Split grip putting

[cardoustie]

Last year I got a friend who’s a great player into a 38“ jailbird and he’s had great success putting with his right hand 4” or so lower.  He felt it worked even though his feelings were it looked off

 

I’ve since moved on to a 38” Scotty x7m in 38” that is counter balanced (and I added heavier weights to head) and I’ve started experimenting with the same move (I use the saw grip with my right hand)

 

feels solid… very nice flow to stroke … fantastic on putts inside 10 feet … very hockey stick feel to it (except I shot lefty) and I like how it’s the old Nicklaus feel of pushing the ball down the line with the piston action of right hand / right arm

 

anyone else putting this way ?  Success rate?  Ideas?

[Bob M]

@cardoustie I'm struggling with my putting and so am open to some experimenting (and of course lots of practice) and after reading your post earlier today, I decided to give it a try using a 35" Tyne H on which I had installed a 17" Super Stroke grip (same one as on the new Ping CB Scottsdale) on my PuttOut mat and "Putting Thing". Also used a lower hand claw grip, separated by about 4" so my right arm was pretty straight. The results were really promising in that I had good start line control and speed on short putts. Having my trail arm straight gave me the feel of making underhand tosses with a ball. 

 

I plan to test it out on our practice green early in the week. I'll follow-up and would also be interested in comments from anyone else putting this way

[tatertot]

I tried it with a Betti Inovai ... I thought it was great idea, but it never felt right to me. Couldn't get the direction or speed down.

 

Have you ever looked into the Hammy?

 

 

 

 

[cardoustie]

Actually looked at my hands today … they’re only 2” apart

[sheffield]

I've used a split "saw" grip with a 35" putter.  My hands are about 6-8 inches apart usually.  I tend to stand farther away from the ball than with a normal stance which gives me good visibility into the line; especially on putts inside 10 feet or so.  One exception is on long putts where I may not split my hands.  The original motivation came from the broomstick putter and more so, the idea of anchoring the upper hand much like a pivot point from which the putter would rotate.  The stroke feels very much like a push or almost like a stroke with a pool cue.  

[golftech]

Ben Hogan certainly tried it!

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/ben-hogan-lost-putting-grip-split-handed

[ScooterMcTavish]

I have used a split grip of varying width for the better part of the last 10 years.  It got wider when I purchased a putter with a Superstroke grip, and liked the feel of having my right index finger hooked under the bottom of the grip touching the shaft.  Feels super secure, very stable, and is excellent for distance control.

 

However, my recent accuracy woes have me considering changing my grip, or at least shrinking the split.  My home course has radically changed how they care for the greens; used to be fairly heavy, so a close line with the right weight had a good chance.  They have started cutting the greens shorter and rolling them this year, placing less premium on weight, and more on having an accurate line.

 

I suspect that a wide split allows the right hand to "freelance" when pushing the head through, allowing the face angle of the putter to twist.  On a fast green, even a slight loss of face angle can cause a 4' miss versus a heavy green.