This unorthodox placement technique can fix your placement needs

Golf instruction is always evolving, but the best tips stand the test of time. In GOLF.com’s new series, Lifetime Tips, we’re highlighting some of the greatest advice that teachers and players have shared in the pages of GOLF Magazine. Today we look back to our December 1988 issue for a piece of advice from Paul Azinger.

Putting can be a crazy skill to fight. Although it usually accounts for the shorter shots, mastering your touch on the greens can sometimes seem impossible. That too professionals have difficulties with him from time to time.

Such an example? Twelve-time PGA Tour winner Paul Azinger. In the mid-1980s, Zinger had yet to win on Tour and was ranked outside the top 100 in play. So, he turned to fellow pro Corey Pavin for help.

What Pavin shared with Azinger was an unconventional grip and technique to use on the greens. And although it looked a little funky, it was very effective. After establishing control over the game, he began to rack up wins, culminating in a major win at the 1993 PGA Championship.

In the midst of Azinger’s revival, he joined GOLF magazine to show our readers how the funky technique worked – and how they could apply it to their own games. See below.

Azinger’s unique deployment technique

This is my placement capture (below). It seems quite strange, doesn’t it? It may seem strange, but it works. When I took over from fellow Tour player Corey Pavin in late 1985, I was ranked 134th on the leaderboard; this year I am in fourth place.

I recommend this grip, especially if you feel like your putting stroke is too tight or if you want the putter to feel like an extension of your left arm.

First I will explain how to catch. As you practice, read on: I also have some unorthodox thoughts on hitting and a strategy for keeping more shots that differs from most pros.

To grip, place your left hand on the stick in a very weak position, palm almost under the handle. The right hand continues very strong, also down, so that the fleshy heel of the hand covers the left middle and ring finger. Extend the left index finger over the back of the right hand so that the tip lies between the two middle knuckles. Make sure the left thumb rests on the right fingers, not on the shaft.

The main advantage of this grip is that it stabilizes the left wrist, so the left arm and the pusher shaft work as one. With the wrist joint, neither hand dominates the action. This keeps the putterface square on the target line as you pull the club back and drive through.

But control isn’t all I do differently. I like to “ring” the ball with a short rap, not a long, flowing swing. I never worry about how long I have to backtrack. Instead, I stand over the ball and imagine the line I want the ball to roll in running away from the front of the ball, then “punch” it along that line. I make sure to walk toward the hole and maintain my finishing position—the blade up and away—rather than retreating.

My swing may be strong, but I’m not an aggressive putter, meaning I don’t try to hit the ball home by bouncing it off the back of the cup. To do this, you have to roll it right into the center of the hole, and if you’re off just a little bit, the ball will most likely roll out. I hit soft enough so that if the ball doesn’t catch the hole dead center it still has a chance to catch the lip and drop in.

Charging the hole has another hurdle: A long second putt. If you miss an aggressive putt, you’ll probably be facing a three- or four-foot return. When my soft shots miss, I only have an eight to 10 inches to negotiate. If my second shot is longer than that, I feel like I hit it too hard. My feeling is that if I miss my bird, I’d rather have a left tap than a trey that I can’t pass. I’d rather have a “gimme” putt than risk a three-shot bogey.

My plans change a bit in the long shots. With 40 or so feet to cover, I try to get the ball inside a two-foot-wide bucket around the hole. And while I don’t normally like to leave the ball far from the hole, I don’t mind a long ball ending up a little shy, as long as I’m left with nothing more than a two-foot putt for the second shot.

A case sometimes made against rolling the soft ball on short pressure shots is that it is more reliable when you are nervous to hit the hardest shot possible and slam the ball into the back of the cup. I don’t buy that argument because you have to hit the hole completely to make the ball drop. I still prefer to take a soft approach even on the most important shots, thanks to a pre-shoot routine I developed to calm my nerves. I control my breathing: inhale to a slow, steady count of four, then exhale to the count of four. If you’ve ever seen me walking down the street to deal with a pressure stroke, you can be sure that’s what I’m doing and will continue to do as I prepare for my stroke.

This routine calms my racing heart, which helps me avoid any nervous, jerky movements that could interfere with the stroke. The routine also gives me something to think about as I get ready, helping to take my mind off the pressure of having to make the putt.

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