hand. For a right handed golfer, the right hand becomes less capable of taking over through impact. That can reduce excessive wrist action and help stabilize the putter face.
The golfer may begin to feel that the shoulders and arms are moving the putter while the right hand simply provides support. For someone who consistently gets too active with the trail hand, this can be extremely helpful.
Why the Claw May Not Work
Some golfers feel disconnected from the putter. They lose the sensation of the putter head. Others struggle with distance control because the trail hand previously provided much of their feel. The Claw can also feel awkward initially. Again, that is not necessarily a reason to abandon it immediately.
We need to test it.
If your face control improves dramatically but your distance control becomes worse, we need to determine whether you simply need time to develop feel or whether the grip is creating another problem. A grip that solves one problem while creating two new ones is probably not the answer.
4. The Pencil or Saw Grip
The Pencil and Saw grips are variations on the same general idea as the Claw (see chart below). The trail hand is placed on the putter in a position that limits how much it can influence the stroke. The golfer may hold the side of the grip almost as though holding a pencil. Corey Pavin used this type of grip and it worked for him. He won amajor championship at the 1995 U.S. Open held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
Why It Works
The Pencil grip can dramatically reduce trail hand interference. For golfers who struggle with excessive wrist movement or face rotation, this may provide greater stability. It can also encourage the golfer to move the putter more with the shoulders and arms.
Why It May Not Work
The tradeoff is often feel. Some golfers feel as though they no longer know where the putter head is.
That becomes particularly noticeable on long putts.
If we improve face control from four feet but completely lose our ability to control a 40 foot putt, we need to evaluate whether the change is actually improving our putting.
Remember: We are trying to improve your entire putting game, not one particular type of putt.
5. Prayer Grip
With the Prayer grip, the hands are positioned more symmetrically with the palms facing one another (see chart below). The hands are generally at approximately the same height rather than one being significantly above the other.
Why It Works
The symmetry can help some golfers feel that both hands are working together. Instead of one hand dominating the stroke, pressure can feel more evenly distributed. Some golfers also find that this position reduces wrist movement and creates a greater feeling of connection between the hands, arms, and putter.
Why It May Not Work
For other golfers, it feels restrictive. The golfer may lose some awareness of the putter head or struggle to establish a comfortable hand position.
That is perfectly fine. A putting grip should help remove tension, not create more of it.
6. Arm Lock
Arm Lock putting is different from the other grips because the putter and lead forearm work together more directly. The grip of the putter rests against the lead forearm, creating additional stability. This generally requires a putter designed or configured appropriately for Arm Lock putting.
Why It Works
Arm Lock can dramatically reduce wrist action (see chart below). Because the putter is stabilized against the lead forearm, the golfer may find it easier to maintain a consistent relationship among the hands, arms, and putter throughout the stroke. For golfers looking for greater mechanical stability, it can be an effective option.
Why It May Not Work
Arm Lock requires a different setup. Putter length and loft become particularly important. You cannot necessarily take your current conventional putter, press it against your forearm, and expect everything to work correctly. This brings us right back to putter fitting.
The equipment has to match the golfer and the technique. Not the other way around.
Arm Lock may also provide less feel for some golfers, particularly on longer putts. Like every other grip in this article, it needs to be tested rather than assumed.
Grip Pressure Matters Too
We can spend all day discussing where the hands go and completely overlook something equally important.
How tightly are you holding the putter?
Too much grip pressure can create tension in the hands, forearms, shoulders, and even the neck.
Too little pressure can make the putter feel unstable.
I want the golfer to feel secure without feeling tense.
You should be able to feel the putter head.
You should also be able to make the stroke without squeezing harder as the putter approaches the ball.
Pay attention to whether your grip pressure changes during the stroke.
A golfer may begin with relaxed hands and then suddenly tighten the grip through impact.
That can influence face control, rhythm, and distance.
The goal is not to hold the putter as lightly as possible. The goal is consistent pressure without unnecessary tension.
Do Not Change Your Grip Just Because a Tour Player Did
Golfers love copying professional golfers. We see someone make everything on Sunday afternoon using the Claw and think:
"Maybe I should try that."
Maybe.
But first I want to know: What problem are we trying to solve?
If your current grip gives you excellent face control, center contact, start direction, and distance control, changing it because someone else putts well with another grip makes very little sense.
This is one of the principles I want golfers to understand:
“Don't change your putting grip because someone else putts well with it. Change it because you have identified a problem and the new grip helps solve it.”Stuart Lambert, PGA
That is the purpose of experimenting with different grips. Solve a problem.
How to Test a New Putting Grip
If you want to experiment with a new grip, do not roll three putts across your living room carpet and make a decision.
Test it properly.
Start with your current grip and establish a baseline.
Then test the new grip.
Short Putts
Start from approximately three to five feet.
