The Truth About Wrist Putting

Wrist putting has been around since the game began

Recently I read the claim of a marketer that wrist putting is a 'new wrist method' he invented. That makes me laugh. If he knew the history of golf, he would know that wrist putting has been around since the game began.

The most famous wrist putters were Bobby Jones, Arnold Palmer, Gene Sarazan, Bobby Locke, Billy Casper, Gary Player and even Jack Nicklaus for a time. So for anyone to make such a wild claim is laughable.

Watch the pros in action using the wrist putting method here »

In putting there are generally three styles…

1. Wrist Putting
2. Shoulder (Pendulum) Putting
3. Combination Putting

Wrist putting is a stroke where your arms remain stationary. You simply hinge your wrists back and forth to make the stroke. This was the most prevalent way to swing the putter during the 40s and 50s and up through the 60s.

There are two main reasons it was so widely used…

1. Putting greens were more shaggy and bumpy, and the wrist "slap" helped to get the ball to the hole
2. Many older putters, especially hickory-shafted ones, were heavier and harder to move at the speed required to roll the ball across those shaggier greens with an arm/shoulder stroke.

Arguably, Arnold Palmer was the best wrist putter to ever play the game.

Shoulder (pendulum) putting started to gain in popularity when greens began to get faster. Too much wrist action often led to inconsistent putting (although Arnie didn't seem to have a problem).

A shoulder stroke requires that your wrists remain stationary, and the putter is moved by a rotation of the shoulders, back and through.

Today, the putting method you see commonly is a combination of wrist and shoulder putting. The putter is brought back by a rotation of the shoulders, and then after impact the wrists release slightly to finish the stroke. Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and others all use this technique.

Ironically, despite the changes in putting methods, stats show that putting scores haven't improved much over the past 50 years, even though greens are better, golf balls are highly engineered, and putters come in a variety of styles.

When I discovered this, it made me ask myself "…if Arnold Palmer and other pros were so successful as wrist putters, why shouldn't I try using the wrist putting method?" Heaven knows I've struggled with putting my entire 36 years as a golfer.

After a little practice, I found that wrist putting helped me drop about 6 strokes off my score. I was absolutely amazed! No other putting style has ever worked so well or as easy for me. Now my scores are better and putting is fun for me – I actually look forward to practicing putting.

Pretty much any putter will work for this putting style, although some work better than others. My favorite is the Reeso Putter because you can set the lie angle to fit your lower anchored hand position. Also, the Reeso has nice head weight and a cool alignment system that makes it super easy to setup to the hole.

The ability to adjust the lie of the putter is nice because a flatter lie angle works best with wrist putting. Although the Reeso works great for wrist putting, it performs equally as well for any putting style – shoulder putting, belly putting, long putting and face on putting.

Are you like most golfers who find putting a challenge? Then give the tried and true wrist putting method a go. The next time you head for the practice green, try it. I think you'll find it's easy to practice and a lot of fun – especially when you drop strokes off your game!