There are many things that can throw the wrench of inaccuracy into your putting. Lack of follow through, looking up too soon, moving your legs, hips, shoulders or arms through the stroke; these and other things can cause pushes, pulls, and other putting errors.
Another thing that can cause issues is gripping the club too tightly. Here’s what happens when you have your putter in a death grip, and why you should learn to loosen up.
The Issue of Gripping Too Tightly
The first issue with gripping your putter too tightly is that if you do, you will not be able to feel the weight of the putter head. This will make it very difficult to swing with the right amount of force, as well as to feel anything through the feedback that the putter will naturally offer you.
This in turn affects distance control. Since you can’t sense the weight of the putter, a death grip will also deaden your ability to sense how much power you need to drive through the putt to get the golf ball where you need it.
This on its own is bad enough, but it is one of the least offensive aspects of gripping your putter too tightly.
The biggest issue is that if you grip the club too tightly, you can cause the clubface to twist, which can cause it to open or close at impact, resulting in pulled or pushed putts.
Specifically, if you are gripping too hard with your trailing hand (also known as “squeezing” the putter) this can cause the club face to open at impact, which can cause pushes. Interestingly, gripping too tightly with your lead hand can cause the putter face to open at impact which will also result in pushes.
And, on top of this, gripping the putter too tightly will cause all of your putting mechanics to become far too rigid. You should want your putting stroke to feel fluid, not forced.
What You Can Do About It
Some golfers might notice errors in their putting and may think that switching to a mallet putter (which is often face-balanced) will help, or that they should switch to a blade putter because the club will naturally want to close at impact. This can be the case but switching your putter is not always the best suggestion. Of course, working with a fitter can help you identify what the root issue is. It could be that you’re gripping too tightly, but it could also be that you’re playing with equipment that is not well matched to your abilities.
But don’t just assume that equipment is the issue; if you grip either a blade or mallet putter too tightly, you’re still going to experience issues with accuracy and the reliability and replicability of your putts. You need to solve the problem at the source.
Some use the “bird” analogy. Think of the putter like a live bird. It’s fragile; you want to hold it firmly enough that it can’t get away, but not so firmly that you harm it. Firm but gentle wins the day in putting. Continue working on your form and being aware of how tightly you grip the putter and you should start to see improvements over time.
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