The Ten Finger Grip… and Why…

We teach sound putting fundamental techniques. One of the most important fundamentals we teach is the putting grip, and what it needs to accomplish.

The hands should do one thing during a putting stroke… they should be your connection to the Putter Head. Think about that for a moment. The shaft and grip of your putter are an extension of the head to where your hands are placed.

To maintain a controlled putter-head, with a face angle that is consistently at the target at impact, you need to resist the forces that would otherwise allow the face to twist relative to ideal. So your hand grip is in effect the fundamental technique that assures proper face angle at impact… which is one of the main keys to outstanding putting performance.

So, what should the hand grip actually “do”?

First, provide resistance to rotation. Second, create a lever arm from the top to bottom, to resist pivot. Third, allow the hands, wrists, and forearms to be in a neutral position throughout the stroke. Fourth, provide maximum feel or feedback to the player, allowing a sensation of movements, and forces. Finally, the proper grip should be something that naturally works regardless of hand structure, and repeats easily, not subject to day to day feel variations (swelling, stiffness of joints, joint pain, etc.).

With these things in mind, we’ve pretty much standardized on teaching the simplest grip imaginable when a player is using a Black Hawk or a Black Swan putter… the Ten Finger Grip. Whether putting traditonal or cross-handed, the Ten Finger actually works, and it does so because of some sound reasons. It best satisfies all of the requirements above.

More regarding the grip, why, and results, will be posted in the Putting Instruction section.