PAGE 4: CLAW/PENCIL GRIP

#4 - CLAW/PENCIL GRIP

The Claw grip, and similarly Pencil grip, is one of the most unusual golf putting grips where the fingers of the bottom hand are on top of the grip rather than on the bottom (similar to a violin grip), and the hand is hooked in place by wrapping the right thumb around and underneath the grip.

The form described by the thumb and the rest of the fingers reminds of a lobster’s pincer or claw, hence the name. The left hand is placed on the putter grip in the traditional way.

This style of putting grip forces the left hand to take the lead, eliminating the feeling of the wrists breaking down in the stroke. 

Things to watch out for with this stroke is that when the elbow is misaligned, the forearms will also be misaligned. You will want to pay attention to the alignment of your forearms to ensure they are parallel to your target line.