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Putting
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Grip It Like the Pros

Looking to improve your putting this year? Try one of these proven styles

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"My grip is conventional. The handle runs under the butt of my left hand, and the back of my right hand is parallel to my left. I position both thumbs directly down the top of the handle, and my left forefinger lies across the fingers of my right hand, to provide unity."
Traditional: Tiger Woods
"My grip is conventional. The handle runs under the butt of my left hand, and the back of my right hand is parallel to my left. I position both thumbs directly down the top of the handle, and my left forefinger lies across the fingers of my right hand, to provide unity."
Cross-Handed: Jim Furyk
"My father taught me to grip it with my left hand lower than my right, and my right index finger down the back of the shaft. He said Arnold Palmer and Gary Player told him they wished they had learned that way. It's easier to use the shoulders and not slap at it."
Hands Back: Zach Johnson
"I used to have a major forward press, but my hands have moved progressively back -- I think because I'm right-eye dominant. It might look to me like my hands are in the middle, when they're really not. Other than that, my grip is pretty standard."
Split-Handed: Daniel Chopra
"I change between left-hand low and right-hand low. It depends on how I feel over a putt. I separate my hands because I'm trying to get my right hand's fingers to touch my left forearm to keep everything working together."
The Psycho: Chris DiMarco
"I've been doing this for 12 years. I started because I was missing short putts. You put your right hand on the grip as if you were gently holding a handle, and your left hand grips the club conventionally. It helps keep the right hand from being overactive."
Palms Facing: Vijay Singh
"I vary my putter lengths, but my grip is usually the same. My right hand is only slightly farther down the club than my left, so my palms are almost facing. My thumbs are resting partially on the side of the club. This puts me in a neutral-hand position."
The Claw: Mark Calcavecchia
"I call it the 'Reverse DiMarco,' and I've been holding the putter this way since 2000. I grip my belly putter like this because it keeps my right hand from yipping. It allows my left hand to control the stroke and my right hand to simply go along for the ride."
The Pencil: Tim Clark
"I came up with it when I first picked up a long putter, in college. The length determines how my left hand sits on the grip. Because I was born without the ability to rotate my forearms outward, I can't hold it fully in my right hand. I have to hold it like a pencil."
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