This unorthodox putting technique can suit your putting needs

Golf instruction is constantly evolving, but the best advice stands the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Timeless Tips, we highlight some of the greatest advice from teachers and players in the pages of Golf magazine. Today we look back at the December 1988 issue and look at Paul Azinger’s putting skills.
Putting can be a maddening skill. While it usually constitutes the shortest of shots, mastering touch on the green can sometimes feel impossible. Even professionals encounter difficulties sometimes.
Is there an example of this? Twelve-time PGA Tour winner Paul Azinger. In the mid-1980s, Singer had yet to win on tour and was not in the top 100 in putting. So he turned to pro player Corey Pavin for help.
What Pavin shares with Azinger is an unconventional putting grip and technique on the greens. Although it looks a bit funky, it’s very effective. Once he got into the game, he started racking up wins, culminating in a major victory at the 1993 PGA Championship.
Amid Azinger’s putting renaissance, he joins golf magazine Showing our readers how this funky technology works – and how they can apply it to their own games. Take a look below.
Azinger’s unique putting technique
This is my putter grip [below]. Seems weird, right? It may look weird, but it works. When I took it from Tour pro Corey Pavin in late 1985, I was ranked 134th on the putting leader list; this year, I’m fourth.
I recommend this grip, especially if you think your putter hits too wristy, or if you want your putter to feel like an extension of your left arm.
First I’ll explain how to catch it. While you’re practicing, keep reading: I also have some unorthodox ideas about ball striking, and a different strategy than most pros for hole-in-the-eye putts.
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When gripping the club, place your left hand on the club in a very weak position with your palm almost under the handle. The right hand is very powerful and is also underneath, so the fleshy heel covers the middle and ring fingers of the left hand. Stretch your left index finger across the back of your right hand so that the fingertip is between the two middle finger knuckles. Make sure your left thumb rests on the fingers of your right hand, not on the shaft.
The main advantage of this grip is that it stabilizes the left wrist so that the left arm and putter shaft become one. When the wrists are locked, neither hand can dominate the movement. This keeps the putter face at right angles to the target line as you pull the club back and swing.
But grip isn’t all that’s different about what I do. I like to “shock” the ball with short strokes rather than a long, smooth swing. I never worry about how long the backswing takes. Instead, I stand over the ball and imagine the line where I want the ball to roll away from the front of the ball, and then I “pop” it along that line. I made sure to follow the direction of the hole and maintain my final position – blade up and away – rather than sit back.
My strokes may be firm, but I’m not an aggressive putter, meaning I don’t try to hit the ball home by bouncing it off the back of the cup. To do this, you have to roll the ball through the center of the hole, and if it’s even a little off, it’s likely to slide out. I hit the ball softly enough so that even if the ball doesn’t hit the exact center of the hole, it still has a chance of grabbing the edge of the hole and falling in.
There’s another drawback to punching the hole: the second putt is too long. If you miss an aggressive putt, you may face a three- or four-foot counterattack. When my soft putter misses, I only have 8 to 10 inches to negotiate. If my second putt is longer than this, I feel like I hit it too hard. My feeling is that if I miss a birdie, I prefer to hit it easy left rather than keep catching the ball three feet. I’d rather “give me” a par putt than risk a three-putt bogey.
My plan changed slightly on the long putt. Since I need to cover 40 or more feet, I try to hit the ball into a two-foot-wide bucket around the hole. While I don’t usually like to leave the ball outside the hole, I don’t mind a somewhat shy long shot as long as my second putt has only two feet left.
An argument sometimes made against gently rolling the ball on a short, pressure putt is that it’s more reliable when you’re nervous about making your strongest shot and hitting the ball into the back of the cup. I disagree with this statement as you still have to hit the hole correctly to get the ball to land. Even on the most critical putts, I still prefer to take a gentle approach, thanks to a pre-shot routine I developed to calm my nerves. I control my breathing: inhale for a slow, leisurely count of four, then exhale for a count of four. If you’ve ever seen me walk up the fairway facing a pressure putt, you can be sure I’m doing it, and I’ll continue to do it when I’m getting ready to hit the ball.
This routine calms my pounding heartbeat, which helps me avoid making any nervous, hasty movements that might interfere with my stroke. This routine also gives me something to think about as I prepare, helping me take the pressure off of having to putt.
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