Golf is a Sport steeped in history and tradition and that’s part of what makes this game so great. Throughout the passage of time there have been some major developments in the game.
I’m not going to give you a history lesson here, we’ve saved that for another day and we know you’re going to love it.
We wanted to talk about standing out from the crowd and you becoming known as a great putter.
Have you ever noticed when you play matchplay, some players get given ‘Gimmies’ all the time while others don’t seem to get any.
Any idea why this is?
Well we believe it’s in the mind of the golfer that you are playing with.
If they see you keep making 6-foot putts, the chances are when you are only a couple of feet away you will be given the putt.
Obviously if you miss a lot from 6-foot and in, it stands to reason that you are not going to be given as many, if any.
A large part of this game is played in the mind, whether that’s in your own mind or that of your playing partner.
We like to mix things up a bit, or to coin a phrase from magician’s, to use smoke and mirrors to make people believe.
Your Putting Grip is a very important part of putting.
We’re not talking about putting grip in the sense of how you hold the club, but putting grip in the sense of the actual grip on your putter.
Like all golf clubs, the putting grip needs to be in good condition.
It’s one of those areas that is often overlooked by amateur golfers but can definitely save a few shots during a round.
If you have a putting grip that is in good condition, your hands are less likely to move during the putting stroke.
Where as if your grip is not in good condition, maybe it’s smooth and shiny, there is a chance that your hands will move, or you will have to grip the putter more tightly so that it doesn’t move and a tight grip is something we always look to avoid when making a putt.
Your golf grips will degrade over a period of time regardless of whether you play every week or once a year.
Ozone, oil from your hands and dirt will all cause them to lose there effectiveness.
The traction that a fresh grip provides will help you to keep control of the club throughout your shot.
This added traction will also help to improve your swing mechanics, as a worn grip will cause you to over grip the club too tightly and result in unwanted muscle tension in the hands and forearms.
This increased muscle tension will lead to a reduction of correct wrist hinge in the back swing and reduce club head speed on the through swing.
I’m sure you don’t want to hit the ball shorter and less accurate just because your grips are worn!
As your grips will become worn over a fairly long period of time, most of us don’t notice their bad condition until its too late.
Make a point of getting your grips replaced at the start of every season.
Depending on the type of grips you use or how much you play this change might need to be more frequent.
For example grips with a softer compound will wear much faster than ones with a full cord.
A fresh putter grip is also extremely important.
This is the club that you will use most and as a result it will lose its tackiness quite quickly.
Again this lack of tackiness will then lead to a change in your grip pressure to keep control of the putter, changing your stroke mechanics and subsequently you miss more putts!
If you are going to wash your clubs, wash the grips at the same time to keep as much dirt and debris off them as possible.
This will keep them as tacky as possible and prolong their life, saving you money.
When you do need to re-grip your clubs make sure you choose a grip that suits your game, there are plenty to choose from. You will be met with a huge variety of grip types, (which we will look at in another post), and a large variety of colours.
Some that feel soft, some much firmer and even some with markings on them to help you to position your hands correctly.
Go ahead and bring your clubs back to life with some fresh grips and shoot lower scores!
