The Golf Swing

Left-Hand Low Putting Technique

My mother uses this putting technique, and I think it has improved her putting game significantly. Personally, I recently moved from using the same overlapping grip I use in my full swing to a grip suggested by The Wedge Guy. I also concentrate on looking at the back of the golf ball, and hitting the back of the golf ball…rather than looking down at the middle of the ball. So far so good, my putting is pretty decent (relative to the rest of my game).

Anyway, I saw this article on the cross-handed, aka left-hand low putting technique. I thought it might be of interest to some of you. Anyone have any thoughts? What putting style do you use?

How To Putt Cross-Handed And Sink Short Putts More Often

By Boston Reynolds

From an early age, everyone who touches a golf club learns how to putt. Children play mini-golf, or play on the carpet at home, trying to putt a ball into a glass. So why is it that so many people have trouble when they get to the course, and are faced with a simple putt they’ve handled hundreds of times before? I’m talking specifically about those putts inside of 12 feet (4 steps!) away from the hole, with very little break. The kind of putt that if you could do it in your sleep, you’d probably hit it a large percentage of the time. Sadly, we don’t play in our sleep, and our conscious mind gets in the way more often than it should.

Over the past 20 years, there have been lots of ways that golfers, professionals and amateurs alike, have used to try to combat this problem. There’s been the long putter, that comes almost up to your neck, the big headed putter, heavy weight putters, and lots of other pieces of equipment meant to make it so that you can properly focus – or properly trick your mind – into making the putt.

If you aren’t interested in buying new clubs, another strategy you can try is to putt “cross-handed.” That is, instead of having your off-hand (your left hand, if you are right-handed) on the top, you cross them, and have your right-hand on the top, and your left hand on the bottom. This grip is sometimes known as “left-hand low.” Doing this has a couple of advantages, and a couple of disadvantages.

On the plus side, by moving your left hand to the bottom, it has the affect of closing your front shoulder a little. This will prevent you from opening your shoulder too widely when you strike the ball, something that can lead to pulling off the shot, which will give you a mis-hit. Conversely, because your right hand is on the top, you can’t use it to “turn the club over” by rolling your wrists, which is a natural inclination to do, similar to a baseball swing. If you hold the club this way, you just have to concentrate on taking it back, and following through. The position of your hands will prevent you from pulling off, or turning the club, two of the main problems you face on short putts.

On the down side, it takes a lot of practice to get an understanding of how hard you are hitting the ball. Since you don’t hit other clubs this way, it can take some time to figure out speed and distance using this grip. This is why, to start, you should stick with shots of 12 feet or less – the shorter the distance to gauge, the better.

To start this grip, you should do the opposite of what you normally do. First, grip the club with your right hand at the top of the shaft, with the pinky finger either hanging off the top, or right at the top, whichever is more comfortable. With just the right hand, line up the putt keeping the putter the normal distance from your midsection. Once you have that, place your left hand on top of your right, with the left pinky overlapping the right index finger. Make certain your forearms stay in proper proportion, and stay on the shot. If you have the shot lined up, this stance will prevent you from doing anything other than hitting the ball straight. Your arms will work against each other, to keep either from getting out of alignment.

For shorter, straight, putts, this is an ideal way to strike the ball cleanly and straight. Next time out on the course, give it a try, and see what kind of results you get.

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