2 Thumbs

[FairwaysToHeaven]

i haven't seen much talk about the actual grip '2 thumbs' or the style of grip that places the hands together with the thumbs side by side. 

 

anyone move to this grip or style and what were the results. seems if squares the shoulders and encourages rocking of shoulders. the grip is used on the European tour and likely pga. 

 

Second issue - the grips come really heavy at 200g or the new releases which seem really light at <50g. 

 

How does the swingweight affect stroke. is there a way to test which is more preferred outside of just personal feel. is it more common better players prefer heavy or light SW? 

[bluedot]

11 minutes ago, FairwaysToHeaven said:

i haven't seen much talk about the actual grip '2 thumbs' or the style of grip that places the hands together with the thumbs side by side. 

 

anyone move to this grip or style and what were the results. seems if squares the shoulders and encourages rocking of shoulders. the grip is used on the European tour and likely pga. 

 

Second issue - the grips come really heavy at 200g or the new releases which seem really light at <50g. 

 

How does the swingweight affect stroke. is there a way to test which is more preferred outside of just personal feel. is it more common better players prefer heavy or light SW? 

I putted this way for a number of years. Started as a yip cure, and it was the best one I tried.  I only went away from it because I wanted to try a 38” Scotty that was counterbalanced.  I eventually converted to face on/side saddle, but if I ever went back to conventional putting, I think I’d go back to two thumb.

 

Great way to putt, especially under pressure; my only guess as to why more people don’t do it is because you really do need a special grip installed on your putter.

[MattM97]

Depending on the head weight and length 200g will make the head feel super light or non-existent and a 50g grip will make it feel like a sledge hammer or just right. One thing you can do with the 50g is put some lead tape under the grip to get the weight up or insert an internal weight into the shaft to get to a matching weight of the grip you use now.

 

The other option is find a different grip with a flat front which can allow for a similar grip style. 

[Tupperwolf]

I trued the original and it was FAR too heavy.  Really made it impossible to use on just about any putter.  It lasted 9 holes before I pulled it back off.  50g is doable, but you might want to add some backweighting under the grip as well.

 

Another option would be one of the Garsen grips that allows your thumbs to go side by side.  Instead of a flat front it has a ridge down the front with two flat sides angled away from one another.

[bluedot]

Not to be a contrarian, but I never found the grip weight to be a problem, or to impact the feel of the putter.  I used the Wishbone grip (no longer in production) and it was crazy heavy.  
 

I didn’t like the 2 Thumb grip, but that was because it felt too narrow on the sides for my hands; the weight wasn’t an issue.

 

At the end, I was using a Super Stroke Flatso, which was probably the best of all worlds. No idea if they still make one that big or not.

[bluedot]

Another good one IF it is still available is the Lamkin Flat Cat.  

[snagger99]

I recently went to a 2 thumb "Prayer" grip and it's completely changed my putting.  Never putted better.

 

I'm using a Flatso 3.0 as the TwoThumb grips are impossible to get.

[bluedot]

6 hours ago, snagger99 said:

I recently went to a 2 thumb "Prayer" grip and it's completely changed my putting.  Never putted better.

 

I'm using a Flatso 3.0 as the TwoThumb grips are impossible to get.

I’ve said this before, but I’ve never understood why more people who putt conventionally don’t use the two thumb grip.  It is especially good under pressure, btw, because the wrists are in a position where they can’t break down.

[MattM97]

42 minutes ago, bluedot said:

I’ve said this before, but I’ve never understood why more people who putt conventionally don’t use the two thumb grip.  It is especially good under pressure, btw, because the wrists are in a position where they can’t break down.

 

Because if a conventional grip is good enough for the pros it's good enough for the weekend warrior. 🙄

[bluedot]

7 minutes ago, MattM97 said:

 

Because if a conventional grip is good enough for the pros it's good enough for the weekend warrior. 🙄

It's amazing, isn't it? 

 

[MattM97]

6 minutes ago, bluedot said:

It's amazing, isn't it? 

 

 

Hey if they want to give up strokes to just look good let them. It's their game not ours. 

[Fairway14]

1 hour ago, bluedot said:

I’ve said this before, but I’ve never understood why more people who putt conventionally don’t use the two thumb grip.  It is especially good under pressure, btw, because the wrists are in a position where they can’t break down.

 

Nearly all consistently good putters have in their stroke some hand/wrist action.

[bluedot]

4 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

 

Nearly all consistently good putters have in their stroke some hand/wrist action.

I don't think the issue is what "consistently good putters" do.  I think the real issue is a way to putt more effectively if you are NOT a consistently good putter, and for many such golfers, wrist action is a problem.

[Fairway14]

4 minutes ago, bluedot said:

I don't think the issue is what "consistently good putters" do.  I think the real issue is a way to putt more effectively if you are NOT a consistently good putter, and for many such golfers, wrist action is a problem.

