Putting grip/fingers or life line

[jomatty]

I’ve recently been enjoying Seemore putters which led to me checking out some of Pat Obriens videos.  He is a big proponent of gripping the putter in the fingers rather than the palm/lifeline.  I’ve never really experimented with this, as I have always taken it for granted that the proper way to grip a putter was in the palm.  
Does anyone grip the putter in the fingers?  He makes some good arguments that the palm grip was developed when greens were much slower and rougher and that you have much more control using the fingers.  I’m going to play around with it a little today, but was curious others opinions on the best way to grip the putter

[larrybud]

The problem I see with the fingers is that you'll need a much flatter lie angle so that toe isn't sticking up in the air, because unless you're super tall, there's no way to get your hands to angle properly to get the putter laying flat. If the toe is in the air, the face points left (putters have loft).

 

Putting in the "life line" make the lie almost automatic.
 

[glk]

In a putting stroke one wants to minimize the ability of the wrists to twist the club etc.    palm grip takes out degrees of freedom to rotate the shaft just as setting up with lots of ulnar deviation does for extension/flexion - the wrists are going to move in the putting stroke (more on long putts than short) so no one is going for locked wrists.

 

In a full swing one has to be able to twist the handle if one wants to square the face with shaft lean and to have a decent range of motion of radial/ulnar deviation.

 

that said, one can make anything work with enough practice but to me golf is hard enough without having to deal with potential excess wrist movements in the putting stroke.

Edited July 26, 2021 by glk

[jomatty]

59 minutes ago, glk said:

In a putting stroke one wants to minimize the ability of the wrists to twist the club etc.    palm grip takes out degrees of freedom to rotate the shaft just as setting up with lots of ulnar deviation does for extension/flexion - the wrists are going to move in the putting stroke (more on long putts than short) so one is going for looked wrists.

 

In a full swing one has to be able to twist the handle if one wants to square the face with shaft lean and to have a decent range of motion of radial/ulnar deviation.

 

that said, one can make anything work with enough practice but to me golf is hard enough without having to deal with potential excess wrist movements in the putting stroke.

That is one school of thought on putting, but completely locked wrists is definitely not every teachers suggested method.  I get your point though.

 

1 hour ago, larrybud said:

The problem I see with the fingers is that you'll need a much flatter lie angle so that toe isn't sticking up in the air, because unless you're super tall, there's no way to get your hands to angle properly to get the putter laying flat. If the toe is in the air, the face points left (putters have loft).

 

Putting in the "life line" make the lie almost automatic.
 

I just got back from playing 9 holes and I didn’t find lie angle to be an issue.  It is maybe a little flatter but wrists seem to have a bigger impact and the putter seemed to sit flush.  I’m not at all sure this is the way I’m going to continue to proceed but it definitely felt comfortable today.

[jomatty]

It definitely is not like he is advocating a grip similar to a full swing grip, just that it is more in the fingers than the palm.  
overall is he considered to be a good coach?  His credentials seem solid, but I really don’t know.

[glk]

15 minutes ago, jomatty said:

That is one school of thought on putting, but completely locked wrists is definitely not every teachers suggested method.  I get your point though.

 

I just got back from playing 9 holes and I didn’t find lie angle to be an issue.  It is maybe a little flatter but wrists seem to have a bigger impact and the putter seemed to sit flush.  I’m not at all sure this is the way I’m going to continue to proceed but it definitely felt comfortable today.

Sorry I missed typed and didn’t catch it - I meant to type so no one is going for locked wrists.   I need to slow down or review, argh.

[cwilk]

28 minutes ago, jomatty said:

It definitely is not like he is advocating a grip similar to a full swing grip, just that it is more in the fingers than the palm.  
overall is he considered to be a good coach?  His credentials seem solid, but I really don’t know.

 

Both of those grips look in the palm to me.  The incorrect version just looks like the lead hand is turned super weak.

[otto6457]

48 minutes ago, jomatty said:

It definitely is not like he is advocating a grip similar to a full swing grip, just that it is more in the fingers than the palm.  
overall is he considered to be a good coach?  His credentials seem solid, but I really don’t know.

