The butterfly grip is a specific putting technique that can transform your consistency on the greens by taking your often-unreliable wrists out of the stroke. If you've ever felt flicky, unstable, or yippy over a short putt, this grip might be the answer you're looking for. This guide will walk you through exactly what the butterfly grip is, the real-world benefits of using it, and a step-by-step process for making it feel natural in your own game.
The butterfly grip, sometimes called the prayer grip or the split-hand grip, is an unconventional putting hold where the hands are positioned symmetrically on the putter shaft with the palms facing each other. Instead of one hand being lower than the other in a traditional putting grip, your hands work as a single, unified block.
Imagine you are about to clap your hands together. Now, slide the putter grip between them. That's the foundational concept. Your thumbs will typically run straight down the flat top of the grip, side-by-side, and your fingers will wrap around from both sides.
Why "butterfly"? When you look down at your hands from your point of view, the heels of your palms are close together and your fingers are spread out on either side of the grip, resembling the shape of a butterfly's wings. It's a grip used almost exclusively for putting, designed with one primary goal in mind: creating stability and removing the small, twitchy muscles from your stroke.
You’ll often see this grip used with belly putters or long putters, but it has become increasingly popular with standard-length putters as well, particularly among professional golfers like Bernhard Langer who have used it to maintain incredible putting peformance late into their careers.
Switching your grip can feel strange at first, but golfers who commit to the butterfly grip do so for some very powerful reasons. It directly addresses the most common faults in amateur putting.
This is the number one reason to try the butterfly grip. The biggest source of inconsistency for most golfers is an unwanted wrist hinge or "flicking" motion during the putting stroke. A little flick here or a tiny breakdown there sends the putter face off-line, causing missed putts. The symmetrical, palms-facing-each-other position of the butterfly grip makes it incredibly difficult to hinge your wrists independently. It essentially locks them in place, forcing you to use a different engine to power your stroke.
If your wrists can’t move, what moves the putter? Your shoulders. The butterfly grip encourages a pure, one-piece pendulum motion, where your arms and shoulders move together as a single, stable triangle. By using the large, reliable muscles of your back and shoulders to control the stroke, you generate a much more repeatable path. This type of motion holds up significantly better under pressure when the nerves start to kick in over a must-make four-footer.
When you rely on your wrists, applying the right amount of force for a 30-foot putt versus a 10-foot putt can be a guessing game. It's easy to get too "hitty" and pop the ball past the hole or get too tentative and leave it well short. Because the butterfly grip relies on the length of your shoulder rock, it creates a more linear relationship between the size of your stroke and the distance the ball travels. A shorter rock equals a shorter putt, a longer rock equals a longer putt. It simplifies the math of distance control.
The yips - that involuntary twitch or flinch in the hands right before or during impact - have derailed countless golfers. This affliction is physical anxiety manifesting in the finest, fastest muscles of the身体, namely the hands and wrists. The butterfly grip is a fantastic antidote because it effectively disengages those very muscles. By forcing the work to be done by the larger, slower muscles in the shoulders and torso, it calms the entire motion down and gives the player a feeling of control again.
Ready to give it a try? Building a solid butterfly grip is straightforward. Grab your putter and follow these steps. It will feel odd at first, so be patient and focus on the feeling of creating a stable unit with your hands and arms.
Stand up straight and hold your putter out in front of you. Center the grip in front of your sternum. Bring your hands together on the grip at the same time, with your palms facing each other, as if you’re holding a book.
This is a defining feature of the grip. Run both of your thumbs straight down the front, flat part of the putter grip. They should be parallel to each other and pointing directly toward the putter head. This is your main connection for ensuring the face stays square. Avoid wrapping your thumbs around the grip.
Gently wrap the other four fingers of each hand around the back side of the grip. Your hands should be mirror images of each other. Some players like to have their index fingers pointing down the sides of the shaft for extra stability and feel, while others prefer to wrap all fingers. Experiment to see which feels more secure for you.
Grip pressure should be light and even. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is squeezing as hard as you can, your pressure should be a 3 or 4. You are simply holding the putter, not strangling it. Pressing too hard will introduce tension and defeat the purpose. Both hands should feel like they are applying the exact same amount of pressure.
Now, tilt from your hips to take your normal putting stance. With this grip, your elbows should naturally want to pinch in slightly toward your body, connecting your arms to your torso. This solidifies the "triangle" formed by your shoulders and arms. From here, you should feel that the only way to move the putter is by rocking your shoulders back and forth like a pendulum.
Once you’ve built your new grip, you need reps to make it feel automatic. Here are a few simple drills to build muscle memory and confidence.
Putting is personal, and there's no single grip that works for everyone. However, you should seriously consider trying the butterfly grip if:
Give it a try during your practice sessions. Don't take it straight to the course for a tournament. Spend time on the putting green, hitting short, medium, and long putts. The initial strangeness will fade, and you might just find the consistency you’ve been searching for on the greens.
The butterfly grip is a highly effective putting technique focused on one thing: removing excess hand and wrist action to create a stable, repeatable, shoulder-powered stroke. If you want more consistency and confidence over your putts, adopting this grip could be a real game-changer.
Finding the right feel for your game is a process of learning and adaptation. If you're trying out the butterfly grip and want a second opinion, our AI golf coach is always here to help. You can ask questions about your hand position or even snap a picture of your setup, and Caddie AI will provide instant, personalized feedback to guide you as you improve your putting.
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