 

I believe observing consistently good putters , and perhaps copying some of their technique, may be helpful. Other than DeChambeau I don't know of any player who has putted consistently good that has locked and, or, rigid hands/wrists throughout the stroke.

I do see lots of players trying to "take the hands/wrists out of the stroke" , but these guys usually do not roll the ball especially well or make many putts. The consistently good putters seem to have some hand/wrist action happening, a little bit for some, more for others.

[bluedot]

4 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

 

I believe observing consistently good putters , and perhaps copying some of their technique, may be helpful. Other than DeChambeau I don't know of any player who has putted consistently good that has locked and, or, rigid hands/wrists throughout the stroke.

I do see lots of players trying to "take the hands/wrists out of the stroke" , but these guys usually do not roll the ball especially well or make many putts. The consistently good putters seem to have some hand/wrist action happening, a little bit for some, more for others.

Left hand low, the claw, the saw, the broomstick, the armlock; each of those is an attempt to quiet the hands and and eliminate wrists action.  And there have been, and are currently lots, of Tour pros making lots of money and winning lots of tournaments putting each way.  
 

So I suppose the question is which consistently good putters you want to observe and copy.  There are lots of extremely successful ways to roll a golf ball.

[Fairway14]

15 minutes ago, bluedot said:

Left hand low, the claw, the saw, the broomstick, the armlock; each of those is an attempt to quiet the hands and and eliminate wrists action.  And there have been, and are currently lots, of Tour pros making lots of money and winning lots of tournaments putting each way.  
 

So I suppose the question is which consistently good putters you want to observe and copy.  There are lots of extremely successful ways to roll a golf ball.

 

If you watch the Tour players using alternative grip technique such as left hand low, claw etc... you will see that the putter head releases thru impact.

This desired release comes from some hand/wrist action.  It's not pronounced like it was for Palmer, Miller, Casper etc... but engaging the hands/wrists at least a bit is needed to release the shaft/putter head.

 

[jomatty]

5 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

 

I believe observing consistently good putters , and perhaps copying some of their technique, may be helpful. Other than DeChambeau I don't know of any player who has putted consistently good that has locked and, or, rigid hands/wrists throughout the stroke.

I do see lots of players trying to "take the hands/wrists out of the stroke" , but these guys usually do not roll the ball especially well or make many putts. The consistently good putters seem to have some hand/wrist action happening, a little bit for some, more for others.

If you compare the hand wrist action of a pga tour player and the average joe I think it would be rare that you would say the average joe needs more wrists and hands in their stroke.  Sure it happens, but many struggle with very wristy strokes, much more than you would see in a pros stroke.  A grip like the garsen g pro will encourage a rock of the shoulders by the way it positions your hands, elbows, and shoulders but does not make it so you can’t have some wrist and hand action if desired.  I’m currently using the garsen quad but the g pro worked well and the tech worked as advertised.

Edited August 25, 2021 by jomatty

[Fairway14]

11 minutes ago, jomatty said:

If you compare the hand wrist action of a pga tour player and the average joe I think it would be rare that you would say the average joe needs more wrists and hands in their stroke.  Sure it happens, but many struggle with very wristy strokes, much more than you would see in a pros stroke.  A grip like the garsen g pro will encourage a rock of the shoulders by the way it positions your hands, elbows, and shoulders but does not make it so you can’t have some wrist and hand action if desired.  I’m currently using the garsen quad but the g pro worked well and the tech worked as advertised.

 

I rarely see players with wristy strokes, probably because for about 20 years now golf equipment companies, instructors, internet forum discussion groups etc... have been preaching "rock the shoulders and take the wrists out of the stroke". The problem with that message is that it gets players they are supposed to putt with locked/rigid hands-wrists.

The Garsen Edge and Garsen MAX grips I believe are a sensational product. Specifically, if the players adopts the correct technique for the Garsen shape then at address his/her  thumbs will b flat-square to the sides of the grip, elbows will be inward ,  shoulders not crouched forward,  all of which  promotes a shoulder powered stroke, and that's a good thing. But shoulders-powered and "no hands/wrists" are two different things. 

[bluedot]

18 hours ago, Fairway14 said:

 

If you watch the Tour players using alternative grip technique such as left hand low, claw etc... you will see that the putter head releases thru impact.

This desired release comes from some hand/wrist action.  It's not pronounced like it was for Palmer, Miller, Casper etc... but engaging the hands/wrists at least a bit is needed to release the shaft/putter head.

 

We’ll have to just agree to disagree on this one.  Those guys are trying to make a stroke with a rocking motion of their shoulders, with as little hand and wrist action as they can manage.  And there is zero requirement to use the hands and wrists to “release” the putter; that’s done by taking the putter down the line instead of a decel, “pop” stroke.  
 

Literally, there is NO other reason for any of the alternative grips other than trying to take the hands and wrists out of the stroke to the greatest extent possible.  That’s not worth debating, and it’s a thread jack anyway; the OP asked about two thumb grip options.

Edited August 25, 2021 by bluedot