Switched to Cross Handed

[paulyb]

Need grip advice

I just can't keep my shoulders square without being too concious about it. I decided to go cross handed (to square shoulders easily) and had great success with it today. Made everything i needed to and lagged well too. I just don't know what a good grip is for this. I just kinda "winged" it.

Does anyone have pictures of their cross handed grip or some sort of desciption of how you grip the putter cross handed?

Thanks

[onkelbenz]

I've been crosshanded putting all my golfing life (8 yrs now) and never tried anything else. I can't provide you with pics but let me describe it. So I'm playing right handed normally, putting with the left hand lower, here we go:

 

My left hand goes to the lower end of the grip, index outstreched. The grip end goes into my palm, crossing the upper end of my hand along with my lifeline and at the lower end along with the index (which is positioned next to the shaft so it is facing the target). my last three fingers grip around below the shaft and the thumb goes, in anti-parallel orientation, across the top of the shaft. When I look down at it now, I see the index and the shaft beeing next to each other, they connect on the same plane as the club face. The upper free half of the grip is along with my lower left arm.

 

Now, the right hand more or less does the same, just at the upper end of the grip. Two exceptions: first, the index is not parallel with the shaft, because it slides into the fingers of the left hand between thumb and the other (last) three. Thus, the palm of the right hand is a bit shifted towards my nose and the upmost end of the shaft leaves that hand not at the end of the lifeline, but closer to my little finger. Second exception, and the most important thing of the grip: my right thumb crosses the lower arm on the upper side and reaches around just about an inch higher than the wrist, where the arm is the least thick! That pulls the shaft and right lower fingers into connection with the lower left arm, the fingernails beeing sandwiched between shaft and left arm.

 

Now the benefits and my swing thoughts:

my left arm and the shaft of my putter are supposed to move AS ONE. they are the same, that way I have like a broomstick putter connected with my body at the left shoulder. The left elbow, however, is slightly flexed, no pressure or stiffness in the arms! Naturally, I position the ball towards the left of my stance, the "neutral" position would be under my left eye. The right arm is at an angle to the "broomstick" with my right elbow at anything from my right hip to flying free opposite of the target. The right arm & hand are the active part in my swing, left arm / hand are only swinging passively. I'm swinging on an arc, the club face turning over also under my left eye. The arc seems to by less curved than for normals, since the detour's arc didn't fit my swing (unfortunately, I like the idea of the club). But it makes sense from the point of view that my arm lengthens the shaft so the radius of the arc would be larger. intercept theorems. That beeing said, I have a 34" putter shaft and should probably go down to 33" :drinks:

 

So this might sound like a weird grip, and I never advise anyone to switch from "normal"! But since you're trying to do it crosshanded, try it this way. The "thumbing" of the left arm makes it a very stable and reliable move through the ball.

 

OB

[paulyb]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. It'l take a while to visualize your description but I will try it out.

[sfdoddsy]

According to Stan Utley, the latest putting guru, you should just replicate the regular reverse overlap grip, but with the hands switched around.

 

In other words left hand low, putter in the life line and index finger on the right hand overlapping.

[hoosiervolunteer]

I switched to lead hand low and it works well for me. I've been working with this for the last 2 years. I just reversed hands and overlapped the right index finger just like the above post says. Give it some time after the honeymoon is over and you will putt better.