The saw grip is considered a bit unconventional by most golf enthusiasts, even though some pro golfers on the PGA Tour use it. Have you ever thought about trying the saw grip?

The saw grip is a golf putting grip that can help a person eliminate a putting hitch that occurs when a golfer makes a stroke. Keep reading to learn more about this putting grip style and its potential benefits.

What is The Saw Grip for Putting?

The saw grip is used by golfers that are not comfortable with a conventional grip while putting. If you struggle on the greens and aren’t making as many putts as you’d like, you may want to give the saw grip a shot. Here’s a quick guide to how it works:

1. Take the golf club in your left hand and use a standard neutral grip with the thumb pointing straight down the putter shaft. Keep the handle rested right in the palm
2. Make a saw with the four fingers on your right hand
3. Place those four fingers across the putter grip (they should be pointing towards the hole)
4. Grab the underside of the handle with your right thumb
5. For the putting stroke itself, use a pendulum type of motion

Why Some Golfers Use This Putting Grip Style

1. Golfers Who Have a Tendency to Pull Putts

Are your putts constantly rolling just left of the hole? If so, that means you struggle with pulling your putts. This happens when the putter face closes just before impact.

The saw grip makes it easier to keep the clubface square through the entire putting stroke. This leads to more consistency and a stroke that goes right to the target line.

2. Golfers Who Struggle With Their Putting Speed

Do you constantly find yourself using the incorrect amount of speed on your putts? Maybe your putts tend to end up too far past the hole and then you overcompensate and end up well short of it. 

The saw grip may be the perfect solution to help you find the correct ball speed on the greens. The pendulum, back-and-forth swing often gives golfers more control over their ball speed. 

3. Folks Who Want to Improve Their Touch on Fast Greens

Many golfers find that they have better touch on the greens after switching to the saw grip. This is especially true if the greens are extremely fast.

PGA Tour legend Phil Mickelson claims that the saw grip helped him improve his touch and accuracy on fast greens. This is probably due to the extra control that the saw grip provides. More control usually leads to more birdies on the scorecard.

4. Golfers Who Want to Use Their Shoulders More in Putting

The most consistent putters in the world use their shoulders to get the ball rolling instead of their wrists. However, not every golfer can do this while using a conventional grip. This is because the dominant hand tends to take over the putting stroke with a normal putting grip.

The saw grip takes the dominant hand out of the stroke and makes it act as only a guide. This forces the golfer to use his shoulders instead of his hands.

Pro Golfers Who Use The Saw Grip

Lots of popular golfers on both the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions use the saw grip. Here are a few of them below.

Mark O’Meara

O’Meara used the saw grip during his PGA Tour career and it helped him win 16 PGA Tour events, two of which were major championships. 

O’Meara started using the saw grip at the advice of Hank Haney, who helped him cure his case of the yips. O’Meara feels that the saw grip helps him keep his right hand in a straight line during his entire putting stroke.

Collin Morikawa

Morikawa is one of the best young players on the PGA Tour today, as evidenced by his win at the 2020 PGA Championship. The two-time major champion learned the saw grip from Mark O’Meara and started using it in the early portion of 2021. 

The grip change paid almost immediate dividends, as Morikawa won the 2021 WGC-Workday Championship at Concession Golf Club just a few days after making the switch to the saw. The sky’s the limit for how many PGA Tour events Morikawa can win!

Mark Calcavecchia

Calcavecchia used a saw putting grip for most of his career and it worked exceptionally well for him. “Calc” won 13 PGA Tour events, including the 1989 Open Championship.

Calcavecchia still plays on the PGA Tour Champions and he’s won four times on that circuit. Even at age 61, Calcavecchia still has a smooth, consistent putting stroke.

Chris Dimarco

Dimarco’s grip could be considered either the saw grip or the claw grip since he uses a cupped right hand. How important was it for Dimarco to make a putting grip change? Some folks say that Dimarco’s switch to the saw grip may have saved his pro career back in the mid-1990s.