Focus on start direction and face control.
Can you start the ball where you intend?
Are you making more putts?
Medium Putts
Move to approximately eight to fifteen feet.
Now we are combining line and speed.
Does the grip allow you to maintain face control while still producing good distance?
Long Putts
Move to 20, 30, 40, and 50 feet. This is where I really want to evaluate feel and distance control. Use the Three Foot Circle Drill from our putting practice article.
How many balls finish inside the circle?
Compare the new grip with your current grip.
Now we have information.
Feel Versus Performance
This is an important distinction.
A golfer tries the Claw and says:
"I don't like it. It feels strange."
That is useful information, but I want to know what happened to the golf ball.
Did start direction improve?
Did center contact improve?
Did face control improve?
What happened to distance control?
Likewise, a golfer may try a new grip and immediately say:
"This feels amazing."
Great. But did you putt better?
Feel matters. Performance matters more.
Eventually, we want both.
The best putting grip should provide measurable performance while also giving the golfer confidence.
Give a New Grip Time
If the numbers suggest that a new grip is helping, give yourself some time to become comfortable with it. You may have made thousands of putting strokes with your old grip. A new hand position is not going to feel completely natural after fifteen minutes.
Practice with it.
Use your drills.
Test short putts.
Test medium putts.
Test long putts.
Then take it onto the golf course.
Do not make a decision based on one good putting day or one bad putting day. Look for patterns.
Let Your Performance Tell You What to Practice
This connects directly with the philosophy we discussed in our distance control article.
“Practice with a purpose. Let your performance on the course tell you what needs your attention, and build your practice around it.”Stuart Lambert, PGA
The same principle applies to your putting grip.
If your performance tells us that your trail hand is taking over, let's address it.
If your start direction is inconsistent, let's find out why.
If you struggle with center contact, let's investigate.
If your distance control is poor, let's work on it.
Do not change things simply for the sake of changing them.
Identify the problem. Test a solution. Measure the result.
Which Putting Grip Is Best?
The answer is simple. The grip that helps you putt your best.
For one golfer, that might be the conventional reverse overlap. For another, it might be lead hand low.
For another, the Claw. Another golfer may perform best with a Pencil, Prayer, or Arm Lock grip. There is no trophy for having the most traditional looking putting grip. There is no additional stroke penalty for using the Claw. The golf ball does not care how your hands are positioned. It responds to what the putter does at impact.
That is what we need to evaluate.
The Lambert Golf Academy Putting Progression
Putting improvement should follow a logical progression.
Build the Setup
Establish a comfortable, balanced, and repeatable position that creates the foundation for a consistent putting stroke.
Fit the Putter
Fit the putter's length, lie, loft, head design, alignment, grip, and other specifications to the golfer and their natural setup.
Train the Stroke
Develop a repeatable stroke with consistent movement, face control, center contact, and rhythm.
Your putting grip becomes an important part of this process.
Control the Distance
Learn how stroke length and rhythm influence speed and distance, developing the feel needed to consistently roll the ball the intended distance.
Make More Putts
Bring everything together. Read, line, speed, routine, and confidence.
That is the progression for building a better putting game.
Build the setup. Fit the putter. Train the stroke. Control the distance. Make more putts.
The Bottom Line
Your putting grip is a tool. It should help you control the putter, not give you something else to think about. Do not choose a grip because it is popular. Do not choose one because your favorite player uses it. And do not assume that an unconventional grip is automatically better than a conventional one.
Start with the golfer.
Identify the tendency.
Understand what you are trying to improve.
Then experiment.
Test different grips.
Measure start direction.
Measure center contact.
Test distance control.
Keep score.
And pay attention to confidence.
If a different grip helps you control the face, strike the ball more consistently, control your distance, and stand over the ball with greater confidence, then we may have found something valuable.
If it does not, keep looking.
Because just like the putter itself, your putting grip needs to fit you.
Build the setup. Fit the putter. Train the stroke. Control the distance. Make more putts.
Stuart Lambert, PGA, Lambert Golf Academy
Putting Grips and the Rules of Golf
The Rules of Golf give players considerable freedom in how they hold the putter. Conventional, lead hand low, Claw, Pencil, Prayer, and other grip styles are permitted as long as the stroke conforms to the Rules.
The primary provision to understand is Rule 10.1b, Anchoring the Club, which prohibits a player from anchoring the club or a gripping hand directly against the body or creating an indirect anchor point with the forearm. The rule addresses how the stroke is made, not which putting grip style you choose. The physical grip installed on the putter must also conform to the USGA and R&A Equipment Rules regarding its construction, shape, and dimensions.
The bottom line is simple: golfers can experiment with different putting grip styles to find what provides the best face control, feel, and consistency, provided the equipment conforms and the stroke is made without prohibited anchoring.
Reference websites:
Comments