There are a few of us with putting tsuris (sometimes reluctantly called the Yips) who have not found total relief in left hand low, the claw, or, bite my tongue as I say it, the anchored putting method.
The good news is there is an additional element available, oversized putting grips, that when combined with other methodology might just do the trick for you. More importantly this has been embraced by name brand professionals so you don’t have to put up with the mocking looks from your Saturday partners when they see you with this.
Super Stroke has a full line of patented oversized putting grips that range from just larger than your average grip (Ultra Slim 1.0) to downright obese (Fatso 5.0). But they all share in common characteristics that should provide tension relief to your putting stroke.
At the advice of paid counsel I adopted the claw last year to try to correct an overactive right hand that was closing down the putter face at impact. But I still have a residual problem of gripping the putter too tightly with my left hand and the tension this creates translates into an inconsistent swing path and too many missed three-footers.
After running the Super Stroke Slim 3.0 through Muppet Labs testing I can honestly say that it is making a big difference in the tension reading of my putting stroke.
The key to this is the larger grip size (1.3 inch diameter) combined with the non-tapered cylindrical shape. There is still a flat top to align your thumbs but no spine ridge down the back or any tapering the full length of the grip. I found the lack of a ridge and the rounded shape in my hands makes it very difficult to clasp the grip firmly with my left hand. This definitely reduces tension in my forearms and allows me to swing the putter more freely through the full length of the stroke.
At $25 it is the most expensive putting grip out there but I think they are on to something and a few less misses might just win the Saturday Nassau and pay for the thing the first weekend.
As you can see it comes in a variety of festive colors against the white background. In spite of its size the lightweight foam material does not seem to add much weight to the club and the cross-traction scoring of the grip is a very familiar feel compared to traditional putting grips.
K.J. Choi was the first on tour to brandish one of these. Jason Dufner has won a couple of times out there with the 3.0 and now Mickey the Lefty has started using it as well.
The challenge is demoing the different sizes to determine what diameter is best for you. Since this is not available on the manufacturer delivered Scotty, Odyssey, or Ping putters, you may have trouble finding ones to sample in your pro shop or conventional golf store. If you see someone else on the putting green with one of these ask them to let you take it for a spin and then note which model grip they had on their putter.
You can quash the giggles from your regular group by dashing their hopes with a made eight footer followed by an updated version of the Chi-Chi sword routine with a rubber truncheon.
April, 2013
moegolf 