Dimarco has won three times on the PGA Tour in his career and has come close to winning a major on three different occasions.

Other Common Putting Grips

Vardon Grip

You’ve likely heard of the overlapping grip, which is often used for a full swing. It was made famous by Harry Vardon, a famous golfer from the early 1900s that won seven major championships.

With the Vardon grip, the left-hand holds the club in a neutral position. The right pinkie laps over the left index finger. 

The Vardon grip works great for full swings but can cause problems while putting since the wrists can easily roll before making contact with the golf ball. For this reason, not many golfers use the Vardon grip while putting.

Cross-Handed Grip

This grip is also known as the left-hand low grip. As its name implies, the left-hand acts as the bottom hand with this putting grip. Jim Furyk, one of the most consistent putters on the PGA Tour, has used the left-hand low putting grip his entire career.

Lots of golfers say that the cross-handed grip helps give them a better feel of the putter head. For this reason, lots of pro golfers go to the cross-handed technique when they are in the middle of a putting slump.

Claw Grip

The claw grip can be considered a variation of the saw grip. The only difference is that with the claw grip, the right hand has more of a cupped shape to it. Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, has been using the claw putting grip for several years.

Though there are lots of variations of the claw grip, most of them have the fingers of the right hand pointing down the shaft. This grip helps reduce the use of the golfer’s dominant hand and often leads to a more accurate putting stroke.

Reverse Overlap Grip

The reverse overlap grip is the most widely used putting grip on the PGA Tour. Lots of golfers consider it to be the most comfortable of all the putting grips and it is considered to be the most conventional. PGA Tour stars like Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and a whole host of others use the reverse overlap grip.

With the reverse overlap, the golfer takes his left forefinger and laps it over his right pinkie and right ring finger. Many golfers feel that the reverse-overlapping grip prevents their hands from rolling over just before impact. This is a huge key to putting with more consistency.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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Arm lock putting grips are currently all the rage on the PGA Tour as stars like Bryson DeChambeau, Webb Simpson, Matt Kuchar, and Will Zalatoris have all started using it.

So what is the arm lock putting grip and will it help your game?

This putting grip is a remarkable aid to making smooth, safe, and speedy putts. Learn more about it and our top brand picks here.

What is an Arm Lock Putting Grip?

The arm lock putting grip has skyrocketed in popularity over the last few years because more and more famous PGA Tours are using it. Armlock putting is a different style that helps take the hands and wrists out of the putting stroke by resting the putter grip against the left forearm. 

The goal of the arm lock putting style is to make the left arm an extension of the putter. This makes the golfer use the shoulders when putting, which helps create a more natural rhythm during the stroke. The armlock putting style may be the perfect solution for golfers who are struggling with the putting yips.

This unique putting style requires a different kind of putter or an extended grip. While most standard putters are only 33 to 35 inches long, an arm lock putter is in the 40 to 43 inch range. Armlock putters are a little bit heavier and have some extra loft as well.

To use the arm lock putting technique, golfers will also need a longer putter grip. This makes it much easier to rest the grip against the lead forearm (left arm for right-handed golfers). Most golfers that use the arm lock putting style need a grip that is between 17 and 21 inches.

How to Hold an Arm Lock Putter

Before using any arm lock putter, keep in mind that the putter grip can’t exceed past your elbow. Also, the golfer must not use his right hand to keep the putter grip against his left forearm. If a golfer does either of these it’s considered a violation of USGA Rule 14-1b, which bans the use of an anchor point during putting strokes.

Here’s a quick guide on how to hold an arm lock putter:

1. Firmly grab the putter grip near the bottom and make sure the top of the handle doesn’t extend past your elbow.
2. Rest the putter grip tightly against your left forearm and lock it in place
3. Place the right hand anywhere on the grip to help guide your putting stroke. Lots of golfers prefer the right hand to be a tad lower than their left but this is simply a matter of personal comfort

Can you put an arm-lock grip on any putter?

