As with every other minor detail of the golf swing or setup, it all comes down to personal preference if you should rest the putter on the ground or hover it. I personally rest it on the ground because I feel like I have tension in my arms if I try to hover it slightly. Other golfers will hover the putter because resting the putter on the ground gives them unwanted tension in his arms.
There are so many variables in putting such as putter grip weight, if you should put your finger down the putting grip, which golf grip to use, etc. Every golfer has a unique putting setup, so there is no one right answer! Experiment with hovering the putter and keeping it on the ground to see which one feels more natural and gives you more confidence to drain every putt you look at!
Pros and Cons of resting putter on ground
A majority of pros do not hover the putter above the ground before starting their putting stroke. However, almost every pro has some sort of signal or cue before they start their putting stroke (bounce putter off ground, forward press, lift putter ever so slightly to feel putter weight in hands).
They all do this to relieve tension in the hands, arms, and shoulders. A tension free putting stroke helps with a more consistent putting stroke. That leads to more holed putts.
Stability is the biggest reason why golfers benefit from grounding the putter. Some golfers don’t have the strength and stability to keep the clubface still while hovering, which will lead to inconsistent contact and the club being open/shut at impact.
Keeping the putter on the ground will also allow you to keep your club aligned with your aim point until the start of the stroke. This is huge for anyone considering hovering the putter. Practice on the green hovering and see if your misses are conisistent. If you miss almost half on the low side and half on the high, you may be having issues with keeping the clubface square to your aim point through impact.
Grounding the club also help keeps the putter head on a more consistent path and engages the bigger muscles (shoulders, arms) versus the hands. Resting the putter head on the ground makes it easier to make a consistent backstroke on line with your aim point.
Pro golfers who ground their putter:
- Brooks Koepka
- Scottie Scheffler
- Rory McIlroy
- Max Homa
Pros and Cons of hovering the putter
As with almost everything in golf, it comes down to personal preference and confidence on what style of putting is right for your game. There are elite golfers like Rickie Fowler and Jack Nicklaus who hover the putter, so you know it can work for the best in the world.
The main benefit of hovering the putter (for some golfers) is that it doesn’t allow you to “anchor” the club into the ground and allows you to have a free flowing stroke. Some golfers advocate that any tension in their arms disappear when hovering. This should lead to a smoother, more consistent putting stroke which should help you hole more putts!
Younger golfers and older golfers seem to not have the strength to hold up the club effortlessly and will create significant tension in their arms. This will lead to a choppy, inconsistent stroke with little distance control. Some golfers complain about it actually increasing tension in their arms.
It’s worth noting that most pros do some sort of movement before starting the putting stroke. Most pros seem to ever so slightly bounce the putter off the ground at address.
“Hovering” the putter doesn’t necessarily mean taking the putter off the ground as some pros and amateurs keep the putter off the ground but lift ever so slightly to take the weight of the putter off of the ground. This will allow you to not feel “stuck” to the ground at the beginning of the putting stroke and have a fluid, more consistent putting stroke.
The majority of pros do some sort of “trigger” or hovering process that helps relieve tension in their arms before they start the putting stroke. Try to find one that works for you and see if it helps improve your putting!
Pro golfers who hover putter off ground:
- Rickie Fowler
- Jack Nicklaus
- Dustin Johnson
- Jason Day
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