Scottie Scheffler has a new putting grip! Here’s why.

Just when you think he’s figured it out, he’s changed it up again. That’s right, Scottie Scheffler has a new putting grip.

The world No.1, to the rest of us, had put his putting woes behind him. Scheffler started working with renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon before last year’s Ryder Cup, switched putters a couple of times, and eventually settled on something that looked more than serviceable.

On the PGA Tour in 2024, he ranked 77th in Strokes Gained: Putting, which is better than average. Couple that with the best long game in the world, and you’d think Scheffler would be content.

But, at this week’s relatively low-key Hero World Challenge, Scheffler turned up using a claw grip with his TaylorMade Spider Tour putter.

Why has Scottie Scheffler changed his putting grip?

After opening with a round of 67 in the Bahamas, he explained why the change has come about.

• Copy Cam Smith’s putting routine

• Should you chip or putt from just off the green?

“I would say I’m always looking for ways to improve and I felt like this was something that we had looked at last year when 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,” he told reporters.

“You know, this year 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.’

“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 felt like I’m seeing some improvements in my stroke.”

What’s that? The best player in the world, who had already turned a corner with his putting, is now feeling improvements in his stroke? The rest of the PGA Tour had better look out.

Scheffler did explain, however, that the claw isn’t getting employed with every putt. From long distances, he’s reverting back to his conventional putting grip, as he feels like he can control speed better with the old method.

Think of this like Matt Fitzpatrick with his cross-handed chipping. There’s no set distance that he switches to the conventional grip, just where it feels comfortable.

“Typically the further I am away from the hole I’d say the more likely I am to use the conventional grip because, like I said, I feel like my speed has always been extremely good, especially from long range,” he said.

“I think I’ve always been a really, really good lag putter. That’s an area where I don’t think I would see much improvement with the grip.

“The closer I get to the hole, kind of that inside 15-foot range, I think that’s where I’m seeing a lot of the benefits of it.”

World No. 1 is testing out a saw putting grip this week 👀 https://t.co/1x9bVoYqzd pic.twitter.com/XyZIVelvuU

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 5, 2024

While we’re happy to call this grip a claw, Scheffler isn’t exactly boxing himself into calling it that. He says he’s just happy to go with whatever Kenyon tells him to try.

“I have literally no idea,” said Scheffler, when asked if he would classify this grip as a claw.

“I think Phil calls it a claw, but he really doesn’t even say that, he just says: ‘I want you to try a little bit’ and he points his hand like that and wherever my hand felt good, that’s where we settled. Not trying to think too much about it, trying to keep things simple.”

Perhaps it shouldn’t come as too much of a shock that Scheffler has gone for this method. Justin Rose, another of Kenyon’s pupils, uses the claw grip on the greens.

Meanwhile, Matt Fitzpatrick, also a Kenyon student, uses a grip where his left index finger runs down the side of the grip. That’s something that Scheffler is also doing here, and it should make it easier for him to keep the face of his putter square to the target.

It’s early days yet, but it certainly looks to be working. Scheffler’s 67 puts him at five-under-par, and his putting stats were right in the middle of the 20-person pack.

Long term, if this change turns Scheffler into even a slightly better putter, and his elite long game remains as good as it has been, the rest of world golf could be in for a tough year.

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor