Who here putts with their pointer finger pointing down?

[nicholasriehl]

I apparently have both pointers pointing down. I use a cross handed grip and am pretty SBST. Any other grip just feels weird and that I have no control over the head and shaft. I had no idea this was weird and not recommended.

[Katke87]

Back in the 60s when I was a kid caddying, we called that the "whiskey finger" for old guys whose nerves were a bit shaky.

[bulls9999]

Played golf with my wife today (last day of the nice weather for a while, the polar vortex is returning) and started smiling as I made my third putt of ~15-feet in 6 holes as she rolled her eyes again. When she asked what are you smirking about? And I said, "aside from you rolling your eyes again on my putts as if "you're just so lucky", I was thinking of this thread on GolfWrx that has Hank Haney saying he never knew a good putter to putt with his finger pointing down the shaft", and she says, but you do that all the time....and I responded "yea, that's partly why I was laughing......as well as.....you claiming "I'm just so lucky!!" Was a great putting day again....finger pointing down.

[2putttom]

Back in the 60s when I was a kid caddying, we called that the "whiskey finger" for old guys whose nerves were a bit shaky.

these days it is referred to as the booger hook finger

[BillyZ2]

Back in the 60s when I was a kid caddying, we called that the "whiskey finger" for old guys whose nerves were a bit shaky.

these days it is referred to as the booger hook finger

Call it what you want as you three putt and I 1 putt with my finger pointing down!

[jslane57]

Back in the 60s when I was a kid caddying, we called that the "whiskey finger" for old guys whose nerves were a bit shaky.

these days it is referred to as the booger hook finger

Call it what you want as you three putt and I 1 putt with my finger pointing down!

Good one BillyZ! You won't be a 15.1 hcp for long now that you've employed the booger hooker! LOL.

[mahonie]

Pro suggested to my friend to 'invert' the classic reverse overlap grip to reduce the wrist hinge in his putting stroke. So instead of the left index finger wrapping over the fingers of the right hand (for a righty) the left index finger is placed pointing down the shaft and 'clamped' to the grip with the last three fingers of the right hand. It feels more natural if the right index finger also points down the grip and you get the feeling of the palms of the hands working together in parallel. I used this grip for a couple of seasons with some decent success, but after a break of a few weeks I picked up a putter and started putting with the standard reverse overlap without noticing...thirty-odd years of ingrained method just overrode the change.

[Double Mocha Man]

What I want to know is: Of those who run their forefinger down the grip, how did you start with that? Did it come naturally or did you observe someone else doing it first?

[mahonie]

What I want to know is: Of those who run their forefinger down the grip, how did you start with that? Did it come naturally or did you observe someone else doing it first?

 

Watching Seve.

[bulls9999]

I would say 'naturally'. I mentioned earlier what I do that works well for me (includes the way I hold the bottom of the Jumbo Shark grip, which is like a cone that fits well into my cupped hands that form a cone). But one more thing I left out (again, that works for me), is that I extend my arms as far down the putter as is comfortable (they just so happened to fall on the bottom portion of that grip), now my arms are extended and there is no loose motion, the main motion is back and forth. To me, people who are not extended, they can possibly move the putter in several dimensions; since I'm extended downward, my main range of motion is backward and forward. I think the finger just fell naturally and gives me a sort of steadiness on the back side of the putter...it extends onto the steel shaft, but directly behind, on the line of the putt. To me, with the wrap around hands, I would think you can twist the club, and therefore the face, open or closed much more easily than I can with my grip. Heck, I'd venture to say, if they had a square putter shaft, I'd be opting to give that a try as I would think it would be easier for me to align my finger correctly behind the club :-). I guess the last piece of the puzzle is that I enjoy putting on curved surfaces with multi-levels.....it makes putting 'fun'. I feel you have to really like that to putt well on some tricky greens.

 

What I want to know is: Of those who run their forefinger down the grip, how did you start with that? Did it come naturally or did you observe someone else doing it first?

[jslane57]

Seve said he put his finger "down the shaft a little bit". It was not down the shaft like this thread is talking about. This video shows what he did, and I'm sorry, but it is just not the same as pad of your index finger on the putter shaft...

 

[Chip Out Sideways]

What I want to know is: Of those who run their forefinger down the grip, how did you start with that? Did it come naturally or did you observe someone else doing it first?

 

I really cannot remember - I recall my father doing it but I have done it so long (30 years) that it now seems natural. I have tried other grips during practice (the claw with some success) but my putting stats are always good (if my chipping was as good as my putting....). Coincidentally my best golfing buddy, another excellent natural putter also uses the right finger down the shaft. As noted earlier putting grips are very personal. The only comment I don't get in this thread is that saying gripping the putter tightly is the right thing to do and it takes the wrists out - I am sure this is the opposite of all the advice I have ever read about putting not matter the actual grip used on the putter.

[Chip Out Sideways]

Seve said he put his finger "down the shaft a little bit". It was not down the shaft like this thread is talking about. This video shows what he did, and I'm sorry, but it is just not the same as pad of your index finger on the putter shaft...

 

 

That is exactly the grip I use and I would certainly call that finger down no matter the commentary from my hero Seve.

