Putting Style

I also follow the pure in line stroke courtesy of Pelz.

I started off with a straight-line pendulum stroke, but have slowly shifted to a stroke that opens some going back, squares at impact, and closes after impact (there is a concise name for it, but I can't remember it right now). I am very comfortable with it now. It may have something to do with my equipment -- toe-heavy half-mallet, not face balanced like a lot of the mallets out now.

I do grip the putter with an interlocking grip (started that way and stuck with it). Is this unusual for the putter?

Very Cool..I interlock my index finger and pinky. Has anyone ever seen an overemphasized interlock so that no part of either hand touches the flat part of the grip. I have seen a guy doing this. He said that it restricts wrist turn. :cheesy:

I use Stan Utley's putting stroke, but I like Dave Pelz' theories (PUtting Bible book) on distance control, etc. etc.

I putted with a convential style for 30+ years. Having struggled with my putting the last few years, I tried everthing, belly, long putter, ect...! Played around with cross handed but never put it into play. 1st hole of a 4 ball tournment last August I had a 20 foot birdie putt with a right to left brake. Pulled the putt badly and ended up with a hairy 4 footer. Tried cross handed and nocked it in the back of the cup. Finished the day cross handed and had 24 putts (my lowest putt total ever). I shot 66 and went on the win the Tournament with my partner shooting 14 under for 2 days. Since then my handicap index has dropped two shots from 2 to scratch in the last four months. I cannot explain it, it just works for me.

I subscribe to the John Daly method of read it and hit it quick. I used to worry about working on the path and the actual stroke, which made sense to me since I was a below average putter. I watched Daly for a practice round a few years back and then on the putting green after his practice round. I have tried his style of working on more feel than mechanics and have become above average with the flatstick. Not sure this is for everyone, but I have never been one to really work on mechanics in my full swing so this approach has worked for me and dropped my index from a 6 to a 2.5.

Interesting style Grimace. I use the John Daly approach to Driving. :cheesy:

zwhitworth.....I used to as well, but it was starting to cost me too much in golf balls!

:cheesy: I can keep it in play, but my swing stops at Perpendicular - not Parallel!

I use the "conventional" putting grip and have a straight back and straight through stroke. I've tried the "swinging gate" method and I just struggled to square the face up at impact so the ball was not always going on line.

Rob