Putting Grip Questions.

[bsammons]

I've found my putting grip is really detrimental to my putt. What is the best way to grip and release a putt? Do you actively release? Or is there a way to consistently and cleanly line up your joints to allow the disc to slide out of the hand?

 

[azplaya25]

Putting is really personal...unlike driving, there isn't a universal "correct" way to putt, or standard grip, or stance. It is really import that you get a clean release and a consistent motion that you can repeat every time. Also, I think most people are actively releasing the putt rather than just using your joints to let it slide out of your hand. Do a google search on "finger spring disc golf putts" there should be some stuff out there, that is what I do to get a consistent release. Good news is you can practice it inside

 

[JMONEY]

Call me crazy but I have playing for roughly 10 years and just recently experienced an ah-ha moment with my putting. I started using a unique version of a bonapane grip. From inside the circle hitting 8 of 10 and just outside the circle 6 of 10 and from 40 ft out 5 of 10. A huge improvement for me.

 

[bsammons]

Got a picture/short video of it in action?

 

[WeatherWimp]

I've read countless times there is not a single putting grip or form that has been shown to be the best.

One thing not strictly grip related is to try a few different putting form actions/grips in the mirror (w/o throwing) and make sure the disc is staying on a line to your target? Seems like that would be very beneficial no matter if you spin or push putt. It helped me anyway, I would have sword I was bringing the disc down straight along the line of my aim, going back up and releasing but that wasn't the case so I altered my putt until it was.

 

[sidewinder22]

What is the best way to grip and release a putt? Do you actively release? Or is there a way to consistently and cleanly line up your joints to allow the disc to slide out of the hand?

Putting is really personal...unlike driving, there isn't a universal "correct" way to putt, or standard grip, or stance.

I've read countless times there is not a single putting grip or form that has been shown to be the best.

True for driving as well.

http://www.golfwrx.com/91935/method-teaching/

How To Evaluate A Golf Swing - The Right Way!
Tue Oct 23, 2012 by Lance Gill

First Determine Efficiency, Then Style:
At the Titleist Performance Institute we are fortunate to have more 3D biomechanical data on the best players in the world than anyone else in the industry. By studying their data, along with amateur golfers that participate in our programs, we are able to gather information that gives us an insight into how to effectively work with each golfer as an individual and not use a standard approach for all golfers.

Using several 3D applications we are able to film at over 500 frames per second and track the speed, direction and sequence the body is moving during the golf swing. When merging the findings from this technology with a comprehensive physical evaluation that is performed on each player, we can determine why each golf swing is as unique as their finger print. We can also determine what makes their swing efficient or inefficient, regardless of their style. This provides us as the coach and the student with a quantum leap in learning as our research is based on fact not theory.

It has been common practice in golf instruction to compare a student to a swing of a tour professional and then point out the faults of that individual based on that model. This approach can certainly be used to point out the differences in style's between two individuals, but it does not explain why one is more efficient than the other. I have seen some amateurs and tour professionals that have the worst styles you have ever seen but are very efficient golfers. Using our technology we can show you hundreds of golf swings that are winning money on tour every week, but will break any and every model or method ever put in print.

If I showed you the sequence of movement under 3D of Ernie Els, Davis Love, Vijay Singh, Jim Furyk, Ray Floyd and John Daly you would have a difficult time seeing any difference at all. The way they use their body's to get the club from the top of the backswing to impact is almost identical yet there styles are totally unique and different.

We have discovered a unique signature that all great players have regardless of their individual styles. This signature is known in the biomechanics world as the Kinematic Sequence. For simplicity sake we will break the swing into four simple segments.

Lower body, Torso/Trunk, Arms/Hands, and Club. On the best ball strikers in the world these segments work like a synchronized whip on the downswing, and as a result create an efficient repetitive swing. The average amateur golfer has one or more of these segments out of position and as a result has to manipulate the club in order to make contact with the ball. This results in a loss of speed and accuracy and an inefficient motion.

As stated earlier, the information we get from our 3D system is then compared to the physical evaluation and short game evaluation of each participant to come up with their individualized program of success. We feel this is the best way to get to the bottom of the problem, if there is one, and start the player on the road to success.

https://www.mytpi.com/articles/biomechanics/how_to_evaluate_a_golf_swing_-_the_right_way

In the beginning you can see the 4 different "style points" going into the backswing:


From the bottom of the backswing to the finish, it's easier to see the same meat and potatoes:

 

[araytx]

I have a video that was hit more than 20,000 times within about 3 or 4 months when I first posted it. https://www.facebook.com/araydiscgolf/videos/418699051823943/. Interestingly it was when a player asked for some tips and sent in to me a video of what he was doing. This video was originally made specifically for Richard, but many people started sharing it out.
You may have to like my FB page to get to it.

I point out that the grip is likely the least important thing in the putting stroke. I like to tell people to "get a comfortable grip, one where you can get a consistent release and consistent flight out of the putter." If you can do that, you can be taught how to make a lot more putts than you are making now. Nearly every inconsistent putter I see who is hit and miss all the time has an inconsistent release or flight. Other people do have the consistent release and consistent flight -- but they will have days where they are missing everything and days when they make everything.

Your issues may or may not have to do with the grip directly; the grip change may have made you do some of the other things right.