Yes, any putter can be converted into an arm lock putter. All you need to buy is a specialty arm lock grip that will replace the grip of your traditional putter. 

While there are certain arm-lock putters on the market, they are very expensive ($300-$400). Most golfers do just fine with changing out their putter grip to make it armlock friendly.

Pros Who Use an Arm Lock Putter

Here’s a list of some professional players who use this grip…

Bryson DeChambeau

Though more well known for his insanely long drives off the tee, DeChambeau is also known for using an arm lock putter. The 2020 U.S. Open champion went to the arm lock putting style after his side-saddle putting method was deemed illegal back in 2017.

DeChambeau says that being able to rest the putter grip against his forearm helps make his putting stroke more repeatable. That high level of repeatability has resulted in more consistency on the greens for DeChambeau.

Webb Simpson

Simpson has been one of the most consistent putters on the PGA Tour for quite some time. The 7-time PGA Tour event winner used the belly putter for a few of his victories before both the USGA and R&A outlawed it. After the ban on the belly putter, Simpson switched to the arm lock grip putter.

Keegan Bradley

Like Simpson, Bradley used the belly putter while winning a major championship, the 2011 PGA Championship. Bradley has always looked up to Simpson, so he made the switch to the arm lock putter right after Simpson did. Bradley has four career PGA Tour victories.

Matt Kuchar

Kuchar has always been a very good putter but, like all golfers, he’s constantly seeking ways to improve. The 9-time PGA Tour winner wanted to get back to the forward press that he’d used as an amateur so he decided to give the arm lock style a try in 2011. The move paid huge dividends, as “Kuuuuuch” has won six times since making the switch.

Bubba Watson

Watson had used a traditional putting technique until 2019, when he started tinkering with the armlock putting grip with some help from Bryson DeChambeau. Watson has gone back and forth between the armlock and the standard reverse overlap grip in recent years. He is one of the few lefties to try the arm lock style.

Xander Schauffele

Schuaffele has called for a ban on arm lock putters in the past. However, the 4-time PGA Tour was spotted using an arm lock putter several times during the 2021 season. Schuaffele said, “I had to see what the craze was about” (Golf Digest).

5 Arm Lock Putting Grips to Check Out

1. Arm-Lock Golf Putter Grip

This putter grip is certified by the USGA and provides golfers with a ton of stability. Golfers love the extended grip length of 17 inches. This grip automatically adds 2 to 3 degrees of loft which helps cancel out the delofting that happens when you rest the grip against your forearm.

Price: $38.99 or $42.00 for the larger Big Red Version (19.5”)

Link to Buy on Amazon

2. JumboMax Armlock 21 Golf Putter Grip

Here’s another great option for golfers looking to try the arm lock putting technique. Though this grip isn’t as thick as some other brands, it’s 21 inches long which makes it ideal for golfers who desire a longer grip. This grip is personally endorsed by Bryson DeChambeau.

Price: $28.99

Link to Buy on Amazon

3. Winn 17-Inch Long Pistol Putter Grip, Dark Grey

Winn has been making high quality golf grips for quite some time. This 17 inch grip may be called a pistol grip, but it can easily be used when utilizing the arm lock technique. It has an impressive 4.7 rating on Amazon and the price is incredibly low.

Price: $16.99

Link to Buy on Amazon

 

4. Winn PolyCord 21 Inch Round Belly Grip

Here is another option from Winn for golfers that want a putter grip that is a bit longer. Though this is listed as a belly grip, it can be used as an arm lock grip as well. The red and black color has a nice look to it.

Price: $19.95

Link to Buy on Amazon

 

5. SuperStroke Traxion Flatso 17 Golf Putter Grip

This SuperStroke arm lock putter grip gets high marks for its high amount of control and comfort. This grip is 17 inches long and is made specifically for golfers who rest the grip against the forearm of their leading arm. The technology SuperStroke uses helps golfers use less grip pressure when putting.

Price: $34.00

Link to Buy on Amazon

 

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

Source link

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