Scottie Scheffler made a putting switch in March, opting to go from a blade to a mallet putter-head ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. He struggled on the greens for the first two months of the season, a big reason he did not win any trophies in January or February.
But after making that change, the World No. 1 won that week at Bay Hill, won The Players seven days later, and then triumphed at Augusta National the following month. He added four more PGA Tour victories during his historic 2024 campaign, not including his incredible come-from-behind victory at the Olympics in Paris.
Fast forward to this week at the Hero World Challenge, and Scheffler has made another change to his putting routine. He still has the same flat stick, a TaylorMade Spider Tour X, but he now uses the ‘Claw’ grip, in which your strong hand—in this case Scheffler’s right—makes a claw-like shape when gripping the putter. Players will use the claw grip to try to have their putter resemble a pendulum, in which you rely more on shoulders to sway the club through impact. Theoretically, the putter head should move straight back and straight through, thus creating straighter putts.
The con to using this grip is that it’s uncomfortable, especially soon after making the switch. It also should not be used on slower greens.
“I’m always looking for ways to improve, and I felt like this was something that we had looked at last year when [my putting coach] Phil [Kenyon] and I first started working together, but it was really our first time working together, and it’s something that’s different than what I’ve done in the past,” Scheffler explained after his first round.
“I had thought about it from time to time, and it was something that we had just said let’s table that for the end of the season, take a look at it. We took a look at it this offseason and figured this is a good week to try stuff just because you can practice and practice and do all the stuff at home, but there’s just something different about being in competition. I really enjoyed the way it felt. I feel like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”
Scheffler shot a 5-under 67 on Thursday and sits three strokes behind Cameron Young. He put together another solid round but had a couple of hiccups around the turn. He made a bogey at the par-3 8th and then found the water with his second shot on the par-5 9th. Luckily for him, he saved par there.
Regarding his putter, Scheffler did not have any significant issues on the greens. Yes, he ranked 10th among the 20-man field in strokes gained putting on Thursday, but he made four birdies coming in. That includes a 12-footer on the 18th, the range in which Scheffler wants to improve and where he employs the claw.
On longer putts, he switched back to his conventional grip.
“I think I’ve always been a really, really good lag putter,” Scheffler said.
“The closer I get to the hole, kind of that inside of that 15-foot range, I think that’s where I’m seeing a lot of the benefits of [using the claw].”
Since he is the best ball-striker in the world, Scheffler makes a living by hitting his approach shots within 15 feet, which leads to plenty of birdie opportunities. But Scheffler has missed a ton of putts from short-range over the past couple of years amid all of his accolades, accomplishments, and green jackets.
So, perhaps this switch will lead to more consistency inside of 10 feet, a metric where Scheffler ranked 139th in 2024. If the move pays off, the rest of the tour will be on high alert as Scheffler dominated the sport throughout the 2024 season. Imagine what he could be if he continues to improve from close range.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
