Golf and a lot of sports seem to breed superstition among athletes.
As golfers, we tend to do the same things every round in order to keep the Golf Gods happy and hopefully, play better golf.
Some players only keep one marker in their golf bag, even if it’s 15 years old. Other players always carry five tees in their right pocket and only put their glove in the back left pocket. It’s all personal preference and at the end of the day, we’re all just trying to play our best golf.
Aside from superstition, most of us aren’t afraid to ask the Golf Gods for some extra help either. We ask them things like:
- Not let our golf ball hit the cart path and end up out of bounds
- To give us the courage to hit the scary shot over water with the match on the line.
- To have that ball that is sitting on the lip of the cup, tumble one more rotation and go into the hole.
We’re always asking for a little help, sometimes even praying, for a good break.
A new way to appease them might come in the form of a putting grip. It’s called the prayer grip and is becoming more and more popular with pros and amateurs alike.
Keep reading to learn more about this unique grip and see if you can “pray your way” to better putting.
Prayer Putting Grip – Everything You Need to Know
So, what is the prayer grip anyway? How does it affect your putting stroke?
In essence, you grip the putter with your hands on both sides of the grip… as if you were praying. It’s also known as the palms facing grip as your right or left hand isn’t lower than the other. Which goes against pretty much everything we know about putting.
The index finger of each hand goes down the shaft and it’s far from a conventional grip. And it’s even different from the arm lock and other styles you might be familiar with.
So, what are the prayer putting grip features? Where do your place your hands specifically?
Let’s get into it…
How to Use Prayer Grip
First off, I don’t know who to credit for this style as information is sparse online. I can’t attribute one specific instructor or teacher for this method.
But good news is that you don’t need to do much to get started.
To give this method a try, you might need a larger grip as a smaller grip won’t work. Since your hands will be in a very different position than normal, a smaller grip won’t do the trick. Check out the links below to find the best grips for this method.
Once you have the right grip, you want to place your hands on the grip facing each other… just like you’re praying. Your left thumb and right thumb are next to each on the grip.
The grip should run through the main part of your hands and your entire palm will wrap around the shaft of the golf club.
Start by placing your left palm on the grip. Then, add your right palm so your index fingers are placed directly down the shaft. Interlock your wingers or wrap them around each other.
Please note, like other grips, there are different variations though. Some players have their index finger down the shaft, while others have their left index finger curl around. If you have both your left index finger and right on the shaft, it canhelp with additional support and more control to keep the putter face square.
Why Prayer Putter Grip Works
Due to your right and left hand position, most of the movement is going to happen with your shoulders, not your hands. This style also forces you to grip the putter lightly as the grip is so big, which should help with your rhythm.
The prayer grip will help create a perfect triangle with your arms. It should help with a smooth stroke and simple “One – Two” tempo that all good putters use. Simply grip it like you’re about to pray to the big guy and watch how your putting motion gets smoother than ever.
Advantages
One of the main benefits to using this grip is that your hands are at the same level, thus keeping your shoulders level as well. As opposed to a traditional grip where your right shoulder is slightly lower than your left. Vice versa if you use a left hand low grip, also called a cross handed grip.
This should help create a more pendulum stroke as it creates a triangle between your shoulders and arms. Neither hand will dominate the stroke like other methods and should help you stay in a neutral position.
Another benefit is that your hand movement will be minimized due to the position and size of the grip. This might help if you are someone who gets too wristy in your putting motion and causes you to miss putts.
Lastly, if you tend to grip the putter too tight, especially with your dominant hand, this might help too. When you add too much pressure with your right hand, it can lead to missing a lot of putts to the right of the hole. This might help you avoid that as it doesn’t allow a “death grip” as Tiger Woods once called excess grip pressure.
Disadvantages
The main downside to this grip is that you need to buy and install a different type of grip.
A standard grip won’t work due to your hand position. Unlike a normal grip, you can’t alternate between traditional, claw, or cross handed. This isn’t very practical for the average golfer.
Plus, it takes some getting used too and might struggle with dialing in the speed of the greens when you first start out.
Prayer Grip Drill
While there are pros and cons to every style of grip, there is an extra con with this method. You can’t try this one out without getting a new grip and committing 100% to it.
Instead, you can use it as a drill on the practice green. This will help you get some additional rhythm back in your stroke, minimize grip pressure, and reset your stroke.
To learn how to use it as a drill, watch this Golf Channel video as it details the drill more and shows you how to get started.
I do something similar with the claw putting grip. While I putt traditionally, sometimes my right dominant hand gets over active. On the putting green, I use the claw method to minimize my right hand in practice but putt normally on the golf course.
The same works with this drill as you can train your stroke on the putting green to help improve your target line, and sync your upper body for a perfect stroke.
Professionals That Use the Prayer Method
I’m sure you’ve wondered, who uses the prayer grip? It’s a good question – here are some elite player in the world who use this grip:
- Matt Wallace
- Matthie Pavon
- Stephen Brown
- Jordan Smith
- Whitney Hillier
Other PGA Tour players and professionals prefer arm lock putting grip, a reverse overlap grip, left-hand low, and all kinds of other methods.
Prayer Putter Grips
As I mentioned, if you want to try out this putter grip, you have to commit to it by buying and installing a new grip. You shouldn’t use your current, traditional grip with the prayer style. Instead, you need to buy a larger one that allows your hands to get into the right position.
Here are some of our top picks:
Two Thumb Grip
While there is a large selection out there, Two Thumb Grip seems to be the clear leader in this new method. They offer six different models including the OG Lite, Octogrip, and Pistol 7E to help you find the right one for your hands.
