Brad Faxon talks about putting from the perspective of a man who has excelled at it his entire career. It makes sense that the best putter of his generation – and one of the best ever – has a sense of what actually works.
Faxon, the 1993 Australian Open winner who nowadays is Rory McIlroy’s putting coach and works with members at Florida’s Jupiter Hills Club, says the goal is blending the best of the old school with the innovations of the new.
Faxon spoke about this during the 2024 PGA Show in Orlando last week. In a short game clinic featuring Titleist’s new 58.06K and 60.06K additions to its SM10 Vokey line-up, Faxon shared some good reminders about lessons we should learn from the past.
Learn how to manipulate the clubface on wedges
The unintended consequence of having so many different wedge options is that many amateurs don’t know how to manipulate the wedges they do have, Faxon says. Specifically, they don’t feel comfortable knowing how to open the clubface the right way: by setting the clubface open before taking your grip.
“For a long time I had just a pitching wedge and a sand wedge, so you had to learn how to open the clubface and hit different shots that way,” Faxon says. “When you do, lay the clubface open, then take your grip. I see many golfers grip the club then try to open the face. They can never keep the clubface open that way.”
Side note: Butch Harmon agrees with this advice.
The no-hands putting trend that makes Faxon ‘nervous’
After his wedge clinic, I asked Faxon about some trends he’s noticed in putting. He says he’s noticed players get a lot more ‘structured’ with their posture and arms as they focus on using the bigger muscles in their body. Not necessarily a bad thing, he says, unless they overdo it.
“I get a little bit nervous at the size of the new putter grips, because you’re taking something very important out of your putting stroke: your hands,” he says. “If you’re picking something delicate off the table, you’re using the small muscles in your fingers. There’s so much feel in those pinchers. Why would you ever want to remove those entirely? I think you’ve got to have a blend. You can’t just make it one way for everyone.”
Every player needs to find their own best balance in terms of how much they should use their hands, Faxon says. Don’t fall into the trap of removing them entirely. Learn to use them, and you’ll probably like the results.
