How important is it really to have putter grip 'exactly' straight

[EricL]

So just how important is it to you to have your putter grip exactly straight? Now I would like it just because I'm a bit of a perfectionist about these things, and when I installed a Super Stroke grip on my Yes Callie, the putter rotated ever so slightly in the vise while I was installing it, and now it's misaligned by about 2*. And if you've ever done one, you' know there no adjusting a SS after the fact. I was going to practice with it this way on the carpet till spring rolled around then replace it, but I've found it really doesn't seem to be impacting my accuracy. My drill is to align the putter face, take a grip, align my feet, and go. I've found I don't really pay attention to to my hands, but focus on the putter head and ball. I've never read a study on this and although common sense would say it should be straight, perception and reality don't always intersect, Thoughts?

[Shambles]

I made much the same mistake with a putter grip a long time ago and actually played it for a time. Big mistake. Regardless that I also am not consciously aware of my hands when I putt, they do have a way of having their way with you. I was rather surprised to discover that I was correcting my hands regardless that I was not aware of them and in the end, I corrected the misalignment and shortly after found my putting more comfortable.

 

 

Shambles

[RookieBlue7]

I blow all my putter grips on, so if its not perfect, I bump it with air and turn till its straight. Superstroke grips included. There really is no better way to install grips, IMO,

[EricL]

Great idea, do you have a compressor?

[RoverRick]

I did a thread about this last September that might offer some more light on it.

 

http://forum.mygolfspy.com/topic/6879-is-it-you-or-is-your-grip-crooked/

 

I will say that since then I regripped that putter and never felt comfortable with it. I finally had it regripped again by someone else. This way, I knew when I took it out of the bag that the putter was straight, and it was up to me to make the putt. It was certainly worth the $9.

 

Before I did this I was going to get a Super Stroke grip. I thought I would love the super stroke grip and it was going to be an answer to my prayers. I was about to order one but could not decide which size. So I decided to wrap my current putter grip with ace bandages so that they were approximately the same as the different SuperStrokes. I started with the biggest and worked my way down to the smallest.

 

I wrapped it up and went to my 7' putting green, lined up my shot, and missed. Missed the hole, missed the ramp, missed the whole damned machine and barely even hit the same wall I was hitting towards. Whoa! Talk about shocked. Did it again, and several more times and never got withing 2 feet of the hole with the 2" putter grip. Unwrapped it, and while I was at least hitting the east wall of the house then, I still did not close to the hole. Finally, I learned that I needed the smallest grip possible.

 

However, I have since learned, because believe it or not I have more than one putter, that with the fatter grip I must play the ball more forward in my stance.

 

Now that I have rambled on let me say this to your question. Does 2* make a difference? Hell Yes. The reason it does is because you know it is 2* off. Hell if it were 20* and you did not know then who cares. But every time you pull that putter out you know it is not right. That is in your mind. How can you make a putt if you know that your equipment is faulty. If you do like Fuzzy Zoeller. and intentionally do that because that feels better it is totally different.

[EricL]

Confidence is everything.

[Will Par]

I had an experience much the same as Shambles. My putting was screwed up for two or three months because I installed a putter grip slightly open. This was such a bad experience that I check my grip almost every week to be sure it is still square. And if I change putters, the first thing I check is the grip.

 

It's a mistake I won't make again. Don't trust how the ball rolls inside on a carpet or during practice. It will bite you when you have one of those pressure short putts. It only costs a few dollars to buy a new putter grip and get it on square. It's money well spent. Closest you will ever get to buying confidence.

[fsav]

Agreed witht he above. if you can find a srynge get some solution in it and in ject it up the botton of the grp between the shaft and the grip. go about half way up the grip and stick the needle to the shaft and inject some there too. I did this a while ago and it worked great once you have a couple shot sinthe grip wiggle it so the solution has time to move around