Claw/Pencil grip putting tips

I’ve been struggling with my putting lately, just felt loose and all over the place. Experimented with a sort of pencil, claw grip mid round and saw improvement with contact, ball roll, and starting line(heck even holed a putt). It certainly didn’t hurt, and I felt much more confident over my putts.

Are there general tips/suggestions for employing the claw/pencil full time that anyone can offer?

Thanks!

A lot depends on the speed of the greens. I have found that for fast greens, that grip works very well because the stroke becomes a simple back and forth with little right hand input. On slow(er) greens, The take away is forced to become much longer and the right hand becomes more dominate and causes pulls/pushes, more so than a normal full putting grip.

I found that out the hard way yesterday, I was putting on shag carpets and was leaving everything soooooo short and then hitting line drives past the hole.

This will improve a lot after using the claw for some time. You are supposed to still hit the putt mainly with your shoulders. You will be able to make putts from a great distance and on slower greens as well. You probably had troubles with your old grip because you were hitting with your hands. It is easier to hit it further and harder with your hands but you will be much less accurate. Again, speed will come with practice.

Good to know, thanks.

I switched to the claw about two years ago. Best thing I ever did for my putting (along with a few other changes). I decided to use it on ALL putts of ALL lengths and on ALL green speeds. I originally "tinkered" with it, but quickly realized that best way to go was all of nothing -- and that was the key for me. Putting any other way now just seems ... stupid. LOL

I use what I call the "Mickelson Claw" with the index finger of the top hand extending down the grip. That little addition "stabilizes" the grip and encourages a more "one-piece" motion, IMHO:

I switched 6 months ago and noticed an immediate improvement in my ability to start the ball on line. Distance control will take some time as you learn how to power the stroke correctly.

I think the choice of grip you use on your putter makes a big difference in how you use the claw - with a standard pistol grip I had my right hand feel comfortable in more of a fleetwood "under" position with the palm facing the target, whereas I now use a rosemark grip, and my right hand is more comfortable in an Adam Scott style with the palm facing downwards.

Likewise you may feel more comfortable in a longer putter, given the inflection of the right hand will move your shoulders further down. I use a 35.5" now, up half an inch from what I was using before.

Keys for me are to power the stroke with the left hand, using the right hand to stabilise, rather than powering the stroke with the right hand. Also to make sure I stay down through the stroke as my tendency is to hit putts thin and high.