World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has a new putting style for the 2024 Hero World Challenge. Teeing off with Sahith Theegala at the opening round in Albany, he was spotted using a new putting grip that he picked up while working with Phil Kenyon, his putting coach. In preparation for the 2023 Ryder Cup, Scottie Scheffler worked with him to implement a new change for the first time, aiming to improve his putting.

The technique, designed to minimize wrist movement and enhance consistency, helped Scheffler gain more confidence on the greens during the high-pressure event. As it turns out, he is using the same for the elite event. Whether it is working out or not? Well, that’s hard to tell, since he is tied for T3 after the first round with many others. Here is everything you need to know about the claw grip. 

The claw grip was brought into action publicly for the first time by Mark O’Meara almost two decades ago in 2003. Later on, it turned out to be one of the most popular strokes among the top players. It is the perfect golf grip for correcting the wrist hinge to increase speed. However, it sometimes turns out to be so strong that it might hurt the players using it on the greens. It uses the shoulders as the primary part and builds a rather hands-free action. This creates a smooth stroke, which generally helps the professionals on the faster greens. 

The claw grip is designed to prevent the right hand from becoming too active, helping maintain better control of the putter face. It’s particularly beneficial for players dealing with the “putting yips” or those who struggle on the greens. Lee Westwood, for example, saw significant improvement after adopting the grip.

As it turns out, when Scottie Scheffler tried using the claw grip for the first time, he faced a lot of trouble. He was spotted choking down more on the grip than he used to earlier. His upper body was tilted more towards the ball which also affected the putter alignment with his forearm. But how exactly should one use the grip?

The claw grip requires only light pressure

You should start by aligning the lead hand and positioning the putter in the palm, along the lifeline. Then you wrap the fingers around the handle, with the thumb resting on top and the back of the hand facing the hole. You should remember to apply light pressure with the grip. Gradually, introduce the bottom hand with the palm, ensuring it is facing the ground. Then separate the thumb and the forefinger, trying to create a nook on which the putter grip must rest. You should always remember to not apply too much pressure, even when trying to hit a larger distance as this makes your arm more prone to injury.

The World No. 1 seems to be very happy with his game. Although he made several mistakes on the front nine, according to him, especially on hole 9, which was an even par, his back nine went bogey-free. He ended the round with a 468-yard birdie. “I felt like I rolled it nice. I felt like I hit a lot of edges out there; the ball was kind of dancing around the cup. The putt I hit on 18 felt good, nice, went right in the middle of the hole,” said Scheffler.

What are your thoughts about his gameplay on Thursday and the claw grip? Let us know in the comments section below!