To hold a putter, put both hands together on the grip with your thumbs running straight down the flat front. Keep your grip pressure light and your palms facing each other, then let your shoulders rock the putter back and through. The rest of this guide covers the details that turn wobbly putts into straight ones.
How do you hold a putter properly?
Hold the putter with both hands touching on the grip, palms facing each other and thumbs pointing straight down the flat top of the handle. Your lead hand (the left for right-handers) goes on top, and your trail hand sits just below it. Grip lightly, let your arms hang, and line up the putter face square to where you want the ball to go.
Most putter grips have a flat front edge. It's there to help you: rest both thumbs on that flat and your hands will sit square without you having to think about it. If your thumbs wander off to the sides, the face of the putter usually follows them.
Try to keep your forearms and the putter shaft roughly in one line. Seen from the side, your wrists should look neither cocked up nor sagging. This shape takes the small wrist muscles out of the stroke, and those are what flick putts off line.
Which putter grip should a beginner use?
Start with the standard grip: lead hand on top, trail hand below, and the index finger of your lead hand resting over the fingers of the trail hand. It's comfortable, it keeps the hands linked, and it's the usual starting point. If your putts keep pulling or your wrists twitch, try the cross-handed grip, with the lead hand placed low instead.
Here are the three grips worth knowing:
- Standard (reverse overlap): the default choice. Lead hand on top, lead index finger draped over the trail hand.
- Cross-handed (lead hand low): swap the hands so the lead hand sits lower. It levels your shoulders and quietens a jumpy trail hand.
- Claw: the trail hand turns sideways and pinches the grip lightly between thumb and fingers. Good for players whose trail hand takes over.
Pick one and stick with it for a whole round. Changing grip after every miss teaches you nothing.
How hard should you grip a putter?
Lighter than you think. On a scale where ten is squeezing as hard as you can, aim for about four. A soft grip lets the putter swing freely and gives you a better feel for distance. A tight grip stiffens your forearms, speeds up your hands and makes it much harder to roll the ball the right length.
A useful check: you should be able to feel the weight of the putter head swinging at the end of the shaft. If you can't, you're strangling it. Keep the same pressure from start to finish, because a grip that tightens just before impact is a common cause of short, jabbed putts. A grip pressure guide from Inside Golf uses the same one to ten scale and recommends a light hold to keep the feel needed to judge distance.
How should you stand when putting?
Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart, knees softly flexed, and bend forward from the hips until your arms hang naturally. Your eyes should sit roughly over the ball, or just inside it. Place the ball slightly forward of centre, and keep your feet, hips and shoulders parallel to the line you want the ball to start on.
Spread your weight evenly between your feet, or lean a touch onto your lead side, and keep still from setup until the ball is well on its way. Bobbing your head up to watch the putt is the classic beginner habit. Listen for the ball dropping instead.
The stroke itself is a gentle rock of the shoulders, like a pendulum. Take the putter back and through about the same distance, and control distance with the length of the backswing. On angled holes, the same steady stroke makes bank shots off the borders far easier to judge.
What putting mistakes do beginners make most?
The big ones are gripping too tightly, flicking the wrists, looking up too early and decelerating into the ball. Each one twists the putter face or changes its speed at the moment of contact. Fix your grip pressure first, then focus on a smooth stroke that keeps moving through the ball, and most of the other faults will start to settle down.
If the ball keeps finishing right or left, check the putter face at address before you blame the stroke. Many misses begin with a face that was aimed off line from the start. If putts come up short, let the backswing grow a little longer, keep the tempo the same, and follow through towards the target.
Where can you practise putting in Chiang Mai?
A garden mini golf course is a relaxed place to test a new grip, because every hole ends with a short putt to finish. Mini Golf CNX is an 18-hole garden course in Chiang Mai with shaded garden seating for breaks, and you can walk in any day between 09:00 and 18:00 without booking.
| Detail | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Holes | 18, set in a garden |
| Booking | None needed, walk in |
| Opening hours | Every day, 09:00 to 18:00 |
| Round length | About 1 to 2 hours |
| Food and drink | Cold drinks, snacks and ice cream on site |
| Between holes | Shaded garden seating, plus cornhole, board games and frisbee |
| Groups | Groups, birthdays and events welcome, message ahead so space is set aside |
If someone in your party is a keen golfer, mini golf also slots neatly into a Chiang Mai golf trip for the non-golfers along for the ride. Find out more on the course page before you go.