Pat O'Brien putting: Zach's grip Pat O'Brien PuttingTour proven Golf LessonsHomeDVDAboutArchivesSubscribe �Zach is back |Main| want to putt like Zach Johnson?�Here's how - www.golfweek.com� June 01, 2010Zach's grip�
� By now, you have heard from most commentators about Zach of grip and how he angles the shaft slightly behind the ball at address.I want to thank Ian Baker Finch, Nick Faldo and Jim Nantz from CBS for taking the time to talk to me about it.� I appreciate that it is unusual, and I will explain why.�
� This is a picture I took of Zach's grip Wednesday of colonial.Little did I know that I would be commenting on it again by Sunday!� I took it because he made a small adjustment on his off week, where he placed a little sliver of his left of the grip heel pad on top.This gave him a "locked in" feeling, without tension of course, and I wanted to document it for future reference.�
� If you are familiar with my teaching, this is not the grip that I advocate.� Below is my grip.
� My left heel pad is more on top, and my right heel pad covers more of my left hand finger.I believe you have better leverage with the left hand this way and the left wrist is less likely to break down through impact.� The right hand is less likely to dominate as well.� For more, go to earlier posts on the grip or have a look at my DVD.�
The main similarity between the two is that both of us have our forearms square to our target line.� Zach turns his right hand more under to achieve this, and it matches the feeling he has in his strong full swing grip.�
� When we first started working together in 2001, I let him keep his grip out of comfort and familiarity.� I did, however, remember a tip that Payne Stewart told me when he putted his best in 1999.He felt a slight cup in his left wrist at setup, and he maintained that the stroke angle throughout.� When I told Zach this, he liked the feeling and it has remained that way ever since.
If Zach were to keep his grip and get the shaft and his hands even with the ball, or slightly ahead of the ball, there would be way too much wrist play on the backswing.� He would create too much shaft angle, taking off loft of the putter.� He would then have to put that loft back on the putter before impact, or get a putter with 6 degrees of loft as a compensation.� His left wrist would break down or cup on the way through, giving a scooping sensation.This is exactly why people go to left hand low, or the claw, collapsing because they are tired of the sensation of the right hand taking over and the left hand.�
� So, in essence, we start with that cup and we maintain it.� He has 2.5 degrees of loft on his putter.� He probably starts with 4 degrees and it is the same at impact.When we put the ball on a camera, it rolls the way we want it to.That is about as technical as I get. I probably get beat up on the technical forums, but I'm ok with that.Putting is an art, not a science.
If you told me I could not grip the putter the way I wanted to, I would use Zach's grip. It obviously works for him, and I at the proud of his reputation from his peers as one of the best putters on tour.Although his style of grip is not what I teach, everything else he does is a textbook. I am smart enough to recognize that he is special and my thanks to the late, great Payne Stewart for preparing me to teach Zach, in a way.I do not think that any of this is coincidental-the big man upstairs gets all the credit!
Posted by Pat O'Brien on June 01, 2010 in 60% improves game fundamentals, player news, putting drills, tour news | PermalinkDigg this | save to del.icio.us comments verify your comment previewing your CommentPosted by: |.This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted.
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Pat O'Brien is the putting coach of two of the PGA Tour's best putters, 2007 Masters champion Zach Johnson and Ryder cupper Vaughn Taylor.This blog Pat's advice will share expertise and drills for superior short game performance based on his coaching with renowned tour pros, accomplished amateurs and everyday golfers.Contact me: pat@patobriengolf.comTel: 214.316.5303
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