How to Putt – Forearm Alignment Putting Tip

I recently had a lesson with a student who is a very good player.  Although, admittedly, he had been struggling with his putting lately.

I took a look at the stroke, and noticed right away that he had a very good putting action. The basic mechanics of his putting stroke were very sound.

His putting fundamentals included: 

1. Good posture

2. Eyes over the ball at address

3. Nice even arc to the stroke

His putting stroke included many of the principles I go over in my “Perfect Your Putting Video Series”.

There was only one problem:  His right hand grip was misaligned on the putter grip causing the right hand to become very active.

This caused him to flip through impact and often get a “pop” or “jab” motion if he was to mis-hit a putt.

Here is what his original grip looked like.

The improper alignment of his right arm was caused by the grip being too much in the fingers, just as it would be with a full golf swing.

Many golfers are taught that’s how you should hold the putter because it gives you an increased sense of feel. However, that increased feel comes at a very high cost – a wristy putting stroke.

With a proper putting grip, the putter should run through the palms of the hands. This allows the wrist to become more passive for a much more consistent roll.

Luckily for this student the proper arc to the putting stroke had been grooved. It was a simple matter of getting the hands in the correct alignment, and the ball began to roll on a truer, straighter line right off the bat.

How to Putt – Perfect Putting Grip

Take a look at some of the small changes we made with his grip.

He has now been able to add a lot of consistency by allowing both the club and his body to work together in the putting stroke. You can see how, in the picture on the right, the grip is covered by his right palm. Now the grip is helping to stabilize the wrists, instead of allowing them to hinge freely.

If you are interested in watching a fully detailed video on how to properly grip the putter, click this link now.

This putting instruction video talks about taking an opposing grip is the key to quieting down your wrists in the putting stroke.

What is an opposing grip? It’s the idea of having the wrists in a position where the joints are at offset angles to each other so the wrists physically can’t bend during the stroke.

To do this, you take a very weak grip with the left hand and a very strong grip with the right hand. This puts your wrists in a position where the angle where they hinge backward are opposed by about 45 degrees.

With this setup, the only way you’re going to move the golf club is by rocking your shoulders. No more handsy putting stroke!

Good luck with your golf game!