Golf - How can I tell which putting grip will work best for me?
There are many acceptable grips to choose from. The most popular is the reverse-overlap, but you can also try regular overlap, ten-finger, stronger left hand control, stronger right hand control, shoulder control, and the “claw” (different variations used by Mark Calcavecchia and Chris DiMarco). One way to test what is best for you is to use a square tiled floor as a guide. Using a putter that has an aiming line on top, position that line along a floor tile line and take a stroke, while watching how the line on the putter follows the tile line. Whatever grip/stroke keeps you closest to the tile line may be best for you. It is normal for the backswing and the follow to travel slightly inside the tile line. The next step is to place a ball along the tile line and see if your stroke can keep the ball rolling along the tile line. You may be surprised to find that you have a tendency to pull or push your putts. If you cannot keep the putts straight! along the tile line, then try to keep the putter square to the hole all during the follow-thru. Have another person behind you to verify whether or not you are pulling or pushing your stroke off line. Also where the tile lines intersect, you can use the vertical tile line to check that your clubface alignment is perpendicular to the target line. First hide the tile line with a piece of paper, address the ball, and have someone pull out the piece of paper. You might be surprised to find you were not as correctly aligned as you had assumed. (see www.geocities.com/golfwithjoey)