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These are the most common putting grips on the PGA Tour. Which is best for you?

January 7, 2020

Putting grips. There are many. But what are the most common ones on the PGA Tour? A recent post from Smartline Putting on Instagram did a great job analyzing the putting grips of all the Top 70 FedEx Cup finishers on the PGA Tour last season. Here’s how it came out, with some thoughts on what might be best for you.

1. Conventional, 48 players (68.5 percent)

The most common grip on tour is the conventional, reverse overlap golf grip. It’s a slight variation of the same grip you use for your full swing, and helps the hands work together with less wrist hinge.

Used by: Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jason Day


2. Left hand low, nine players (12.9 percent)

A distant second to conventional but still the second-most common on tour, the left hand low (or cross-handed) grip, puts the dominant hand in a position where it helps power the club without manipulating the clubface. This would be right hand low for left-handed players. It also brings the shoulders to a more level position at address, which can help keep the putter low to the ground through the stroke.

Used by: Jordan Spieth, Alex Noren, Dustin Johnson (sometimes)


3. The Claw, six players (8.6 percent)

The Claw comes in as the third-most used grip on tour. It takes the dominant hand almost completely off the club, to prevent it from closing the putterface unintentionally, and its only purpose becomes adding a little stability.

Used by: Justin Rose, Tommy Fleetwood, Tony Finau

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4. Arm Lock, four players (5.8 percent)

Most commonly used with a conventional grip, the shaft of the putter rests up against the lead forearm, which promotes the arm and putter moving as one unit.

Used by: Matt Kuchar, Keegan Bradley, Bryson DeChambeau


5. Arm lock with claw, two players (2.8 percent)

Combining the claw with the arm lock method makes the stroke very lead-side oriented, and takes the trail arm almost entirely out of the stroke.

Used by: Webb Simpson


6. Broomstick, one player (1.4 percent)

The broomstick method has waned in popularity in recent years, and has been phased out almost entirely since the anchor ban.

Used by: Adam Scott