Should You Use A Fat Grip On Your Putter? – Golf Monthly

Oversized putter grips have become more and more popular on tour in recent times as professionals look to find any edge possible. This has filtered down into the club golfer also, with many new putter models now coming fitted with an oversized grip as standard. But do they actually help you hole more putts?

The theory behind thicker putter grips has to do with making the hands less active during the stroke. Some grip manufacturers suggest that because your fingers don’t wrap all the way around a thick putter grip they naturally relax more than when using a traditional grip, whereas others feel that the thicker grip encourages the putter to be placed more in the palm of the hand rather than the fingers, which reduces leverage and as such the ability to manipulate the face.

It’s this benefit that has wooed the likes of Sergio Garcia, a notoriously nervy putter who has tried every style going, and it’s this same benefit that could help any of you who struggle with putting yips.

Before you make a change, it’s a worthwhile exercise to gather some simple data so you can later evaluate whether or not switching your putter grip has been successful. Traditional statistics such as putts per round, are unfortunately not a great indication of how you are putting as they are so heavily influenced by how close you are actually hitting the ball to the hole. For example, if you hit it onto every green at around 70ft from the hole, then 36 putts for the day would be an exceptional effort. However, if you hit it to 10ft on every hole, 36 putts might be considered a poor day. The most accurate data to judge yourself with is strokes gained putting. There are several great apps available now to help you track this statistic.

How do I choose the correct grip?