The Common Signs of a "Handsy" Putting Stroke

The symptoms are easy to recognize. Short putts get pulled. The stroke feels jumpy instead of smooth. Start lines vary even when speed feels fine.

All of these symptoms usually come from the same place. The hands get involved in an effort to create control. The problem is that the hands are small, fast, and inconsistent. When they drive the stroke, timing has to be perfect or everything starts to fall apart.

A reliable putting stroke is driven by the shoulders and arms, allowing the putter to swing freely like a pendulum. Because of the lie angle, that motion naturally creates a slight arc. When golfers try to override it by pulling the putter inside or forcing a straight back, straight through motion, they end up fighting the design of the club.

This is why constraint-based drills work so well. When the heel of the putter glides along a rail, the wrong options disappear. Pulling the putter inside is blocked, and forcing it straight back causes the putter to lose contact. The only motion that works is the one that matches how the club is designed to move.

After a few repetitions, that motion starts to stick. Even when the rail is removed, the body tends to repeat the same stroke without conscious effort. The result is a quieter, more repeatable motion that holds up under pressure and is easier to trust.