[jslane57]

Seve said he put his finger "down the shaft a little bit". It was not down the shaft like this thread is talking about. This video shows what he did, and I'm sorry, but it is just not the same as pad of your index finger on the putter shaft...

 

 

That is exactly the grip I use and I would certainly call that finger down no matter the commentary from my hero Seve.

Great! Seve is one of the best heroes one can have. He is one of mine as well. But I honestly don't think he would say he putting with the pad of his finger on the club. It may be a small difference, but small differences make all the difference...

[mahonie]

Seve said he put his finger "down the shaft a little bit". It was not down the shaft like this thread is talking about. This video shows what he did, and I'm sorry, but it is just not the same as pad of your index finger on the putter shaft...

 

 

Apologies...I was seeing Seve's grip with his finger pointing down the shaft as his index finger didn't 'wrap' around the grip in the conventional manner. In any event, I feel that I can 'feel' the clubhead better with the index finger positioned like Seve's.

 

[A.Princey]

What I want to know is: Of those who run their forefinger down the grip, how did you start with that? Did it come naturally or did you observe someone else doing it first?

 

In college I was playing with a pretty good player, who implemented this style, and he was putting lights out so I decided to give it a whirl, and I haven't looked back since.

[BIG STU]

Gee, I putt like that and thought you were talking about me, lol. I consider myself a very good putter, making putts from 15-20 feet often, no sweat from 8-10 feet. I also forward press and that finger helps me feel/maintain cognizance of the press. I might as well add that I use a jumbo TigerShark putter grip and grip it down by the bottom 'cone' which fits perfectly into the space between my hands which form a 'cone' and my fingers are essentially touching that black bottom lip. The long length of shaft/grip that extends above my grip acts as a nice balance and I use the 'hinge and hold' (don't break my wrists) and my hands move forward through the ball trying not to break those wrists forward, although they probably end up from a forward press to a straight down position. Saw a few episodes of "Shell's Wonderful World of Golf" today and couldn't believe all the old timers (Palmer and about 4 others I saw) using this stationary positioning of the hand and simply hinging the wrists backwards and forwards. I would never do that.

 

 

So I was watching The Haney Project 3-4 years ago, and it'll always stick out to me that he said "I've never seen a good putter use the grip where your low hand pointer finger points down toward the club head". So that day I switched away from that and never went back. Does anyone here putt like that? I see tons of guys at my local course who do.

 

 

Remember this though back in those days greens were not as slick and the grass was thicker and they putted like that to get the ball to roll on top of the grass. I learned golf in that era and as the greens got shorter slicker grass I had to change some

[aceofclubs]

I saw Woody Austin putting with this grip a while back and tried it. Used it ever since. Probably 5-6 years now.

 

I suck at putting now because i dont play enough but i used to think i was a decent putter.

[jslane57]

I saw Woody Austin putting with this grip a while back and tried it. Used it ever since. Probably 5-6 years now.

 

I suck at putting now because i dont play enough but i used to think i was a decent putter.

I hope you don't bash your head with your putter till you bleed like Woody Austin has. LOL.

[aceofclubs]

Nah....i think he used a different grip for head bashing anyway.

[thezinfan]

So I was watching The Haney Project 3-4 years ago, and it'll always stick out to me that he said "I've never seen a good putter use the grip where your low hand pointer finger points down toward the club head". So that day I switched away from that and never went back. Does anyone here putt like that? I see tons of guys at my local course who do.

 

 

 

Mike Breed said the same on Golf Fix a few days ago....that having the finger down the shaft promotes wristy action.

[tobrien33]

 

Looks like the our incumbent Golfer-in-Chief is an offender..

[naws-golfer]

until you beat me on the course with that creaky old lady finger down the shaft, I'm asuming you're a hack.

[arbitrage]

Always put with the right index finger down the shaft. Never got "wristy" because of it. I occasionally experiment with other grips, but always come back because I can never consistently keep a line with the other grips.

[1puttTUT]

I've been doing this for years and don't plan on changing. Putting is one of my strengths too!

[BillyZ2]

I've been doing this for years and don't plan on changing. Putting is one of my strengths too!

I have to practice greens at home one upstairs and one downstairs so I thought I would give it a try to retract my two index fingers from pointing down. It just didn't work for me the putter face was all over the place and I had poor feel for lagging. Fingers down for me.

[1puttTUT]

I've been doing this for years and don't plan on changing. Putting is one of my strengths too!

I have to practice greens at home one upstairs and one downstairs so I thought I would give it a try to retract my two index fingers from pointing down. It just didn't work for me the putter face was all over the place and I had poor feel for lagging. Fingers down for me.

 

I've never tried both down. I just do it with my trail hand (left hand for this lefty).

[The Duck]

I putt left finger down the shaft and pencil right grip. I putt very well.

 

face balanced putter and pendulum swing

 

IF it works for you and the stats back it up dont worry.

[Justin.B]

Used to actually, now I hate it

[TravelingGolfSticks]

I've done it for many years now and agree that on a miss I tend to pull it. I have been thinking about changing it any way and have actually putted very well as of late but I know I used to always have a 3 putt on the card even though I think I've only had one in the last 5 or so rounds and none in the last 3.