Pat is top tier.  I worked with him many years ago, specifically on my wedge play.  He's a short game guru no doubt, and a truly nice guy.   He took a look at my putting while I was there and didn't change much of anything.  He did do a vision test with me and changed my set-up so that my eyes were inside the line instead of over the ball.  Definitely helped me see the line better. 

[Obee]

Switching from having the putter in my fingers to in the lifeline of my top (left) hand was hugely instrumental in my putting turn-around.

[Bocaji]

I’ve been tinkering with a cross hand grip at home. Get the club in the fingers of the right hand and place the lifeline of left on top of the right thumb firmly. My wrists do set a touch because of this set up, but it feels natural. Of course gonna have to try it on course. Get some reps in.

[MC21]

I think it's also important to keep in mind whether you have a face-balanced or toe hang putter when it comes to the grip. For me, if the putter is through the lifeline and feels like the shaft is more in line with my forearms it compliments a face balanced putter much better than a toe-hang. If the putter is more in my fingers and I use a face-balanced putter I will miss everything left.

 

I've been most successful with the grip through the lifeline with a face balanced putter. It allows me to feel like all I need to do is direct my right palm towards my target and I can start the ball on line much more often than my old grip which was more through the fingers with a toe-hang putter.

[TLUBulldogGolf]

I guess mine tends to be a little in the fingers relative to through the lifeline. When I have it through the lifeline I don't feel like I have control over the club. But I wouldn't describe it as in the fingers. 

[zacgolf]

Maybe of interest

 

 

 

[Mike_C]

I putted for 40 years with the club in the lifeline, and really pushed it so I needed an upright putter, anything close to "standard" lie angle and I was doing a Steve Stricker and holding the heel well off the ground. 

 

Anyway, after some struggling on the greens a couple of years ago, our assistant pro suggested putting the grip more in my fingers.   I gave it a try, it did feel really strange at first, but I found for some reason it did start to putt a bit better, seemed to start the ball more on line, not sure why.....

[Zitlow]

Whatever works. 

[Obee]

5 hours ago, Mike_C said:

I putted for 40 years with the club in the lifeline, and really pushed it so I needed an upright putter, anything close to "standard" lie angle and I was doing a Steve Stricker and holding the heel well off the ground. 

 

Anyway, after some struggling on the greens a couple of years ago, our assistant pro suggested putting the grip more in my fingers.   I gave it a try, it did feel really strange at first, but I found for some reason it did start to putt a bit better, seemed to start the ball more on line, not sure why.....

 

In the fingers with which hand? Both? Just the top? Just the bottom?

[Mike_C]

9 hours ago, Obee said:

 

In the fingers with which hand? Both? Just the top? Just the bottom?

Both.  I used to really focus on the left for sure, but I tried to align my forearms with the shaft with both hands, and this put the club in the lifeline of both. Now the right hand is mostly in the fingers, left less so.  However, I have switched to left hand low, so that changes things also....

[MC21]

This is pretty much exactly how I grip it now. Straight back and straight through stroke with a face balanced putter and I use my right palm to guide the club directly away from my spot and then back towards it. I can't explain how much this has helped me recently. Could just be a hot streak with the putter, but it feels very repeatable and a very simple motion.

[jomatty]

On 7/27/2021 at 4:26 PM, zacgolf said:

Maybe of interest

 

 

 

What a great video!  Thank you for sharing.  
 

this is somewhat similar to how I have been gripping the putter lately  although not quite as nice and natural looking as Brad’s grip (shocker I know)

Edited August 11, 2021 by jomatty

[tjhanch]

curious which pros use one gripping method or the other. Tiger, Old Rickie (with the blade) seemed more fingers. Anyone notice what Cam Smith uses? 

[tjhanch]

11 minutes ago, tjhanch said:

curious which pros use one gripping method or the other. Tiger, Old Rickie (with the blade) seemed more fingers. Anyone notice what Cam Smith uses? 

Looking at Rickie I could be wrong. Appears to be more lifeline.