Okay, so I decided to give Lydia Ko’s putting grip a try. Saw her on TV, looked kinda different, you know? Left hand low, claw-ish thing going on sometimes. Seemed stable, maybe less wristy action, which I definitely struggle with.
Getting Started
First time I grabbed the putter like that, it felt… weird. Super awkward. My hands just didn’t know where to sit comfortably. I spent a good 10 minutes just fiddling with it on the practice green, trying to get the pressure right. It felt like I was holding a completely foreign object.
My initial putts were terrible. Seriously, all over the place. I wasn’t hitting the center of the putter face at all. Felt like I was pushing the ball, not stroking it smoothly. Exactly the kind of hand manipulation I was trying to avoid. Frustrating stuff.
The Practice Grind
So, I committed to practicing it. Took it to my little putting mat at home first, just to get the feel without worrying about the result too much.
- I focused solely on the grip itself. How the left hand sat below the right.
- Tried to keep my wrists really quiet, letting the shoulders do the work.
- Used a couple of tees, like gate drill, just trying to swing the putter head straight through without hitting them. Simple, but effective for me.
Did this for maybe 15-20 minutes every other day. Slowly, slowly, it started feeling less alien. The biggest thing was getting used to the left hand leading and controlling the path more, rather than my dominant right hand taking over and jabbing at the ball.
Feeling the Change
After about a week or two of consistent work, something clicked. It wasn’t magic, just… better. The putter felt more like an extension of my arms, moving back and through more as one unit. I started finding the sweet spot more often. That ‘click’ sound off the putter face became more consistent.
The main thing I noticed? My start line improved. The ball seemed to roll end-over-end much cleaner, less skidding or bouncing right off the face. It wasn’t perfect, still had bad days, but the consistency was noticeably better than my old grip, especially on shorter putts.
Where I’m At Now
I’m still using a variation of it. Maybe not exactly like Lydia’s, because you gotta find what truly fits you, right? But the core idea – left hand low, quiet wrists, shoulder motion – stuck with me. It helped me understand how to stop my hands from getting too active in the stroke.
It took time and honestly, some annoying practice sessions where I wanted to just go back to my old ways. But sticking with it showed me a different way to feel the putting stroke, more stable, more controlled from the bigger muscles. Definitely worth the effort I put in.