 

[BillFleming]

I've been playing for about 18 months....and I'm still trying to figure out putting within circle 1 (forget outside there-one thing at a time).

I realized I had/have two issues putting. Focus and consistency.

Focus: I would look at my spot, but in the act of throwing, I would look away from my spot and the disc would miss. Hard to fix that - it just takes constant work on focusing on one spot.

Consistency: My putts would be all over the place - high, low, right, left - that was mainly due to my issues with focusing on my target, but my putting style had a lot to do with it also.

Solution (for the most part...still have to work on maintaining focus). I watched tournament rounds and saw how the successful putters putted. I made note of the different styles and what was similar. Then I went out to my basket and putted 10 times from 10 foot with one style...then from 20 and 30 foot. I made note of how each putt went and how it felt. Then I started over with another style, repeat until done. Things I changed and tested: Grip, stance, style (push/spin putt). It took a while to try all combinations, but I finally found one that works pretty well for me.

I ended up with a fan grip, my pointer finger slightly under the rim, thumb and middle two fingers applying the pressure, slightly between a saddle stance and stagger stance, elbow locked straight, wrist slightly bent (to give a slight spin on release), slightly bent knees, make the putt and lift the back foot (for me being right handed, my left foot comes off the ground - see Paul McBeth's putting). I don't know why the back foot coming off the ground makes a difference, but it does. If I keep both feet on the ground, my putt doesn't have enough 'oomph' behind it and it also loses accuracy.

Anyways...try different things to see what works...it could even be your putter. I've tried 3 different putters before I found one I'm confident with.

 

[BillFleming]

I forgot....one thing I noticed was that foot placement was very important. If I straddle putted (I mistyped it as saddle in my previous post) with my left foot in line with the basket, I missed. I'm right-handed and I have to make sure that no matter how I stand (straddle, slightly staggered), my right foot MUST point to the basket. Even if the center of my body pointed at the basket I would miss. My right foot became key.

Disclaimer: this works for me....it may not for you...that is why trying different things is important.

 

[JMONEY]

Got a picture/short video of it in action?

I will try and upload something up soon.

 

[Casey 1988]

I've been playing for about 18 months....and I'm still trying to figure out putting within circle 1 (forget outside there-one thing at a time).

I realized I had/have two issues putting. Focus and consistency.

Focus: I would look at my spot, but in the act of throwing, I would look away from my spot and the disc would miss. Hard to fix that - it just takes constant work on focusing on one spot.

Consistency: My putts would be all over the place - high, low, right, left - that was mainly due to my issues with focusing on my target, but my putting style had a lot to do with it also.

Solution (for the most part...still have to work on maintaining focus). I watched tournament rounds and saw how the successful putters putted. I made note of the different styles and what was similar. Then I went out to my basket and putted 10 times from 10 foot with one style...then from 20 and 30 foot. I made note of how each putt went and how it felt. Then I started over with another style, repeat until done. Things I changed and tested: Grip, stance, style (push/spin putt). It took a while to try all combinations, but I finally found one that works pretty well for me.

I ended up with a fan grip, my pointer finger slightly under the rim, thumb and middle two fingers applying the pressure, slightly between a saddle stance and stagger stance, elbow locked straight, wrist slightly bent (to give a slight spin on release), slightly bent knees, make the putt and lift the back foot (for me being right handed, my left foot comes off the ground - see Paul McBeth's putting). I don't know why the back foot coming off the ground makes a difference, but it does. If I keep both feet on the ground, my putt doesn't have enough 'oomph' behind it and it also loses accuracy.

Anyways...try different things to see what works...it could even be your putter. I've tried 3 different putters before I found one I'm confident with.

That is my putt except with the thumb and single middle finger slightly behind the thumb and index finger on the wing either with a big bead/Concave Magnet like rim in front of the bead or with flat no/small bead wing index finger in a curved position. I do push off but the stance for me is a standard stagger stance where I try to line on front foot then have back foot further out but parallel to the front foot. with the throwing potion I start from just below waist due to this being a Spinning push putt so I do not need to be as low as a push putter. Then I do with the non throwing hand being an open track guide on the disc to get the disc to fly to the basket straight and not end up on ~35% to 45% line from straight. I used to set up feet in a line but then balance when I started adding the back leg push off that gets more and more till about the point I am at ~ 37-40 feet where I am then using my approach disc, a Shark with same putt starting over on leg kick as speed is faster to ~55 to 60 feet where I am then going to a sideways driving putt/approach stance with feet togther, maybe shoulder width apart.

My brother only uses the driving putt stance, with his feet shoulder width apart, this why he had used until He found the DX Stud in 2017, a specific Gator in DX beat to fly straight. He wants to power smash so hard into the basket no matter the brand the basket at the pole is wobbling, only gets this about 70% of the time that hard. But then he is so natural to never practice accuracy and within say 30 feet that he can do this to make disc in 90% of the time so as to not go 20-30 feet past basket with his putters. This for me will not work, though he does think everyone should putt this way.

 

[JMONEY]

I have posted some pics of my modified bonapane grip I use for putting.

 

[BeRReGoN]

I have posted some pics of my modified bonapane grip I use for putting.

I made an album of the different grips I tried recently.
https://imgur.com/a/SoH6lnC

Last 2 pictures are some kind of Bonapane fan grip like yours but with the little finger tip on the rim. I created a form thread for more details.