Scottie Scheffler's New Putting Grip Debut at Hero World Challenge

Hey golf fans! Did anyone catch Scottie Scheffler’s return to play today at the Hero World Challenge? He debuted a claw-like putting grip for his short putts, and I have to say, it’s intriguing. Considering he’s the World No. 1 but ranked 121st on TOUR last season in putts from 4 to 8 feet, this feels like a bold move to address a weak spot.

What do you all think about this grip change? Could this be the tweak he needs to elevate his putting game, or does it seem like a risky experiment for someone at his level? Has anyone tried a similar grip themselves, and did it work for you?

121 in putting and still won about $30 million? What’s going on

Remington said:
121 in putting and still won about $30 million? What’s going on

Even though his short putting wasn’t great, he was No. 3 on TOUR for putting from 15-20 feet, which is often where his best iron shots end up

@Bob
It would be cool to see if he just has fewer short putts because he makes the longer ones. If he gets even a bit better at the short ones, watch out

Tatum said:
@Bob
It would be cool to see if he just has fewer short putts because he makes the longer ones. If he gets even a bit better at the short ones, watch out

Rankings are based on strokes gained, so that shouldn’t matter

Tatum said:
@Bob
It would be cool to see if he just has fewer short putts because he makes the longer ones. If he gets even a bit better at the short ones, watch out

It would be interesting to know if he has fewer short putts

Randomly picked Tour players from 2024, Number of attempts from 4-8ft (current YTD rank in % made):

  • (#120) Scottie: 251
  • (#11) Xander: 260
  • (#1) Taylor Montgomery: 199
  • (#2) Brendon Todd: 366
  • (#5) Jason Day: 257
  • (#10) Matt Kuchar: 289
  • (#22) Billy Horschel: 235

Not sure why this forum chose 4-8 feet, as Scottie has a lower rank for all putts under 10 feet.

Randomly picked Tour players from 2024, Number of attempts from inside 10ft (current YTD rank % made):

  • (#139) Scottie: 1,125
  • (#3) Xander: 1,224
  • (#1) Taylor Montgomery: 827
  • (#44) Brendon Todd: 1,605
  • (#21) Jason Day: 1,059
  • (#37) Matt Kuchar: 1,224
  • (#4) Billy Horschel: 1,179

Conclusion: No, Scottie doesn’t have a shortage of attempts from close range.

@Hart
Great info!

I’m curious to see what happens if his putting doesn’t improve much but he had to try something

Tatum said:
@Bob
It would be cool to see if he just has fewer short putts because he makes the longer ones. If he gets even a bit better at the short ones, watch out

Learn how strokes gained works. This isn’t how it works

@Perrin
Everyone just chill out

@Bob
Also number one in avoiding three-putts in the second round. I don’t know if that means much, but it’s a stat on the PGA Tour website

Remington said:
121 in putting and still won about $30 million? What’s going on

This is a season-long stat. He was losing strokes putting in the first half of the season but gaining them over his last 50 rounds. A long-term stat is usually good, but things changed when he switched to the mallet

Remington said:
121 in putting and still won about $30 million? What’s going on

“See, I don’t need to warm up my putting” - Me from now on when there’s no money on the line. Sure, I never warmed up on non-money rounds before, but now I’ve got a reason

Remington said:
121 in putting and still won about $30 million? What’s going on

He’s overcoming average putting with some great golf overall

Remington said:
121 in putting and still won about $30 million? What’s going on

Putting isn’t that important

Halston said:
Looks like he must have heard about how well I’ve been putting lately

Could be true. Scottie listens to advice, like when Rory suggested he switch to a mallet last year. He did it and ended up winning seven times…

@Bob
That’s really impressive. The best just keeps getting better. Can’t wait to see what’s next

@Bob
They asked Scottie about this last year; he said he had been considering a mallet already and Rory’s suggestion wasn’t the reason he switched. It just happened to time up like that. It wasn’t Scottie taking advice from Rory.
Funny how even a PGA Tour account can spread misinformation

@Val
It was definitely a coincidence, not the direct reason for his switch. Just funny timing.

Uh oh, what if he learns how to putt now