They also make it easy to find the right one using their grip selector tool. Specifically, this helps find the right one based on your stroke.
If you are someone who has a straight arc (known as a straight back, straight through method), it’s quite different from an in to out putting stroke. This way your grip matches your preferred stroke path and sets you up for success.
Two Thumb Grip also claims it can help if you have the dreaded “Y” word with your putting. As they said on their website,
“A major contributing factor to the ‘yips’ is too much grip pressure which leads to greater tension in the wrists. One effective way to reduce the pressure is to increase the surface area of the grip and by doing so the natural result is a reduction on grip pressure and therefore tension.
For this reason our Octogrip, OG Lite and OG Taper range would be a great option for you to try which can be used in conjunction with any grip technique.”
They also ship domestically and internationally. Click here to learn more about them now and find the grip for your game.
FAQs About the Prayer Grip
Do you have more questions about this unique grip? If so, hopefully we’ll answer them and put more putting advice below to build your confidence on the greens.
What putting grip is the best? Claw grip? Traditional?
Whatever grip works the best for your stroke. You should always use the grip that helps you have the most amount of confidence over every putt.
Too many players try to use a grip their friend recommended or copy the one that their favorite PGA Tour player uses. This is not a good idea and instead, should do some trial and error to see what works best for you.
The type of putter, your stance, hand size, stroke, and other factors all play a pivotal role in deciding which style to adopt. Once you do find a grip that works for you, don’t switch unless you’re going through a slump.
The old saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” applies perfectly to golf and your grip. Mastering your stroke on the greens is tricky business so don’t make it harder on yourself by trying a new grip without reason.
How do you grip a putter?
So, what are the different putting grips out there?
Unlike a full swing, there are tons of putting grips. While this article discusses the prayer style a lot, there are tons of other methods including:
- Claw grip like Justin Rose
- Arm lock grip like Bryson DeChambeau
- Traditional grip style like Tiger Woods
- Cross Handed grip style like Jordan Speith
- Long putter (2-hand grip) like Adam Scott
While a belly putter style (where the butt-end goes into your stomach) is no longer allowed by the USGA or is anchoring of any sort. There are also variations of these such as a reverse overlap grip and more.
What is the standard putting grip?
A standard or traditional grip is similar to how you grip the club with a normal golf swing.
Your right hand is lower on the grip and the left hand is the more dominant one. While some players, including Tiger Woods, interlock their grip in a full swing, this isn’t the case with a traditional putting grip.
A standard grip is usually a good way to learn putting and build a solid foundation. Then, you can try out other grips (like the claw grip) and others to see if they perform better.
The opposite of a standard grip is cross-handed, which is also known as left-hand low. This is another common grip that minimizes wrist action and is used by PGA Tour players including Jordan Speith.
Is the arm lock putting method effective?
Like any grip, it’s something that you need to test out as it works for some while others don’t love it.
With the arm lock, you need a longer putter as it will rest on your left forearm (for right-handed golfers). The putter head shouldn’t move as much and it does provide some shaft lean which is a common trait among good players.
You also need different sized grips and a different putter for this method to work properly.
Should you choke down on a putter?
Choking down on a putter produces similar results to choking down on a golf club for a full swing. When you choke down from the top of the putter, you make the club shorter and easier to control.
For putting, I think you should only choke down on short putts or ones that are downhill and very fast. With short putts, you don’t need to hit it far so choking up is a good way to keep the face stable through impact. For downhill putts, it will give you more control and let you ease the putt down to the hole without it racing by too far.
You should also make sure you have the right putter length too. This is an important part of putting that a lot of players skip over and often play putters that aren’t suited for their height.
Click here to learn more about using the perfect putter length.
How hard should you grip a putter?
This is one of the best questions that you can ask yourself when it comes to putting. While the grip itself is talked about and plays a big role, never forget about hand pressure either.
Grip pressure is one of the most critical parts of putting and is quite different from a full swing. With putting, you want much less grip pressure than you do with a full swing.
If you had to think about pressure on a 1-10 scale, one being barely holding and ten being a death grip, you want a four. Basically, just enough to make sure the club face won’t twist too much but have a good hold on the putter handle.
At the same time, you don’t want too much grip pressure as it will reduce your feel and add tension. When you grip the club too tight, it adds tension to your forearms and upper body which makes it hard to make a consistent stroke.
Whatever grip you decide to use on the putting green, make sure to always check your pressure. Especially on significant putts where you tend to get a little tense and nervous. This will definitely help you drain more putts.
Final Thoughts on Prayer Putting Grip
The prayer grip is a unique golf putting technique to hold the putter.
While it’s certainly not one of the common putting grips, it might help the putter shaft and head help you produce better results. At the end of the day, you just need to test it out if you’re having some putting woes.
Some golfers swear by it while others are terrified just thinking about it. Like the arm lock, left-hand low or other style, it can work and isn’t inherently good or bad. Instead, it offers a unique approach to placing your hands on the grip and hopefully, improves your putting.
Even if you don’t want to buy a new larger grip and commit 100%, you can use the prayer drill. This will help minimize hand movement, reduce grip pressure, and help you create better rhythm in your stroke.
Just remember, whatever grip you decide, find one you love and stick with it. Don’t try to change it every week or month. Find a grip style you love, practice with it, and keep with it unless you go into a major slump.
Hopefully, a prayer to the Golf Gods and this style can help you drain more putts.