Left-hand-low putting, also called cross-handed putting, is one of the most effective grip changes a struggling putter can make. By placing the lead hand below the trail hand, you level the shoulders, quiet the wrists, and encourage a more consistent, pendulum-style stroke. This guide explains how to set up a left-hand-low putting grip, how to make the stroke, drills to groove it, and how to know whether the change is right for your game.
What is left-hand-low putting?
Left-hand-low putting, known as cross-handed for right-handed golfers, simply reverses the position of your hands on the grip. Instead of the right hand sitting below the left, as in a conventional putting hold, the left (lead) hand goes underneath and the right (trail) hand sits on top. Left-handed golfers do the mirror image, placing the right hand low.
The change looks small, but it alters how the body organises the stroke. It is a mainstream method used by major champions, not a gimmick, and it has become a go-to fix for players who fight inconsistency on short and medium putts. If you are still deciding how to hold the club at all, start with the fundamentals in our guide on how to grip a putter before layering the cross-handed change on top.
Why golfers switch to left-hand-low
The biggest benefit is shoulder alignment. In a conventional grip, the trail hand sits lower, which naturally drops the trail shoulder and tilts the shoulders open or closed. Putting left-hand-low levels the shoulders, squaring them to your target line so the stroke tracks straighter back and through.
The second benefit is wrist stability. The lead wrist tends to break down and flip through impact in a conventional stroke, adding loft and twisting the face. With the lead hand low, that wrist is far harder to hinge, so the putter face stays square for longer. The result is better distance control and a face angle you can trust. Many players who switch report an immediate reduction in the yips and a calmer feeling over the ball.
Finally, cross-handed putting takes the dominant trail hand out of its steering role. If you tend to push, pull, or flinch at impact, demoting the trail hand to a passive supporter can quiet those manipulations and produce a more repeatable roll.
It is worth noting that these gains are strongest on straight, short putts and on any stroke plagued by nerves. Golfers who have battled the yips for years often describe left-hand-low as the change that finally let them commit to the ball again, because the mechanics make an involuntary flinch much harder to produce. That psychological calm is as valuable as the mechanical improvement.
How to set up a left-hand-low putting grip
Building the grip correctly matters more than any single tip. Work through these steps slowly the first few times until the new hand position feels natural.
Step 1: Start with the trail hand on top
Place your trail (right) hand at the top of the grip where your lead hand would normally sit, with the palm facing the target line. Keep the grip running up the lifeline, not deep in the fingers, so the wrist stays quiet.
Step 2: Add the lead hand below
Bring your lead (left) hand onto the grip directly beneath the trail hand. The back of the lead hand should face the target, mirroring the trail hand, so both palms oppose each other and work as a single unit. Let the hands sit snugly together with no gap.
Step 3: Connect the hands and set the wrists
Link the hands for stability. A popular option is to let the trail-hand index finger overlap down over the fingers of the lead hand, similar to a reverse-overlap in reverse. Set the wrists flat and slightly arched, and check that your shoulders now feel level rather than tilted. This flatter, more level look is exactly what you are after.
Making the stroke with a cross-handed grip
The cross-handed grip is designed to promote a stroke driven by the big muscles of the shoulders and torso rather than the hands. Set up with the ball slightly forward of centre and your eyes over or just inside the target line. Feel that your arms, hands, and the putter form a stable triangle that rocks back and through as a unit.
Because the lead wrist is locked, resist any urge to add a hit with the trail hand. Let the stroke be a smooth rock of the shoulders, with the putter head accelerating gently through the ball. Keep the tempo even; a good thought is a metronomic count that is the same length back and through. Good distance control on longer putts is a big part of scoring, and pairing this stroke with the ideas in our guide on how to stop three-putting can quickly lower your scores.
Drills to groove a left-hand-low stroke
A grip change only sticks if you rehearse it. These three drills build the feel of a quiet, shoulder-driven cross-handed stroke.
Spend at least ten minutes on them before every practice session while the grip is still new, and revisit them any time your putting starts to drift. Repetition is what converts an awkward new hold into an automatic one you can trust on the course.
Lead-arm-only drill
Hit short putts using only your lead hand and arm on the grip. This teaches the lead side to lead the stroke and exposes any flip. Once it feels smooth, add the trail hand back as a passive rider.
Gate drill for face control
Set two tees just wider than the putter head a few inches in front of the ball. Roll putts through the gate without clipping either tee. Because the left-hand-low grip squares the face, this drill quickly confirms whether your setup is doing its job.
Clock drill for distance
Place balls at three, six, and nine feet around a hole and hole out from each in sequence. This ingrains a consistent tempo and builds trust in your new stroke under a little pressure.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
The most frequent error is gripping too much in the fingers of the lead hand, which reintroduces wrist action and defeats the purpose. Keep the grip in the palms. A second mistake is letting the trail hand take over and steer; if you feel it fighting the stroke, go back to the lead-arm-only drill.
Some players also over-arch or hunch the shoulders once the hands switch. Check your posture in a mirror or on video and make sure the shoulders are level and relaxed, not lifted. Finally, give the change time. The first few rounds can feel awkward, and abandoning it after one bad putt is the surest way to never reap the benefits.
One more subtle mistake is inconsistent hand pressure. Squeezing tighter with one hand than the other, or increasing grip pressure during the stroke, reintroduces exactly the manipulation the grip is meant to remove. Set a light, even pressure in both hands at address and hold it steady from takeaway to finish. A useful checkpoint is that your forearms should feel relaxed, never tense, throughout the stroke.
Adjusting left-hand-low for short and long putts
Left-hand-low shines most on short and medium putts, roughly inside fifteen feet, where face angle is the dominant factor in whether the ball goes in. On these putts, trust the squared face the grip gives you, pick a precise entry point on the hole, and make a short, even stroke without trying to guide the ball. The quiet wrists make it easy to start the ball on line time after time.
On longer putts, distance control becomes the priority, and some cross-handed players feel they lose a little feel because the trail hand is less involved. The fix is not to abandon the grip but to lengthen the stroke and rely on tempo rather than a hit. Rehearse the through-stroke length while looking at the hole to calibrate speed, then step in and repeat that feel. If lag putting remains a weakness, read greens carefully so your speed and line work together; sharpening your green-reading alongside the stroke pays dividends. Some players even use a conventional or claw grip on very long putts and switch to left-hand-low inside their scoring range, which is a perfectly legitimate hybrid approach.
Is left-hand-low right for you?
Left-hand-low is not the only alternative grip, and the best choice depends on your particular fault. If your problem is a handsy, flippy stroke or misaligned shoulders, cross-handed is often the ideal fix. If instead you tend to steer with the trail hand or feel nervous over short putts, you might compare it with the claw grip, which isolates the trail hand differently.
Players who want the ultimate in wrist stability sometimes explore arm-lock putting, which anchors the grip against the lead forearm. There is no single correct answer; the right grip is the one that repeatedly returns the face square with good speed. Give left-hand-low a genuine two-week trial on the practice green, track your make percentage from inside ten feet, and let the results decide.
