I have been experimenting with this on the practice putting green and it sure feels easier to keep the front hand flat and the back hand bent when the front hand is gripped below the back hand. The results have been suprising too...better control of lag putting and more 1 putts from short distances. Has anyone else tried this....don't see much cross handed putting on the TOUR anymore
I have been putting cross handed (I assume you mean Left Hand low) on and off for a while now. To me it feels more comfortable and its easier to keep that left wrist flat on the way through the ball too.
For me, it means that I make a lot more shorter putts and I feel that I am more consistent on the putting green (whether this is true or not is another thing)
Tempted at the moment to find a belly putter and go cross handed with that too (a bit of a belts and braces approach but hey if it worked for VJ then it might work for me )
Harrington won the Open using the crosshanded method and Furyk has use the cross handed method ever since he started playing the game.
I think I read somewhere that Gary Player once said that if he had it all to do again that he would start putting cross handed.
Alex
Yup, I heard that story too (re. Player). I had also heard that Furyk's dad had talked to Arnold Palmer about his young son putting left hand low and Palmer said the same thing as Player. I recently switched to left hand low and have since been putting extremely well. I had a tendency to push putts with the conventional grip and going lead hand low has helped tremendously.
One reason you see fewer cross handed putters on tour is that the players likely to try it have moved on to the claw and its variations.
One perceived advantage is that it tends to level the shoulders and make it easier to set up square. Some players struggling with getting shoulders square will set up cross handed and then move hands to normal without moving the shoulders.
One reason you see fewer cross handed putters on tour is that the players likely to try it have moved on to the claw and its variations.
One perceived advantage is that it tends to level the shoulders and make it easier to set up square. Some players struggling with getting shoulders square will set up cross handed and then move hands to normal without moving the shoulders.
(bold added by rwh)
Good point. I like level shoulders and accomplish that by having both hands side by side on the grip -- what I call my "prayer" grip. The new, wide putter grips (e.g., 2 Thumb ) allow you to keep the hands side by side, but you can do the same thing with a normal grip. I lose the feel of the clubhead with the wide putter grip. I suppose I could add weight to the clubhead, but I like the setup I've got now.
Am I the only guy around here who uses the same grip for driver, putter, irons et al? Don't see the need for any variation from club to club.
Am I missing something?
No.Other than the fact that some like the left wrist to be level and bent all the way through the putting stroke because most putter grips are different to normal grips