Spencer Levin has a putting style straight from Hollywood — Happy Gilmore, to be exact.
Just like the fictional cult hero Happy Gilmore, Levin grips the putter much like one would grip a hockey stick. His right hand sits low on the shaft while he grips the club with his left hand. It’s a very right-hand-dominant move, and it’s certainly not something you see every day.
“I just wasn’t putting very good,” Levin said last fall. “I was kind of fooling around with a split-grip on a normal putter and then I remembered that my old man had this putter in his garage where it was kind of designed [to be used] the way I’m doing it.”
The style might be unorthodox, but there’s a method to the madness. Levin, who’s been a pro since 2005, said last year he wasn’t comfortable standing over the ball addressing putts. His brain was getting in the way of his body, and he wasn’t able to make a solid stroke at the ball. After some experimenting, he settled on the hockey-style approach, which let him quit overthinking and helped him start the ball on better lines.
“When I’m struggling, I’m thinking too much,” he said. “The less you can think about and still be able to hit your line is definitely the way to go I think. Hopefully I’ve got more to that story.”
Over the weekend, that story got even better.
After successfully Monday qualifying into the Korn Ferry Tour’s Veritex Bank Championship, Levin played solid golf through three rounds, and was six shots back heading into Sunday. He played well through the first portion of his round — going one under through five holes — and then he got hot. The journeyman made seven birdies over his last 13 holes and turned in an eight-under 63. The Sunday charge was enough for a one-shot victory, his first ever on the KFT circuit.
“I felt calm all day, a lot calmer than I have in the past in situations where I have a chance to win,” Levin said. “I don’t know what it was, but something kind of came over me where I felt pretty good about everything and I didn’t really have any doubt on that one.”
Levin’s putting style might not look like what other pros do, but you can’t argue with that result. Being comfortable over the ball is much more important than doing what looks “right.” If you find yourself struggling with the flatstick, don’t be afraid to change things up to find your comfort zone.
